Cheryll Toney Holley facts for kids

Cheryll Toney Holley is an important leader and historian for Native American people. She is a genealogist, which means she studies family histories. She also directs a museum. She is the Sonksq (pronounced "sunk-skwaw"), or female chief, of the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band. This is a Native American tribe recognized by the state of Massachusetts.

Her Role as a Leader

Cheryll Toney Holley became the Sonksq of her tribe in July 2013. She took over from Chief Walter Vickers. As Sonksq, she helps her tribe in many ways. This includes giving spiritual advice and helping people find jobs. She is only the third female chief of her tribe in the last 50 years.

She also helped start the Nipmuc Women’s Health Coalition. This group of Native American women works to get good health care for Nipmuc people. This care is special because it respects their culture.

Cheryll Toney Holley also co-founded and directs the Nipmuc Indian Development Corporation. This group helps the Native community grow and develop. She is also in charge of the Hassanamisco Indian Museum. This museum is located in Grafton, Massachusetts.

Before becoming chief, she worked at a medical center. From 1998 to 2008, she was part of the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs. She also owns a business called PastTense Genealogy. Through this business, she helps connect people in New England to their family histories. This often includes people from Native American or African American backgrounds.

Sharing History and Knowledge

Cheryll Toney Holley is a historian who specializes in family histories of Native Americans and African Americans. She often gives talks to share her knowledge.

In June 2014, she spoke at Suffolk University in Boston. She was part of a discussion about how Massachusetts laws caused Native American tribes to lose their lands. She explained that in the late 1600s, the Hassanamisco Nipmuc tribe lost most of its land. This land was sold to European settlers. Today, only three acres remain of their original land in Grafton, Massachusetts.

In March 2015, she spoke at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This talk was about the challenges of repatriation work. Repatriation means bringing back and properly reburying the remains of tribal members.

In April 2015, Holley spoke at a conference in Rhode Island. She talked about how New England's rivers and waterways were like highways for tribes. They helped different tribes connect with each other. These connections are still important today.

Her Writings

Cheryll Toney Holley has written several pieces about Native American history and culture. These writings help people learn more about the Nipmuc people and other Native American communities.

• What It Means to Be Native American Indian in New England Today: A Personal View (Old Sturbridge Village, 2002)
• For All My Relations: Dedicated to New England's Communities of Color (Cheryll Toney Holley's blog, 2010–11)
• Letter in support of federal recognition (September 2014)
• A Brief Look at Nipmuc History. This was reprinted in a book called Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Writing from Indigenous New England (2014).