Jessie and her amnesia
People afflicted with amnesia forget things. The trouble is, other people don’t. One of the blow outs at a Council meeting last week was over the Shunning. That little 2006 punishment was conjured up by none other than Jessie Baird, Paula Peters and the so called Medicine Man Guy Cash. It was vintage Jessie. And her response to the charges made by her family, the Tobeys, was classic. She denied it. Amnesia right? Her cousin, Vice Chairman Aaron Tobey, whom she is challenging in the upcoming election, said it was true as everyone nodded and glared. Jessie’s amnesia has intensified since she decided to run for vice chairman. We understand why. Her audacity is remarkable.
We have to say this about Aaron Tobey. He wears his failures on his sleeve. He’s pretty open with his nuttiness and his bad decisions. Aaron’s bad actions don’t have a long term affect because they’re rejected. But Jessie. That’s different.
Aaron wears his faults on his sleeves
One of her more damaging schemes was when she sold us as a Black tribe to the Museum of the American Indian shortly after Recognition. She never talked to the Council or anyone of authority, just branded us. Whether she labeled us as a White, Portuguese, German, Italian, or a Russian tribe, it would have been just as inappropriate and
Fox family on display at MAI
wrong. This is why Jessie is dangerous. She is an authority on nothing, but a self appointed expert on everything. For our first and most important world introduction to focus on one ethnic strain (which is the most common in all recognized tribes), is outrageous. But the MAI officials responsible for the perpetrating the misinformation laughed in the face of Tribal Elders who were stunned by the news while at a repatriation luncheon. According to the BIA, no tribe in the United States has the consistent tribal community record of the Mashpee Wampanoag. None. Tribal members allowed themselves ti be photographed at the 2008 Pow Wow thinking the Smithsonian was finally acknowledging our 400 year survival epic. It was not to be.
Jessie has a long history of amnesia where she forgot to correct people who said she had a Masters in (the) language. She just let the White people think she was credentialed. In the PBS series We Shall Remain, we were prominently featured as one of the 5 tribes who had the most influence on America. Jessie ran her mouth in interviews about our experience with the Pilgrims, but a Nipmuck did the language for the docudrama….not Jessie. She can’t transcribe anything. Thank God for Natana Hicks eh?
Jessie is a very smart woman. Our people talk about how she shouldn’t get this grant and that grant. Hey, if she get’s them, she should have them. Just don’t sell us out for a dollar. Don’t mislead our young people. Don’t make them think there’s a shortcut.
There’s never been a shortcut for us. It took us over 30 years to be recognized as Native Americans. Don’t exploit your own people.
