On May 10, 2025, the Stolen Relations project went live! To mark the event, the whole team held a public day-long symposium hosted at Brown University that featured short presentations from many of our tribal representatives and core team members on various aspects of the project. Here is the full program.
The day opened with a welcome from Brown University president Christina Paxson, with Assistant Director of NAISI at Brown, Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason, moderating the entire program. Over the course of the day presenters on three panels provided personal, tribal, historical, and technical perspectives on the project and the website. Approximately eighty people were in attendance, with another thirty or so joining online, including some international attendees.
Here is a summary of the event in photos (scroll down for video):
The welcome committee and swag table (Mary Clarke, Khanh Vo, Marija Blašković).
Brown University president Christina Paxson welcoming the attendees.
Emcee Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason (Schaghticoke/HoChunk), Assistant Director, Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative, Brown University
Project Director Linford Fisher (Associate Professor, Brown) provided an overview of the project.
Project Manager Ashley Champagne (Director, Center for Digital Scholarship, Brown) detailed some of the technical aspects of the project.
Lorén Spears (Narragansett), Director of the Tomaquag Museum, spoke about the collaborative nature of the project.
Panel One: Hearing from Community Collaborators
Cheryll Toney Holley (Hassanamisco Nipmuc), Sunskq, Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band; Stolen Relations Tribal Advisory Board
Sandi Brewster-Walker (Montaukett), Executive Director & Government Affairs Officer, Montaukett Indian Nation; Stolen Relations Tribal Advisory Board
Patricia D. Rocker (Chappaquiddick Wampanoag), Council Chair and Speaker, Whale Clan; Stolen Relations Tribal Advisory Board
Courtney Akbar (Hassanamisco Nipmuc), Stolen Relations Tribal Outreach Coordinator
Toni Weeden (descendent of Pequot, Wampanoag, and Pokanoket), representing Tall Oak Weeden (1936–2022), a former member of the Stolen Relations Tribal Advisory Board
Refreshments!
Panel Two: Rethinking History and Reframing the Narrative
Mack Scott (Narragansett), Visiting Assistant Professor, Brown University; Stolen Relations Academic Advisory Board
Rebecca Goetz, Associate Professor of History, New York University; Stolen Relations Academic Advisory Board
Simon Newman, Honorary Fellow, Institute for Research in the Humanities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Stolen Relations Academic Advisory Board
Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason (Schaghticoke/HoChunk), Assistant Director, Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative, Brown University
Silvermoon LaRose (Narragansett), Assistant Director, Tomaquag Museum and adjunct professor, RISD
Q&A with Panel Two
Panel Three: Ethics, Technology, and Art in Building a Community-Driven Project
Alexis Moreis (Wampanoag Tribe of Chappaquiddick), Tribal Council Member & THPO, Wampanoag Tribe of Chappaquiddick; Stolen Relations Tribal Advisory Board
Patrick Rashleigh, Head of Digital Technology Services, Brown University Library; Stolen Relations Technical Lead
Brittney Walley (Hassanamisco Nipmuc), Artist; Stolen Relations Tribal Consultant
Mary Clarke, Brown undergraduate, Stolen Relations Research Assistant Coordinator
Keynote Address: Lisa Brooks (Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi), Winthrop H. Smith 1916 Professor of American Studies and English, Amherst College
Q&A with Prof. Brooks
The event (with the exception of the keynote address) was recorded in two parts:
Thanks to everyone for making this a successful launch and a special day!