Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel facts for kids

Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, born Melissa Jayne Fawcett on March 24, 1960, is a talented Mohegan author, historian, and storyteller. She holds very important roles for the Mohegan Tribe. Melissa serves as both their Medicine Woman and Tribal Historian. She also helps lead the tribe's cultural and community programs. Melissa has written many books, including a historical story about her great-aunt, Medicine Trail: The Life and Lessons of Gladys Tantaquidgeon. She also wrote a futuristic novel called Oracles. Some of her books were published under her maiden name, Melissa Jayne Fawcett.

Her Family

Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel was born Melissa Jayne Fawcett. Her parents are Dr. Richard Fawcett and Nonner Jayne Fawcett, who is Mohegan. Melissa and her husband, Randy Zobel, live in Mystic, Connecticut. They have three grown-up children named Madeline, Rachel, and David.

Learning and Growing

Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel was the high school president at The Williams School in New London, Connecticut. She then went to Georgetown University, where she studied History and Diplomacy. She was part of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. She also received a special scholarship for Native American students.

Later, Melissa earned a master's degree in history from the University of Connecticut. Her mother and her great-aunt, Dr. Gladys Tantaquidgeon, also studied there.

Her mother, Jayne Fawcett, grew up on the land where Reverend Samson Occom once lived. He was one of the first Christian American Indian ministers.

Her great-aunt, Dr. Gladys Tantaquidgeon, was a very important Mohegan figure. In 1931, she started the Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum. This is now the oldest museum in the United States run by Native Americans. Dr. Tantaquidgeon also taught young Melissa about Mohegan traditions, stories, and sacred practices. After Gladys passed away in 2005, her life was honored in a New York Times article.

In 2012, Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel earned another degree, a Master of Fine Arts, from Fairfield University.

Her Important Work

Melissa Zobel has traveled all over New England as the official storyteller for the Mohegan Tribe. She has held many important positions for her tribe. From 1992 to 1994, she was the Mohegan Federal Recognition Coordinator. In 1994, she became the first Native American appointed by the governor to the Connecticut Historical Commission.

As an author, her first major award came in 1992. She won the first Non-Fiction Award of the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas. This was for her book, The Lasting of the Mohegans.

In 1996, Zobel received the first Chief Little Hatchet Award. This award recognized her efforts to help the Mohegan people survive and thrive. In 2009, she won a $10,000 essay contest. She shared her ideas about challenges and chances in the economy and politics. She also won a top national award for "The Accomac Business Model." This contest was sponsored by several Native American organizations.