From Church to Memorial in Passamaquoddy
Clip: Season 2 | 1m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Donald Soctomah (Passamaquoddy) on the connection between his tribe and Catholic church.
Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Donald Soctomah visits an abandoned Catholic Church in Sipayik, Maine. His tribe has tried to reclaim the building but the diocese has refused. Regardless, the tribe has turned the church into a memorial for the many Passamaquoddy children who never returned from church-run boarding schools.
Funding is provided by Partnership with Native Americans.
From Church to Memorial in Passamaquoddy
Clip: Season 2 | 1m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Donald Soctomah visits an abandoned Catholic Church in Sipayik, Maine. His tribe has tried to reclaim the building but the diocese has refused. Regardless, the tribe has turned the church into a memorial for the many Passamaquoddy children who never returned from church-run boarding schools.
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Explore an interactive map, which features speakers of Native languages in their own voices from across North America.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipDONALD SOCTOMAH: This is the Catholic church.
It's been here since 1928.
But the previous churches that were here date back to 1604.
This church was abandoned maybe about 15 years ago.
It was a place for our community to come to bury the dead, to have masses.
But it was also a place that took away from us, took away our language, culture, and spirituality, Native spirituality.
These shoes represent all the children that were in the boarding schools that never came home and never made it back to their families.
When the diocese started to abandon the building, the tribe wanted the building and there was a conflict.
The diocese still holds claim to this building, so they'd rather let it fall than to have the tribe gain ownership.
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