Fox Running
	Quinnipiac Medicine Man

How did you get your name?

I got my name, as I said, because it was gifted to me. Why did they choose that name? Because, I spent a lot of the time running around doing things Native Americans did. And to other Native Americans, that looked like a fox running around doing his thing. So that’s how I got the name.

What animals did your people hunt?

We hunted many different animals. Bear, deer, fox, wolves, and rabbits, not coyotes because they weren’t here, okay. Turkeys, turkeys were a great joy to hunt, because not only did they provide food, but we also used their feathers in our regalia that are a turkey wing feather. Eagles and hawks were very sacred to us so we would never kill them. Sometimes we would capture an eagle and keep it alive and feed it. Just so that when it molted its feathers we could have its feathers for our regalia and for ceremonial use. Hawks were also considered sacred, not quite as sacred as eagles, but still very sacred. And a very high flying bird, they were the next highest in as far as sacredness is concerned by Native Americans because they could fly almost as high as the eagle. These two feathers are hawk feathers, the feathers over here are turkey feathers, and the white ones came from a swan. Now the swans that you have here now, that you see in the local ponds and lakes, are not the swans that were originally here in this country, the only place you would see them now is in the West. They're called mute swans, the ones that we have here, along the eastern seaboard are a import from Europe.

What kinds of tools did your people use?

We carved balls out of, wood, okay, from a log. We used soapstone, which is a very soft stone that can be carved into bowls and utensils, spoons and that sort of thing.  We made containers out of the bark of birch trees that served has containers and bowls to carry things in… They were either sown together with leather tongs like, the leather strap on my talking stick or with the bark from roots of certain trees.      

Was East Rock an important place for your tribe?

Native Americans live a very, very spiritual life and it was a everyday thing for them. When they walked down the trail, there were certain places they considered sacred and they go there and pray. Over to the east of us is East Rock. How many of you know what the Native American name for it is? Does anybody know? Well, it’s called Wam-pen-ton-set. Can you say Wam-pen- ton-set? Wam-pen-ton-set. Okay, it means place of council. It’s where the leaders of Quinnipiacs went when they had to hold a council meeting. It was high, it was protected, and they could see the surrounding countryside.

Did your people respect the environment?

For instance if they cut a tree down or they gathered a plant in the forest for food or medicine they always gave thanks to that from which they harvested. In killing a dear or another animal, they would pray to the animal and tell him thank you for sacrificing their life so they could survive.  They would actually pour water in its mouth so it will not be thirsty on its journey back to the Creator.

What things did your people use from the river?

The river provided lots of different fish, shad, salmon, bass, and trout, to name a few. They also used the fresh water clams. The inside, which was shiny like Mother of Pearl, was part of their decoration. They would make beads and stuff out of them. Everything that they utilized came from Mother Nature.