Voices of a Resilient River

Designed by Nicholas Ong '23

The Charles River is a beautiful trademark of the Greater Boston Area. Along this river are quiet, tender moments in New England nature, and the beloved Charles River Greenway bike path. These glimpses of mobility along the river exist simultaneously to the histories of colonialism, and violence towards the Native peoples of Massachusetts. Through meeting Kristen Wyman of the Hassanamisco Nipmuc band, the idea to honor the hardships of the Native peoples inhabiting the lands surrounding the Charles River arose. Their activism along the river stems from centuries of erasure and displacement from the lands ripped away from them.

Kristen left me with this quote: 

“We are water people. We are part of it, it is part of us. I am water, I am it, it is me, there is no disruption.”

This moment is important to recognizing how the River once provided Native peoples a significant part of their livelihoods. The Charles River was their mobility, their sustenance, and it is a part of them. However, artificial dams have altered their ability to utilize the River in its original form. The Nipmuc people were forcefully relocated to Deer Island in 1675, chained up in canoes starting from Watertown. That is why the Sacred Paddle (commemorated on the rightmost image) is the significant aspect of this Lantern.  The Sacred Run and Paddle is an annual commemoration of the forced relocation of Nipmuc people, in which they paddle in Mishoona from Deer Island, all the way to the Watertown Dam, where traveling any further up the Charles River is impossible. From here, they embark on the on-land trek to Natick Falls. 

The image on the left is in reference to Kristen’s reflections on the glimpses of ancestry and spirituality. Time is transcendental when embarking on the Sacred Paddle, and she talked about a Blue Heron often taking the role of a guide, letting the paddlers know that they are safe in their journey “back home.” That is why I highlight her quote “We never failed to make it home.” Because they’ve embarked on this journey every single year to commemorate the history of their displaced ancestors, and the dark history of colonialism could not overshadow their resilience. In the middle, we see the quote, on top of a Green, Red, and Blue background. Blue represents their journey upstream from Deer Island, only to be met by the Watertown Dam, where their journey upstream is halted. Then, they embark on land, to continue their journey and be in community with one another.

Designed by Meggee Joseph '23 and Allissa Masse '23

There are few places that can unite people’s stories and lives; the Charles River is one. Partnering with the Charles River Watershed Association and artist, Andi Li, this lantern came to fruition. The lantern was inspired by Allissa Massé’s experiences with the river as a long time Waltham resident. As a Haitian American woman, Allissa’s experiences with the river differed from most. She constantly speaks of the diversity in Waltham’s population, and the different languages. She also admires the connection the river has with Waltham and its residents, whether it’s kayaking in the river or taking a nice stroll.

The first panel shows a Black woman representing Mother Nature crying tears that flow into the river. It captures the sadness of a river that can’t flow freely. The second panel has the phrase “Voices of a Resilient River” scrambled around in two languages: Spanish and Haitian Creole. This represents a very important part of Waltham's diverse population, the folks often left out of the conversations: the Haitian folk and the Latinx community. The scrambled letters encompass the reality that Waltham is not a monolith. The final panel, created with a mix of media, highlights the importance of keeping the river and the environment clean. The Earth at the center is broken at the bottom as it is dumping all the trash into the water. To quote the Watershed Association, “ Clean is not an endpoint.  It’s a verb, and it’s still our unwavering mission.”

Designed by Madison Sirois '25

Inspired by a conversation with Pallavi Kalia Mande — a climate resilience and urban restoration specialist who has been working in the Boston area for more than 20 years — this lantern focuses on the idea of improving relationships with the Charles River in an effort to create a more climate resilient future.

Although one panel highlights potential urban flood patterns in 2070 — part of one of Pallavi's projects — the others provide hopeful insight on steps that can be taken to mitigate such climate disasters, featuring a permeable pathway and a call from Pallavi to "Be a Better Steward" of the river. Copper flowers rising from the city skyline reflect upon Pallavi's own journey to becoming a steward of the river, which began with her visit to the Tamraparni River as a child.

Pallavi's work can be viewed on her professional website,  www.tamraparni.org .

Designed by Emmanuel Hernandez '24

“Blood of My Body” is a poem that Emmanuel wrote based on the themes from an interview conducted last semester with Hartman Deetz, member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. He is a wampum bead maker, wood carver, powwow dancer, and activist. The interview highlighted themes of generational knowledge and inheritance, reciprocity and respect, and much more, all while centering connections to bodies of water.

For this installation, Emmanuel added a panel that depicts money and trash at the ground with a river flowing out through the center. Along the sides of the river, there are crochet floral granny squares with a crochet sun at the top. Additionally, there are brown and purple/magenta crochet sea shells to signify the connection to the poem and interview with Deetz. This panel overall highlights the global climate crisis we are met with today and the bright future that’s possible if we all take action in the ways that we can.

Designed by Liz Sandoval '25

The piece was influenced by an oral history project done with the Charles River Watershed Association. With their guidance, Liz gained knowledge about green infrastructures, river restoration, and the reduction of stormwater runoff. Liz also had the privilege of interviewing Sarah Traoré, whose insights inspired her vision for this lantern design.

The design embodies the principles of sustainable living promoted by interviewee Sarah Traoré and the Charles River Watershed Association. Through this lantern design, Liz hopes to inspire others to visualize the impact of their actions on the environment and encourage them to make conscious choices toward a more sustainable lifestyle.

Designed by Jacob Krah '23

In collaboration with Andy Li, a Boston-based artist, and the Charles River Watershed Association, this lantern design was inspired by a conversation with Kari and Ulysses Percival. Kari is an artist and environmental educator and former public school science teacher who lives in Malden with her family. Ulysses, her nine year old son, has done a lot of kayaking on the Malden River, Saugus River, Ipswich River, Mystic River, and has spent time sailing on the Charles River.

This lantern design channels a child-like sense of wonder, discovery, and creativity by inviting viewers to contribute their view of nature and urban civilization in the form of a coloring book. Providing crayons, this lantern allows children and adults alike to let their mind wander as they experience the collaboration (or lack of collaboration) between cities and nature through a fun coloring activity.

Designed by Fiona Ripp '25

Fiona Ripp had the honor of interviewing Lucy Conneta, who opened a daycare out of her home in 1983, and has been running it ever since, almost 40 years later! Lucy is an unsung hero, not because of her impact on the river, but on those who live beside it. 

This lantern is inspired by Lucy’s story, as Lucy symbolizes the river itself pouring her support, knowledge and love on to the next generations. The patches featured on each panel, where made by a pair of three-year-old children from Lucy’s daycare on the subject of the river. If you look close, you can see the tracing of little hands and a few little socked foot prints. 

The first panel tells Lucy’s multigenerational story, foreshadowing the lanterns reflection on the past, present and future. It highlights Lucy’s unique loyalty to location: as people came and left, she stuck around, just like the river. 

The second panel centers the caregiver in Lucy, personifying how the river takes cares of us, even when we don’t take care for the river. It urges us to reflect on our relationship with the river, or neglect there of. 

The last panel starts with the grandaughter reaching for the grandmother’s hand. Without knowing the river's past, it is hard to recognize the change and damage it carries today. Building connections with each other and connection with the river, can be symbolic. It also features Lucy’s statement, “I’d hate for it all to be gone one day.” "All” refers to the river as water levels continue to decrease, all as in the memories of her childhood, all as in the place families and young children spend time together. Sometimes it takes the thought of losing something to really recognize what you have.