A nonprofit group on Martha’s Vineyard plans to open an Indigenous-run healing center and shelter for members of the tribal community who are victims of domestic or sexual violence.
The nearly eight-acre property in Aquinnah would have three housing units for people in need of shelter, a building for wellness programming, a food pantry, a garden, and more.
It would be run by the Chilmark-based Northeast Native Network of Kinship and Healing, known as “Kinship Heals” for short. The group is led by Aquinnah Wampanoag women.
The healing center would have a fitness room with a few pieces of exercise equipment, space for yoga, a room for alternative healing methods such as acupuncture and reiki, and a sauna.
“A lot of people, after going through something like sexual assault, you kind of disconnect from your body,” Executive Director Jennifer Randolph said. “Having that space to reconnect with your body is really important for your overall healing.”
She said the sauna is intended to substitute for a traditional sweat lodge.
Called Aquinnah Headwaters, the center would serve Native people who live anywhere in southeastern Massachusetts, including those whose tribe originates elsewhere or does not have federal recognition.
The idea is to fill the gap created by the lack of cultural expertise among non-Native service providers, Randolph said.
She said the history of children being removed from their families and placed with non-Native families for assimilation still affects people’s ability to trust non-Native systems.
“These aren't too far in the past,” she said. “It was very, very common. A lot of families have been impacted by that removal through the foster care system. So, there's a complete lack of trust.”
The center would host support groups and traditional craft-making, and it would have a ceremony space for spiritual practices. It would also have a small library with enough room for one or two people to work at a computer, to fill out applications or take an online class.
Randolph said the property will also feature an outdoor kitchen for teaching Native foodways.
“[If] someone's told you for the last 10 years or five years that you're nothing, you can't do anything … being able to learn these skills is sort of restorative in nature,” she said. “It gives you confidence, and you're reconnecting with something that belongs to you and your ancestors. It's very empowering.”
Funding for the $17.7 million project has come from foundations and individual donors, including a single donation late last year of $1 million. The roughly $2 million land price has been covered, as has design by West Tisbury-based South Mountain Company. Kinship Heals has about $14 million left to raise for construction.
The project needs approval from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the Aquinnah Planning Board and Board of Health. A public hearing with the commission has been opened and is scheduled to conclude on July 23.
