This was a promotional photograph for the Edison Company silent movie, “Ononko’s Vow,” which was filmed in March of 1910, in Deerfield, Massachusetts. In this scene, Ungagook- the Indigenous man sitting on the bed, is about to die from a fatal wound that is hidden from movie viewers and the “Puritan” family in the scene. He had saved the man standing behind him from death during an attack by Indigenous soldiers. Ungagook and his son Ononko each have an arm raised as Ononko vows to protect this family after Ungagook dies. Today, the film is considered to be stereotyped and highly offensive in its portrayal of Indigenous peoples. At the time though, it may have been an inspiration for the July, 1910, and later Deerfield pageants.
Herbert S. Streeter, photographer. Ononko’s Vow. Photograph. after 1910. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1997-08-01-0129/. Accessed on October 10, 2024.
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