MCNAA NEWS BRIEF
JULY THRU SEPTEMBER 2025
Dear MCNAA Members and Friends:
Below is information on some of the work and activities that took place between July and September 2025 and what’s coming up in the next few months. You will note that there are only a few photos and no formal format… making it easier for us to compose and distribute.
In this issue, read about:
Our Connections to Community Organizations
Assisting Native Families & Students
Student Scholarship Awards-2025 Fall Semester
MCNAA is Moving
Native American Teacher Retention Initiative (NATRI)
Into The Spirit World (Lee BraveHeart Edmonds)
....and more.
WHAT WE’RE DOING/WHAT WE'VE DONE AT MCNAA!
Community Connections
* The Mass. Center for Native American Awareness co-sponsored and participated again in the annual U.N. International Day of Peace/Boston. The event was held on Sunday, September 21, 2025 at the Eliot Church of Newton UCC, Newton, MA. MCNAA Board Member, Dawn Duncan, was the emcee of another inspiring and important program. She reported that the program was great and included a good balance of music and amazing speakers who talked about how important it is that we all work together and honor true history and communicate with each other. All-around, there was wonderful energy! We thank all of you who were able to join us!
* The Mass. Center for Native American Awareness is a community partner for Indigenous Peoples Day-Newburyport on Saturday, October 11, 2025. This is the 5th year of this important partnership with the City of Newburyport and Imagine Studios. We invite our members to attend this free, family-friendly outdoor gathering that celebrates traditional and contemporary Indigenous cultural arts, knowledge and diversity, honoring our region’s Indigenous communities and all Native Peoples, and supports recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day at the city, state and national level. MCNAA Board Member Dr. Claudia Fox Tree will be a speaker at this event. CLICK HERE for all the details.
* The Mass. Center for Native American Awareness is a community supporter for the Indigenous Peoples Day event being planned for faculty, staff and students at Berklee College of Music on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. (This is a private event.) The theme of the Celebration is: We Were, We Are, We Will Be. Through their Programming, Engagement, and Learning Department, Board Members Dawn Duncan and Claudia Fox Tree will take part in the celebration representing our organization. Serving as the keynote speaker, Dawn will offer her perspective on public and racial health while Claudia will host an hour-long session on "Decolonizing Identity." It will be a great learning event for all associated with Berklee.
* The Mass. Center for Native American Awareness is a program partner with Brandeis University for a reading with Native author, Carson Faust, on his new book “If the Dead Belong Here”. The event will be held on Thursday, October 23, 2025 from 2:45 PM - 4:15PM in the International Lounge Usdan Student Center, Waltham, MA. A moderated Q&A will follow. This is a public event so we hope you, our friends, and our students will be able to join us as we give a warm Massachusetts welcome to Carson. CLICK HERE for more details.
The novel, If the Dead Belong Here” is about a young girl who goes missing and the ghosts of the past collide with her family’s secrets in a mesmerizing Native American Southern Gothic.
Carson Faust is two-spirit and an enrolled member of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe of South Carolina who now lives in Minnesota. He is the recipient of fellowships from the McKnight Foundation and the Jerome Foundation. His fiction has appeared in Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology. CLICK HERE to read more about Carson and his new book.
* The Mass. Center for Native American Awareness is a co-sponsor for a group visit and guided tour with Brandeis University students to the exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) “An Indigenous Present”. The exhibit will be shown in Boston from October 9, 2025 – March 8, 2026 in the Bridgitt and Bruce Evans and Karen and Brian Conway Galleries. Beyond the works in the galleries, the ICA highlights Native and Indigenous makers in a series of public programs and performances including an installation by local artist, author, and poet Robert Peters in the ICA Bank of America Art Lab. CLICK HERE for more details on the exhibition.
* Board Member, Dawn Duncan, continues to represent the Mass. Center for Native American Awareness on the Community Advisory Board (CAB) of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS). They meet every other Wednesday to keep one another (tribal communities and Native non-profits) apprised on what’s going on as well as to hear from BSAS about new initiatives. #
Assisting Native Families and Students
* Through our Social Assistance Program, we continue to help needy Native families and Elders. While applications for heating assistance won’t open again until October, we continue to receive requests from families for food gift cards to Market Basket, Shaw’s, and Stop & Shop to purchase food and household supplies. This is not normal for this time of year and it tells us that families are still having difficulty trying to make ends meet. We expect a larger volume of requests to come in soon (from October 2025 through April 2026.) Additionally, requests for assistance with rent and mortgage payments continue to come in from some of our people who, several months ago, were laid off from their federal jobs. This is a sad situation and has become a serious issue for some of the Native families.
While we refer families to food gardens and pantries for those facing food insecurity, to utility companies to make budget plans to avoid shut offs, to housing authorities for housing assistance programs, etc., we continue to do what we can, to the extent that funds allow, to help them in these important and critical ways. Please don’t misunderstand. The funds in our account will be ample for us to continue assisting the current number of families and Elders during the upcoming winter months but additional grants are needed to expand the program to assist other families who will also experience unmet and unexpected needs during this same period. So, if you’re aware of any resources we can apply for, that focus on social services (heat and other utility bills, food assistance, rental assistance, etc.), please let us know as we may have overlooked them in our research.
* Through our Scholarship & Educational Resources Program, we continue to help Native college students by sharing information on scholarships and internship opportunities; inviting them to MCNAA book discussions; and providing culturally sensitive mentoring. After the Spring semester ended, we continued to assist students and provided career development advice as well as wrote letters of reference for those who were applying for regional scholarships. The Fall semester has begun and we’ve resumed our interactions with students providing guidance and culturally sensitive mentoring.
We also made a few edits to our scholarship application to bring it current and sent it to Native students inviting them to apply for the MCNAA Scholarship.
MCNAA Scholarship Awards
Scholarship applications were e-mailed to Native students the second week of September, inviting them to apply for the 2025 MCNAA Scholarship. Like last year, from a large pool of candidates, we awarded over $25K in scholarships to 16 Native American students who are attending a Mass. Public College/University for the 2025 Fall Semester. Many of the recipients are enrolled in our Educational Resources Program where they receive culturally-sensitive mentoring and career development advice, as well as utilize our list of vital educational resources throughout their college tenure. Based on financial need, school enrollment status (full time/part time), and family hardship, awards ranged from $1,000 to $3,000. Funds from the First Parish Church-Duxbury as well as from the Native Youth Empowerment Foundation (NYEF) supplemented MCNAA’s Scholarship Fund to make these annual awards. Below are the names, tribes and colleges of the deserving recipients of the 2025 MCNAA Scholarship.
o Ava M. Besse (Mashpee Wampanoag) Bridgewater State
o Brooke E. Bingham (Mashpee Wampanoag) Framingham State
o Mark Bingham (Mashpee Wampanoag) Mass. College of Art & Design
o Eric Edwards-Korbel (Mashpee Wampanoag) University of Massachusetts/Amherst
o Hialeah Foster (Mashpee Wampanoag & Nipmuc) University of Massachusetts/Boston
o Christian A. Hendricks (Mashpee Wampanoag) Bridgewater State
o Alexandra M. Hickman (Chaubunagungamaug Band of Nipmucks) Quinsigamond Community College
o Cooper S. Hoskins (Pocasset Wampanoag) Mass. College of Art & Design
o Nathan J. Keevan (Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band) University of Massachusetts/Amherst
o Nayana O. Marmaras (Inupiaq/Athabaskan) Westfield State
o Cordelia H. Oakley-Robbins (Mashpee Wampanoag) University of Massachusetts/Amherst
o Jaylon J. Richardson (Chappaquiddick Wampanoag) University of Massachusetts/Amherst
o Nya R. Santana (Chaubunagungamaug Band of Nipmucks) University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth
o Andrew P. Sockey (Choctaw) University of Massachusetts/Lowell
o Ava M. Stockton (Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band) University of Massachusetts/Amherst
o Kaiden K. Williams-Sutton (Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band) University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth
Throughout the semester, MCNAA will follow up with them to hear about their academic progress. Congratulations and much success to these incredible students. #
Administrative Work
* In addition to operating the two major programs above and organizing co-sponsor and partnership events with other organizations, we worked on various administrative tasks that included the following:
- pulled together documents to upload and submit to our accountant in preparation for our FYE ‘25 Tax Return,
-submitted the semi-annual report for the heating assistance grant,
-responded to numerous requests for speakers,
-attended informational webinars as well as grant info sessions,
-researched new grant opportunities,
-submitted monthly reports to Board of Directors,
-crafted & disseminated quarterly news brief
-responded to general e-mail inquiries,
-processed new and renewal membership applications, and
-updated our website and face book pages #
MCNAA Is Moving! Please Note New Address
* It is with mixed emotions that we announce that at the end of October 2025, when our office lease ends, we will not renew the lease at Liberty Tree Office Park, 85 Constitution Lane, Suite 3-B1, in Danvers. After careful and strategic analysis by the MCNAA Board of Directors, we found that since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic that affected MCNAA since early 2020, the large 3-room unit that we've been leasing since 2015 is no longer needed. A smaller alternative, more appropriate for our current program needs, has been found (and will save $$ for the organization.)
This move isn’t to say that a smaller space is needed because we have less work to do. On the contrary. We have just as much work, it’s just different because our program focus has shifted (as a result of current needs.) We are no longer holding and planning as many events a year as we did over the past 30+ years, therefore we no longer need the large space for planning meetings, meetings with program participants, holding students activities, board meetings, storing event items & equipment, etc. Providing these essential services that respond to the current needs of Indigenous Native families, Elders and students across the Commonwealth is our primary focus at the moment. This is due largely to the community needs assessment that was conducted five years ago and is still relevant today. Running these social programs allows us to help needy constituents and make a deeper impact in our communities…. requiring less office space.
But our core mission hasn’t changed. I n addition to providing Native families with basic needs and students with educational expenses, we remain steadfast in our commitment to provide opportunities for the expression and preservation of our cultural traditions through partnerships on events with Native and non-Native community organizations; to help dispel inaccurate information about Native Americans and to work towards racial equality with the work we do through education and representation at educational institutions, civic organizations, and regional community events through our Social Justice & Racial Equity Initiatives.
We will be sad to leave this space but know it's best for the future of the organization and will continue our important work on these critical programs.
Moving forward, please use our new address for all correspondences and donations:
Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness, Inc 444 Broadway (Route 1) Martignetti Center, Unit B #1064 Saugus, MA 01906 #
OTHER INFORMATION TO SHARE
Native American Teacher Retention Initiative (NATRI) Growing and supporting Native American teachers
Are You Interested in Teaching?
Are you a high school student interested in teaching? An undergraduate student pursuing the field currently? Or maybe you’re a current professional looking for a career change? Research shows that Native students tend to do better in classrooms where their educator shares a similar identity. Become a teacher and be the difference in our students’ lives!
NATRI offers direct counseling support with the college application process from start to finish. Once enrolled, NATRI provides undergraduate students with up to $3,000 per semester in financial assistance. While students are completing their program, NATRI also provides both financial and academic support in completing the MTEL (Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure).
The Grant Services Are For:
High School Students:
SAT prep, college counseling and application support, college visit opportunities, FAFSA assistance, employment and internship opportunities, scholarship support
Undergraduate Students:
$3,000 stipend per semester, MTEL support, licensure support, scholarship information, internship & employment opportunities
Are You Already in the Field?
For Native American teachers already in the field, NATRI provides a $750 stipend per semester to assist with classroom needs. The NATRI program also puts forward various professional development opportunities and infield support. Join this distinctive cohort of Native American teachers and feel supported bringing Indigenous pedagogy to the classroom.
NATRI Services for Teachers:
– $750 stipend per semester
– Professional development
– Networking opportunities
– Infield supports
– Cohort of Native American teachers
Eligibility Requirements
– Applicants will be asked to commit to student teaching and applying to one of the seven districts primarily serving Mashpee Wampanoag students (Mashpee, Falmouth, Barnstable, New Bedford, Wareham, Sandwich, and Bourne).
– Must be an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe. Native American teachers applying for the program must teach grades K-12.
For more information about the NATRI program and all of the opportunities it provides, please reach out to:
Brad Lopes – NATRI Program Manager
Bradford.lopes@mwtribe-nsn.gov
774-871-0591 #
INTO THE SPIRIT WORLD
Lee BraveHeart Edmonds Walks On!
It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news of the passing of a true warrior. On Thursday, September 25, 2025, we learned that a long-time participant, cherished relative, and visionary leader, Lee BraveHeart Edmonds of Rehoboth, MA, left on is Spiritual Journey to join the ancestors.
He was a respected Elder and strong voice of the Pokanoket Tribal Nation, always honoring and preserving their history and traditions. He worked tirelessly to remind the world that the Pokanoket Nation is still here.
With respect to his association to the Mass. Center for Native American Awareness (MCNAA), BraveHeart touched the hearts and souls of every person he met at our events and along the pow-wow trail! He, along with Harry, were staples at most of the events over the past 30+ years. You never saw one without the other. (It’s hard to use BraveHeart’s name alone without referencing his brother Harry The Hawk as they were like “one”.)
You could always count on them to be a positive presence at any of our events bringing powerful energy and high spirits to the Circle where their hearts soared. They loved people and people loved, admired, and respected them. If you turned around and looked, you would see them either sitting in their pow-wow chairs chatting with folks who approached them; standing together with pow-wow attendees while their photo was being taken; or in the Circle dancing/praying to the Creator.
It wasn’t only our pow-wows that BraveHeart attended with his brother. They traveled many miles from their homes in Southeastern Mass and Rhode Island to attend our other annual events like the community socials in Middleboro, oldies-but-goodies fundraising dances in Canton, anniversary celebrations in Randolph, golf outings in Brockton, harbor cruises in Boston and special MCNAA activities at universities, theatres, and civic organizations. In 2012 at the Annual MCNAA Anniversary Celebration, BraveHeart was honored, along with Harry, for all the love and unwavering support they had given the organization over the past three and a half decades.
The MCNAA events will be significantly dimmer and the loss immeasurable without this true Warrior but we know he’ll be dancing with the ancestors.
In the most eloquent words of Leslie Rawlings Costa-Fortes, Lee’s footprints will be embellishment in the alluring hearts of each and everyone of us through his dance, and deliverance of what a true warrior represents and models to us all. He is gone in presence but will never be forgotten. He will always and forever be in our hearts!
A traditional sacred fired burned for BraveHeart for three days in Bristol, RI …from Sept. 28th thru the 30th where family and friends gathered to honor his spirit, to pray, to share stories, and enjoy a meal.
On Saturday, October 18th there will be a Celebration of Life at Lincoln Woods State Park, 2 Manchester Print Works Road, Lincoln, RI at 12 noon. You’re invited to attend and be “in one” with the drum a we celebrate the life of BraveHeart. We encourage you to bring snacks or desserts to share.
At this time of grief and sadness, we extend our deepest condolences to the Edmonds family especially to BraveHeart's brother Harry who, as you can imagine, feels lost, broken. I’m sure you’ll all join MCNAA in sending Harry much love and light as he, and so many, mourns this tremendous loss.
We know the enduring memories of Lee BraveHeart Edmonds will carry on! Aho’ #
UPCOMING EVENTS IN OCTOBER 2025
There are many events happening in October, mainly Indigenous Peoples Day events. To see the list and for updates, please CLICK HERE. #
We hope this latest news brief keeps you informed about some of the activities we're involved in and some of the important work we continue to do.
Thank you for being part of the MCNAA community!
The MCNAA Leadership Team
