Local resident, Wampanoag partners propose Kenowon monument commemorating John Sassamon; historical commission urges wider consultation

A Lakeville resident and members of a Wampanoag community asked the Select Board to consider a privately funded monument honoring John Sassamon and a broader recognition of indigenous history.

Daniel Kasiri, who said he is working with sculptor Boccaccio and a donor for an initial maquette, described the proposal and asked the Select Board whether it would be open to seeing a physical model and discussing potential town locations. "The name of the monument is going to be Kenowon," Kasiri told the board, explaining the Algonquian word means "all of us." He said the sculptor’s initial maquette costs $5,000 and that he has a donor willing to provide seed funding; Kasiri said he is not requesting town funds.

Why it matters: The proposed monument would memorialize a figure whose life and death in the 1670s is tied to the outbreak of King Philip’s War; historical memory around Sassamon is contested and both the Historical Commission and representatives of Wampanoag communities told the board they want a broader, carefully framed process.

What was proposed: Kasiri said the sculptor would portray Sassamon with feathers pointing down (a cultural symbol indicating peace), a pipe and a translation volume to indicate his role as…