Those in attendance at the Sunday worship service at the First Congregational Church in Bristol, RI, heard a message about Sowams and the early history of the Church around the time of King Philip’s War, nearly 350 years ago. Dr. David Weed, Cooridinator of the Sowams Heritage Area Project, spoke about the attitudes toward the Pokanoket Tribe members that led to the War and the aftermath of continued genocide that followed. Click here for a video of his 16-minute message delivered on October 6, 2024.

(Above) Dr. Weed talks about the attitudes of the Puritans who founded the Bristol Church that caused them to ignore the justified complaints of the Pokanoket people around them, eventually leading to the outbreak of King Philip’s War in June of 1675. The Town of Bristol was then settled on land taken from the Tribe in 1680. Click here for a copy of the text of his message.

(Above) During the Q & A session that followed, Church member Tony Morettini introduced a Land Acknowledgement that was eventually passed by the Bristol Town Council recognizing the Pokanoket Tribe as the original inhabitants of the land.

(Above) Both Tony and Dave fielded questions from those that stayed after the worship service. Click here for a video of the 30-minute question and answer session that followed the presentation of the message. Click here for the page on the Church’s website that describes the event.