In this painting, Tall Oak Weeden depicted his own immediate family members (mother and her children) escaping the burning Narragansett Fort during the Great Swamp Massacre of December 19, 1675, as part of the War for New England (King Philip’s War). A close examination reveals that Tall Oak drew or etched the tall obelisk of the Great Swamp Memorial at the center of the painting, thereby overlaying the events with the later memorialization of it.
About the Artist: Tall Oak Weeden (1936–2022) was an artist, writer, activist, historian, and community leader who had family connections in the Pequot, Wampanoag, and Narragansett communities. Used with permission of his family.
