Mildred Noble
Encyclopedia
Mildred "Millie" Noble was an American
writer
and Native American
activist. Noble helped to found the Boston Indian Council, which is now known as the North American Indian Center of Boston
.
Noble was the author
of Sweet Grass: Lives of Contemporary Native Women, which was published in 1997.
Band of Ojibwe while Moore was from the Hudson Bay region Ojibwe. Noble was raised by her parents in a log cabin
. Her parents made a living by fishing
and hunting
.
Noble left northern Canada and moved to Boston
, Massachusetts
, when she was 18 years old. She stated in numerous interviews that she was looking for "the havoc of city life
" after living in the wilderness for so many years. However, her life in Boston was initially not a happy one. Noble's mother died shortly after she moved to Boston. While she did get married, and had three children, the marriage ultimately ended in divorce
. Two of Noble's sisters also died from tuberculosis
during this same time in her life.
Tragedy struck Noble's family again during the 1970s. Her son, Earnest Maxwell Skeene, was killed during the Vietnam War
. Her daughter, Donna Walker, died shortly after her son in a fire intentionally set by Walker's husband.
causes and pride in her heritage
during the 1970s. Noble began working at the newly established Boston Indian Council in several different roles beginning in 1972. The Boston Indian Council, which is now known as the North American Indian Center of Boston
, was established around this time to provide social services to Native Americans who lived or had recently settled in the Boston Metropolitan Area
. These Native Americans included a significant population of Mi'kmaq, who, like Noble, had migrated to Boston from Canada
in search of work and opportunities.
Noble, as an important member of the Boston Indian Council, was a key figure in the establishment of Tecumseh House. The facility, which is located in Jamaica Plain, was the Boston area's first Native American halfway house
and outpatient center.
Noble was almost 60 years old when she began working on her bachelor's degree
. She was accepted as a student to the College of Advancing Studies at Boston College
, where she took night courses under the guidance of Rev. James Woods
, S.J.
Woods encouraged Noble to turn her stories into written works, including books. She graduated from Boston College in 1987. She began writing her most well known work, Sweet Grass: Lives of Contemporary Native Women, the same year that she graduated. The book was published in 1997.
Noble continued her higher education by earning a graduate certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Community Fellowship Program in 1989. She visited the Whitefish River Reserve in Ontario, Canada, as part of her graduate studies, where she met many of her extended relatives. At this same time, Noble began forming a close relationship with members of the Wampanoag community in Mashpee. She began producing a local television show called Wampanoag Women Speak.
Noble retired in the 1990s but continued writing about her life experiences, including a battle with alcoholism
. She published a children's book, entitled Jason's Story, in 2003.
in Mashpee, Massachusetts
, on January 18, 2008. Noble was 86 years old and was survived by her daughter, Carol Mills, four grandsons, three grand daughters and three great grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
activist. Noble helped to found the Boston Indian Council, which is now known as the North American Indian Center of Boston
North American Indian Center of Boston
The North American Indian Center of Boston, Inc. is a non-profit organization located in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, which provides assistance to American Indians, Native Canadians, and other indigenous peoples of North America....
.
Noble was the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of Sweet Grass: Lives of Contemporary Native Women, which was published in 1997.
Early life
Mildred Noble was born in northern Ontario, Canada in 1921. Her parents, Edward Paibomasai and Mary Moore, were members of the Ojibwe Nation. Paibomasai was from the Whitefish RiverWhitefish River
Whitefish River may refer to:In Canada*Whitefish River *Whitefish River *In Ontario:**Whitefish River , in Kenora District and a tributary of the Berens River...
Band of Ojibwe while Moore was from the Hudson Bay region Ojibwe. Noble was raised by her parents in a log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
. Her parents made a living by fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
.
Noble left northern Canada and moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, when she was 18 years old. She stated in numerous interviews that she was looking for "the havoc of city life
Urban culture
Urban culture is the culture of towns and cities. In the United States, Urban culture may also sometimes be used as a euphemistic reference to contemporary African American culture.- African American culture :...
" after living in the wilderness for so many years. However, her life in Boston was initially not a happy one. Noble's mother died shortly after she moved to Boston. While she did get married, and had three children, the marriage ultimately ended in divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. Two of Noble's sisters also died from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
during this same time in her life.
Tragedy struck Noble's family again during the 1970s. Her son, Earnest Maxwell Skeene, was killed during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Her daughter, Donna Walker, died shortly after her son in a fire intentionally set by Walker's husband.
Acitivism
Noble first became genuinely interested in Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
causes and pride in her heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
during the 1970s. Noble began working at the newly established Boston Indian Council in several different roles beginning in 1972. The Boston Indian Council, which is now known as the North American Indian Center of Boston
North American Indian Center of Boston
The North American Indian Center of Boston, Inc. is a non-profit organization located in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, which provides assistance to American Indians, Native Canadians, and other indigenous peoples of North America....
, was established around this time to provide social services to Native Americans who lived or had recently settled in the Boston Metropolitan Area
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
. These Native Americans included a significant population of Mi'kmaq, who, like Noble, had migrated to Boston from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in search of work and opportunities.
Noble, as an important member of the Boston Indian Council, was a key figure in the establishment of Tecumseh House. The facility, which is located in Jamaica Plain, was the Boston area's first Native American halfway house
Halfway house
The purpose of a halfway house, also called a recovery house or sober house, is generally to allow people to begin the process of reintegration with society, while still providing monitoring and support; this is generally believed to reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse when compared to a...
and outpatient center.
Noble was almost 60 years old when she began working on her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
. She was accepted as a student to the College of Advancing Studies at Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, where she took night courses under the guidance of Rev. James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
, S.J.
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
Woods encouraged Noble to turn her stories into written works, including books. She graduated from Boston College in 1987. She began writing her most well known work, Sweet Grass: Lives of Contemporary Native Women, the same year that she graduated. The book was published in 1997.
Noble continued her higher education by earning a graduate certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
Community Fellowship Program in 1989. She visited the Whitefish River Reserve in Ontario, Canada, as part of her graduate studies, where she met many of her extended relatives. At this same time, Noble began forming a close relationship with members of the Wampanoag community in Mashpee. She began producing a local television show called Wampanoag Women Speak.
Noble retired in the 1990s but continued writing about her life experiences, including a battle with alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. She published a children's book, entitled Jason's Story, in 2003.
Death
Mildred Noble died from complications of liver cancerLiver cancer
Liver tumors or hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver . Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. These growths can be benign or malignant...
in Mashpee, Massachusetts
Mashpee, Massachusetts
Mashpee is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,006 as of 2010.For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Mashpee, please see the articles on Mashpee Neck, Monomoscoy Island, New Seabury, Popponesset, Popponesset Island,...
, on January 18, 2008. Noble was 86 years old and was survived by her daughter, Carol Mills, four grandsons, three grand daughters and three great grandchildren.