Here we restate the importance of the artifact in mohegan culture and how something that is considered communicative in one culture newspapers is reduced to being used for a practical purpose for something that the Mohegan;s themselves consider communicative.

Here we are shown how the basket actually looked this gives a visual component to the article which was just words before. The symbols on the basket in a western context are meaningless but defined within the culture it was created in is vast rich and interesting.

Just like how the supplementary reading was about a disater destroying historic buildings in italy that were historic symbols of italian culture we see that same symbolism in the four domed medallion. The medallion seems to hold a important part in mohegan cosmology just like cathedrals do to the catholic church. Cathedrals are important symbols in catholic tradition showcasing all types of religiosu symbolism that communicates ideas of christ and christianity that have been passed through time.

Cosmology is defined as the science of the origin and development of the universe. in this case mohegan cosomogoly would be the origin and development of the mohegan culture. According to fitzgerald these baskets give us some insight into the development of their culture using symbols and patterns that are unique to mohegan culture.

Here we get mention of a non native perspective on native culture. Mcmullen makes an assumption based off current perspectives on Native culture and identity. While Fitzegerald has an entire different interpation based on her knowledge of the culture and its cosmology. We often make assumptions based of preconceived notions that can be wrong. In this case the assumption is based off interpetation the problem with the interpation is that is based on non native assuming the natives were sad about the loss of their culture instead of taking nito account the acual history behind the symbols meaning comnig directly from their cosomology. It also highlights fitzegerald point about people not taking the writings on the basket as writings because in western culture we only view written words as a record and are not use to the idea of people communicating without using text at all.

I choose "Historical treasures lost, damaged in Italian quake" as my supplmentary source. In this article it talks about how a recent eathquake has destroyed /damaged hundreds of cultural/historical sites. Two sites that were in destroyed according to the article was the " Cattedrale di Urbino, an ancient Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Urbino" and the "The San Giuliano cathedral in the town of Macerata " . According to the website freedictionary a cathedral is defined as "The principal church in a diocese, so called because in it the bishop has his official chair or throne (freedictionary) . Italy is the birth place of the catholic church so this defintly has improtant meaning in italian culture and relates back to main article by fizgerald in how people use things besides traditonal writing to tell their history. Everything from the design of the cathedral down to the various paintings inside communicate ideas about italian culture from the past and what it meant to the people who painted them. The italian toursite turismomacerata states that the only remnant is the capital was a parish church dedicated to Saint Julian and its existence dates back to 1022 ("Cathedral of San Giuliano"). This supplementary in away highlisghts western bias because italians recorded a large portion of their history so alot of this information is freely available on the net for anyone to read. The Mohegans recorded but not in a traditional western sense so you ahve to have knowledge of the culture and some access to the community to actual learn their history. Also in western culture people that ahve written language are often seen as more advanced than culutres who don't have a written language. When people see that a group doesn't have a written language they can easily dismiss their culture and its unique hsitory which has been done with the mohegan people due to the fact they didn't record things in a traditional way that we are used to in western culture.

Cathedral - Definition of Cathedral - Synonyms, Pronunciation, Spelling from Free Dictionary, www.freedictionary.org/?Query=cathedral..

“Cathedral of San Giuliano.” Turismomacerata, Turismomacerata, www.turismomacerata.it/en/cathedrals/cathedral-san-giuliano.

so here we see that baskets and other objects are commonly see across various different indian tribes. They used these baskets for pracical purposes and as a way to communicate ideas and share their history. This relates back to the supplementary readining about the hisoric buildings destroyed in italy. The two discussed in the article were both used for paractical purposes and definitely communicate ideas about the beliefs and customs of the culture it was created in showing that in all cutlures people use forms other than traditional writing as way to showcase their ways of life.

this means we need to omit the western perspective on printed writing and try to understand these baskets in the context of the culture it was created in which makes perfect sense.

In western culture we someone is the author of a work tey usually take credit for it with a signature but in Mohegan culture ownership of works belonged to the entire community . In a sense this means authorship is often collaborative and not done by an individual sometimes with people adding on to the work.

Basically Fitzgerald is saying that the Mohegan have a rich cultural history that still hasn't been unearthed to due to western bias on the unconventional methods they use to write in their culture.

The Mohegan baskets contain so much detail in them that some one would need to spend more time to view them and understand, than if they just see a text or meaningless painting. Typically history will be told to us through a book or text that we an read word for word and figure out what happened or we will see a painting or picture that gives us an image of exactly what something may have looked like. To understand these baskets and their stories we must switch our way of thinking or we won't ever understand them, or it may take a long time. In order to really perceive the intended meaning of the basket we must completely indulge into their culture.

The creation of these baskets was the Mohegans way of story telling. These baskets told the story of the history the Mohegan culture has gone through. Therefore, many of the creators of these baskets opted to not sign them because they would basically be taking credit for what the Mohegan culture has gone through and their history. If the basket creator were to sign the basket that would be considered very Western and often times were just sold as baskets instead of Mohegan baskets, because they were looked at as having no meaning to the Mohegan tribe

In the Western culture we are more accustomed to viewing old artifacts as text, that specifically tells exactly what was going on at the time depending on the author. In the native (Mohegan) culture they do this differently. These baskets and the symbols on them are of strong importance.(I.E. Trial of Life symbol). Shifting to the Mohegan perspective of story telling, of symbols and designs from what we are routinely used to seeing, which is texts, can be difficult. This often times causes us as the Western community to look at these Mohegan painted baskets as simply designs or decoration, when they are in fact telling a story that has previously had a heavy impact on the Mohegan culture.

The medallion has 4 different parts to it. Four half Circular Domes, Four Trees, 13 dots around the center circle, and the red Center Circle. All of these parts of the medallion relate to the Earth and the past generations of the Mohegan tribe. According to a website dedicated to the meaning of the Mohegan flag. The meaning of the four semicircular domes point to each of the four sacred directions, represent "Grandfather Turtle upon whom the earth was formed " The four diagonal lines are four sacred trees reminding us of the"The Sacred Tree" or the "Tree of Life", which is a design seen a lot on Mohegan baskets.

Ann McMullen said that she beleived once the Natives were forced to leave their land that they would no longer be able to keep their Mohegan identity due to the fact that they would be forced to move and share land with other Native groups that have their own beliefs and cultures. What McMullen said would end up being somewhat correct. After the "Trail of Tears", a significant part of the Mohegan culture ended up lost due to leaving their land. This happened to many cultures and the results are typically the same with them losing a large part of the identity they once had on their land before being forced out. (Sioux, American Buffalo, etc)

Due to the fact that the Mohegan culture and ways of life are so different from the Western culture, it makes it hard for a lot of us in the Western culture to fully understand the value of certain objects in their cultures. In our current culture a basket has no religious traditional, or cultural value at all. It also makes us look at our current culture and how a lot of things that we use everyday have no meaning to it in our mind, but yet it is a big part of our culture and the knowledge of some of these things could help someone outside of our culture understand us more. Just because things are different than our cultural norm does not mean we should discredit its value for another culture.

Mohegan baskets are used for everyday use by the Natives but also used fro cultural purposes, religious purposes, and traditional purposes. Trying to learn and figure out all of the purposes that these woven baskets are used for can help us learn a lot about the Mohegan culture and their specific way of life in comparison to other native cultures.

The practice of making the woven basket is more of a role that the women take on instead of the men of the community. Women were very important within the Mohegan Culture. They were very well known in the areas that they lived in for creating these baskets and selling them as well as keeping the culture and beliefs together. This is clear because the baskets were intended to fully represent what the culture believed and stood for. Women held many positions of power in the Mohegan culture and the basket making was one of these positions.

These Mohegan Basket are meant to keep the culture going and not forgotten. It is meant to remind the current natives of where they started and where they come from. After the large migration, many people of the culture died and then after they had a hard time holding onto the culture. This can be compared to the ways that the Black Lives Matter Movement did such an amazing way of gaining awareness to the issue. The hashtag #blacklivesmatter was not widely known at first. However since the Trayvon Martin case was announced the Black Lives Matter Movement has made strong efforts to inform people on police brutality. Black Lives Matter made improvements on gathering awareness on the issue, but they still face adversity from people who may not understand its purpose. However, with them continuing to share this message relates to how the Mohegan culture continues to hold on their identity.

The symbols an designs on the baskets represent natural landscape and Mohegan Cosmology. Gladys Tantaquidgeon was a Mohegan medicine woman, anthropologist, author, and tribal council member. She said "to the Mohegan, designs and life are more than simple representations of nature. There is a spiritual force that flows through all things, and if these symbols are true representations of that force, this spirit should be expressed in these designs." To many these designs may not look attractive and if we do not Mohegan cosmology than we have no chance at understanding what they mean. However these baskets have a large power in them to the Mohegan culture. This compares easily with "The Life of an Object ". These baskets do more than just symbolized something. In the Digital Curation project, the student is forced to think of what the object does, rather than what it symbolizes because that would leave the value of it completely up to the viewer. These Mohegan baskets are more than a representation of the culture, they are a part of it.

Baskets were a big part of daily life for Native Americans. Many families had their own family design that they used when weaving baskets. Most of the time though, it was women trying to outdo each other with different designs and colors. Since baskets were made in the winder months, the women of the tribe would spend all summer preparing themselves for the winter. they would gather material to make such baskets. For example, grass was a big part of the basket making process. It was used like a thread, and the women of the tribe would collect a certain type of grass, because of the color and strength of it. They would hike into the mountains, which was a very dangerous thing to do, just to get the right grass for basket weaving. Once the baskets were made they would be used for storage for food and supplies for their shops, as well as using it for trade. Basket making is considered an art to these people, and secret techniques would be passed down from mother to daughter throughout various generations.

According to the Mohegan tribe website, there was a tradition about a giant named Moshup. He represented the large and great beings. in order to keep balance, Moshup marries Granny Squannit, leader of the woodlands little people. There are many stories about Moshup in Mohegan tradition, but there is one story that talks about the landscape of Connecticut. Moshup was trying to build a bridge to the mainland when a crab bit his foot. Angered by this, he used his fiery temper and began throwing stones all over Connecticut, which explains why the landscape there today is very rocky.

Summary of Supplemental Text: http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2015-runner-up-black-lives-matter/ Black Lives Matter by Alex Altman

The article described the creation and impact of the Black Lives Matter Movement. This movement was born out of the sheer amount of reported domestic abuse, inequality, and injustice claims that were witnessed towards African American individuals across the United States. Since the outcomes of cases like Freddie Gray, Trayvon Martin, and others, the Black Lives Matter Movement has looked to shed light on the importance of this issue in society that was thought to have been "fixed" after the Civil Rights Movement. Though BLM has made strides in sharing awareness, they have and currently face strong opposition from right-wing politics and others who disapprove of their validity. Through this, they continue to share their passion for sharing their message as a movement in history.

As modern society continues, the problem of non-traditional artforms being neglected as writing does not cease to continue. In the case of the Black Lives Matter Movement, they are looked at as more of a gang figure at times than an empowering movement, set to shed light on important issues on society. As a historical set-piece, BLM allows our society and look back to see the injustice that black individuals faced and see the change that was called for and asked by the people of the United States of America. As much as many individuals on the opposing viewpoint believe that Black Lives Matter was insignificant, it was a major turning point. This movement, though not a traditional form of written text, can be easily be seen as a historical record marking a turning point, much like the civil rights movement.

Much like how Fitzgerald states that the basket "serves to rein-scribe Mohegan history and cosmology into everyday life". The Black Lives Matter serves the same purpose in their fight against inequality. Through the movement, the black struggle is displayed through everyday life, whether it be police interactions or simple interactions with others. By doing this, the inequality and injustice is spread and seen through all aspects of everyday life http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2015-runner-up-black-lives-matter/

As Fitzgerald begins to peer into the symbolic meaning and analysis of the basket, she sees a much different story. She uses her knowledge of the Mohegan culture to view the basket through a native lense. She sees the amalgamation of "tradition symbols" that "fuse Mohegan History and Cosmology" to tell the story of their migration. Rather than assuming it to show their disconnect from their culture, the basket represents their journey to creating a new settlement.

McMullen writes and begins to explain her analysis as a non-native. She explains that the basket signifies the Mohegan struggle to connect with their past as the lose their identity to the growing English identity and their identity faces persecution. This is much like the Black Lives Matter movement in which they feel like their people are being persecuted and result in a tarnished identity, leading them to work as a movement to fight their opression. Unlike the Mohegans, who simply acknowledged their loss. The BLM movement has allowed for a growing awareness of oppression and great coverage to the injustice that people of African American descent face. http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2015-runner-up-black-lives-matter/

Fitzgerald adds in a secondary source along with her analysis of the primary source of the basket to further explain its importance. She goes into explaining the "spiritual force" present in the basket. The designs on the basket greatly signify the importance of Mohegan cosmology in their theological beliefs and traditions and it played a great role in their lives. By utilizing this secondary source, Fitzgerald can further prove the basket's importance to the Mohegan society, especially in their spiritual walks.

The designs are clearly important into magnifying into the Mohegan culture and lifestyle of the time period that they were created in. When viewing the basket, the patterns, symbols, and designs are meant to encompass all aspects how the Mohegans lived and interacted with one other. They utilized these baskets from aspects of agricultural work to their spiritual life. All areas of their life were embodied through the life of a basket and it's multiple uses.

The particular Mohegan basket that is being discussed is seen to have been lined by an 1817 newspaper from Hatford, Connecticut. At first glance, one may infer that the lining could maybe hinder the date of creation by it being lined by an older newspaper, but the opposite is quite the case. The lining is was used commonly to store the contents and protect the overall structure of this basket. This can go to show that those held these baskets knew that they hold great value to society within their intricate designs and patterns and there was effort to preserve them. Though this is evident, the majority of society set these objects aside rather than viewing them as historical artifacts.

these traditions of basket making have dated back to the 18th century, but by then the tradition had been well developed. These basket designs were used as a forum for the political opinions of the basket makers. Many basket makers expressed the opinion that one would not lose their Mohegan identity just by leaving Mohegan boundaries, since the medallions were made both inside and outside Mohegan territories. Many basket makers use the medallions to represent those who lived inside the boundaries, and other motifs, such as strawberries, to represent those outside of the Mohegan boundaries.

In the article,"Standing Rock Sioux Claim 'Victory and Vindiction' in Court", the Sioux tribe came into legal conflict with the U.S. army corps of engineering when they planned to construct a pipeline within the area of where the Siuox tribe inhabits. What the court did not consider was the economic consequence that would happen if there was to be an oil spill of some sort. The outcome could ruin the everyday life of the Sioux tribe, because it would kill off the fish that live in the river, also where the tribe fish; The water would also be contaminated so the game that drinks from the water would also become very sick, preventing the Sioux to be able to hunt these animals. After a year long legal battle with the court, the Sioux tribe would get their first victory against the pipeline, and the construction would be put on hold for now. The Sioux tribe would be able to protect the land that they have so much history on for now.

According to the Mohegan tribe website, there was this tradition that the Mohegan people had about Makiawisug, otherwise known as "little people". These were considered as good spirits, but they were also to be treated with respect. What the Mohegan people did during nightfall was to carry baskets out to the woods where they would leave various types of food out for these spirits. After a certain time the Makiawisug would collect the baskets. The thing about these spirits were that they had their own form of etiquette. You weren't suppose to look them in the eyes for it was considered rude; with a single point they would root you to the ground and take all of your belongings. You weren't allowed to talk about them in the summertime either, because that's when they were most active. In return, the spirits taught the Mohegan people man skills such as growing corn, and utilizing healing plants. The spirits keep the Earth healthy as well as others who honor them.

According to the Mohegan tribe website, the Medallion of the Mohegan culture had four different parts to it: Four SemiCircular Domes, Four Sacred Trees, 13 dots around the center circle, and the Sacred Center Circle, as shown below

Each part listed on the medallion all have a different meaning, but they all correlate to the Earth and the past generations of the tribe, for example how the four semi-circular domes represent the back grandfather turtle where the Earth was grown upon; or the thirteen circles that represent the past generations since the Uncas.

The woven basket was a feminine form of expression for the mohegan people, it showed exactly the role that women played in the daily lives of the Mohegan people and Native Americans in general. Women were more that just women to their culture. They represented divinity, fertility, and the building of the people. The woman being a strong willed and lasting person was critical to the Native American people, and the Mohegans modeled their baskets after the woman because of the same concept. The baskets were meant to be lasting and to represent everything that the culture entailed.

Daily mohegan life was based around ceremonial and spiritual practices. They used different elements in nature to weave the painted wood splint baskets, even though it was a object in use by them regularly. The land was represented by using strawberries and stylized leaves weaved inside the baskets. The spiritual connection the Mohegans had with the land led to the baskets meaning more than just the physical aspect of the land, but also the food and medicine the land provided. The four domed medallion also had a specific design on the baskets because it showed the energy that the baskets brought to mohegan culture. The mohegans believed that the baskets were more like channeled energy that flowed through its people. The medallion was made of four semicircular domes, four sacred trees, thirteen dots around the center circle, and the sacred center circle.

Art and history are intertwined. This is an example of how art can be used to document historical events. When native land was seized by the settlers it began a long journey of them preserving, their culture. These baskets are just one of many types of native art, but they explain so much. One thing that can be determined is that they were in tune with their surroundings. The nature depicted on the baskets represented a nod to the world around them, showing mindfulness and appreciation. These weren’t savages. Many of the baskets depicted cosmic mappings, symbols, and history. This is a clear sign of not only worldly intelligence but spiritual maturity.

Even I am guilty of eruocentricity. To understand the cultural significance of an artifact you have to get to know the culture. Nature is very sacred and important to the Mohegan. It was praised, and expressed through their artwork. They embraced the world around them and rightfully held it on a pedestal. The importance of historical artifacts from other places such as Spain and Italy verses the discredit of native artifacts shows the obvious dismissal of native history. If these achievements aren’t highlighted it’s easier to continue the narrative that the natives were savages. Crediting art work like these intricate baskets shows that the natives were advanced and multifaceted people.

Companies such as Energy Transfer Partners main goal is to do nothing but make money; which is the point of all businesses. However, like most western developers, they lack the empathy. Not only is it imperialistic to force natives to give up their land but these companies have no concern for the long term effects something like an oil pipeline can have. Native ideologies consider nature sacred and worthy of the upmost respect. It is not far-fetched to say that if we don’t take care of the planet we depend on for survival that it won’t take care of us. When a river is polluted it cannot produce what we need to live such as: drinkable water, food, and trees. These companies ignore long term effects, but you can’t count money with no oxygen.

Native Americans have a long history of being dismissed, bullied, and having their culture exterminated. It didn’t stop in the 1800’s. In fact, just last year 2017 the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe had a year-long stand-off protesting The Dakota Access Pipeline. The Pipeline runs 1,100 miles across the Great Plains through Native American reservation territory. It not only posed an environmental threat to the land, and the tribes living on it, it broke a treaty. Native Americans have established many treaties with the U.S government in order to insure reparations and to grant land to the tribes. Activists from all over joined the protest for many reasons. Some environmental activists were protesting the dangers a possible oil spill would pose to the land, rivers along the pipeline, and the water supply near the reservation. Civil rights activists also gathered in protest because native land was invaded by big business, for a one-sided benefit. Stephanie Fitzgerald was correct in stating Native Americans have been dismissed. This word choice, specifically, is a great representation of the history of how they have—and continue to be—treated. Initially they were forced off of their homeland, and now centuries later that pattern is repeating. On Jun 14th 2017, the court ruled in favor of the Standing Rock tribe. James Boasberg, who sits on D.C. district court, said that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to perform an adequate study of the pipeline’s environmental consequences when it first approved its construction. Here, there’s another example of the carelessness, and brutality these natives face. The way Energy Transfer Partners being an astronomical construction project without conducting thorough environmental impact report is the very definition of dismissive. The victory was a huge milestone for native rights however, the win was bitter sweet. Although the court has ruled in favor of the Sioux tribe, the pipeline is still allowed to operate until another environmental report is conducted.

Western civilization has an entitled mindset. It was built on imperialism and today those ideals still infiltrate our world through many ways. Native cultures didn’t indulge in the concept of ownership. The idea that something could belong to one person was foreign to them. To natives this land and everything that comes from it is for everyone to use, and when we pass we give it all back. Essentially, nothing belongs to anyone; we are only borrowers.

The Mohegan people are very spiritual people, and hold their tradition and culture to a very high standard. They not only hold the past of their ancestors who brought them to the newfound land through "The Great Fresh Water" but also the cultural work that comes from the people. The cultural works mean more than the actual work, but represent the deeper meaning behind the civilization as a whole. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe challenged the United States government heavily trying to preserve their culture and traditions that the Dakota Access Pipeline threatened. Fishing and hunting was not only the way they maintained their livelihood, but also a part of their traditions and culture.The Mohegans, just like the Sioux are being threatened not just to the extent of current artifacts that are perishable, like the fish and game along the pipeline, but the complete history of the people and what their ancestors fought for and believed in.

according to scientific evidence, the Mohegans, also known as the Wolf Clan, had shown presence in the area for 10,000 years. They were mostly settled in what is now know as upstate New-York, but had migrated to Connecticut because of European migration. It wouldn't be until they came to Connecticut that they would be known as the Mohegan Tribe.

When they say Indians continue their practices to this day, they are not wrong. Even today, many tribes are continuing their lifestyle that they had back then. for example, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The Sioux Tribe had been in a legal battle with the U.S. army corps of engineers about a Dakota Access Pipeline. The only problem with it is that it could endanger the everyday life of the Sioux tribe if there were to be some accident in the river. The members of the tribe still hunt game and fish near the river to this day. Along with many other tribes to this day, their practices are being endangered with government advances.

In the beginning, Woodsplint baskets were made freehand, meaning without using knives or other tools. It wouldn't be until later on where tribes such as the Mohegans would use a draw knife, which is a a blade with a handle on each end to use for both hands. when they designed their medallions onto the baskets, each tribe would have a unique way in how they would created their medallions. these medallions represented their tribe in someway, whether it be the people in their group, or their strength in unity.

The baskets often had designs that in someway told a story about how the earth came to be or something about the past. There were often symbols that represented the past generations of the tribes, but was there ever a design that in someway talked about future generations, and what they are now? Would there have been some sort of design that would predict the struggles Native Americans would have with the Europeans that would eventually drive them out of their homeland?