7 Coates and 9 hatchets

"7 Coates, 9 hatchets, 8 Hoews, 20 Knives, 4 Moose skins, 10 ½ yards of cotton and 20 L”

(http://www.rootsweb.com/~mabridge/bridgewaterdeed.html)

This was the deal brokered by Myles Standish, Samuell Nash, and Constant Southworth for 14 square miles just above the location of Middleboro’s proposed casino complex. Does anyone believe that Massasoit really knew what he was agreeing to? Did he understand that he was helping to sign away his way of life? Was he informed that there would be many others coming, with various intents, attracted by the riches to be found in the land ?

Had he been informed by Miles and Company, of all the facts and probabilities which they knew, I doubt that Massasoit and his council would have agreed. His descendants know now . . . painfully so.

Our modern counterparts of Miles and Company have chosen to rush this casino deal through without striving to bring attainable cost information to the voters. Democracy demands an informed electorate. Their votes need to be the result of evaluation, discussion, and reflection, both pro and con. The town’s finance committee rejected the deal on a fiscal basis two days after it was presented to the town. The committee did not stand to gain anything in saying that the deal would only gain the town about $900,000 dollars profit per year. There were only three days left until the vote, and Miles and Company would not give the townspeople the respect of fairly presenting both sides. If the selectman were right and the FinCom was in error, the pro casino vested interests could easily have been given a venue to argue and point out those errors. A couple of weeks fairly spent would have been a small price to support democracy in our town.

I am more than aware that we all must deal with the difficult realities of Life, financial and otherwise. But my admiration for the way of life of the original Wampanoag goes to help temper the decisions I make in this current reality. Unfortunately, these original inhabitants did not have a chance to continue the integrity of their way of life on their land within the reality of their times.

I hope that all works out for the town, and the descendents of the ‘Keepers of the land’. It’s just that the refrain I hear in our town in a modern version of 7 Coates, 9 hatchets, 8 Hoews, 20 Knives, 4 Moose skins, 10 ½ yards of cotton and 20 L”