Throughout my life, I have been deeply involved in various aspects of my Eastern Woodland Native American ancestry, culture, and connection to the homelands as stewards of the land. I have conducted extensive research over the past fifty years and have transformed it into various artistic expressions, including murals intended for activism and education, as well as literature, lectures, and music performances. My homeland inspires my art and tells a unique story. I belong to the Wampanoag Tribal Nation of the Seaconke and Pokanoket. I am a descendant of many regional Sachems, including Chief Sachem Massasoit, who befriended the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620, saving their lives during their first winter in Pokanoket homelands. Sassacus of the Pequot tribal Nation and John Sassamin of the Ponkapoag Massachusett are also in my ancestry. As an emic observer, I am immersed in my own cultural heritage and community, allowing me to understand and interpret experiences from an insider’s perspective. The primary focus of my work is in connecting the missing narratives of regional History, particularly in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, which have been disrupted or omitted in America’s version of History, resulting in the attempted erasure of our indigenous past. My work’s passion aims to correct, connect, assert, promote, value, and validate the identities of past, present, and future generations of Eastern Woodland Tribal Nations through education informed by the perspective of an authentic Indigenous voice. I was an Artist-In-Residence at Brown University from 2021 to 2022. I am currently a Distinguished Scholar and Artist-in-Residence at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, a position I have held since 2022. In this role, I participate in scholarly discussions, lead homeland tours, create murals, develop curricula, and exhibit my artwork. I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts, Swain School of Design, 1981, and a Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability, 2013, from Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland.

Deborah Spears Moorehead
Painted Arrow Studio Talking Water Productions
Hope Valley, RI
https://www.deborahspearsmooreheadwampanoagartists.com/