False narratives perpetuate racism and cause harm. This Historic Yarmouth sign erected in 1969 tells a colonist story “ORIGINALLY SETTLED IN 1680 AND TWICE-DESTROYED BY INDIANS….PIONEERS (INDIAN FIGHTERS) BURIAL GROUND….LATER IN MORE PEACEFUL TIMES, THE TOWN DEVELOPED AROUND THE FALLS AND INLAND.” Erased is the story of indigenous people peacefully living on this land for millennia and the subsequent colonizing story of stolen land and brutal removal of original inhabitants of this land. YCARE members advocated for the removal of the sign in front of Ledge Cemetery on Gilman Road and its preservation by the Yarmouth History Center, along with the plaque that was removed in 2019 from the Pioneer Cemetery. And we support the development of new signage that tells the story of the Abenaki people of the Wabanaki Confederacy. These are opportunities for Yarmouth to act and to shape truthful narratives.
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