ssipsis

ssipsis
Born Eugenia Theresa Thomas
(1941-06-10)June 10, 1941
Indian Island, Maine, US
Died October 27, 2015(2015-10-27) (aged 74)
Indian Island, Maine, US
Occupation Poet, social worker, artist, storyteller, editor

ssipis (June 10, 1941 – October 27, 2015) was an American and Penobscot poet, social worker, visual artist, writer, editor and storyteller. Much of her work was focused on and inspired by the advancement of Indigenous people.

Life

ssipsis' mother, Dorothy Phillips, was a member of the Mohawk people and her father, William Thomas, was a Penobscot.[1] Her birth name is Penobscot for "little bird"[2] and she was raised by Eugenia Mary Thomas on Indian Island where she spent most of her life.[1] ssipsis earned a sociology degree at Colby College where she met her husband Kenneth C. Thompson. ssipsis and Kenneth had four children together.

ssipsis identified as a member of the Penobscot tribe and always fought for the rights of her people; most notably, she led a protest in 1970 in Old Town, Maine regarding a Penobscot treaty agreement.[3] ssipsis is also known for her birch-bark etchings[4] and for her work on the preservation of Penobscot art and culture.[5] Her art often reflected her dedication to tribal rights, including hemmed pieces to make political statements.[6] ssipsis was also the editor of the Maine Indian Newsletter, an independent publication that ran through the 1960s and 1970s and served the native peoples of Maine, along with other subscribed readers outside the local community. She typed each twenty page newsletter herself on a typewriter, often recirculating pertinent articles from local, state, and national newspapers, including many other American Indian periodicals.

Bibliography

Books

  • "Molly Molasses and Me: A Collection of Living Adventures," Robin Hood Books, 1990[7]
  • "Prayers, Poems, and Pathways," Robin Hood Books, 2007.[8]

Examples of art

References

  1. 1 2 "ssipsis — Obituaries — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine". bangordailynews.com. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  2. ↑ "corvette.salemstate.edu:2095/chapter/1301114". corvette.salemstate.edu:2095. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Art and Theater: Luna/Ssipsis – The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram". pressherald.com. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Project MUSE – Dawnland Voices". muse.jhu.edu. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Two local women revere nature | www.theirregular.com | The Irregular". theirregular.com. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  6. ↑ "In the Face of a National Myth | FUSE Magazine". fusemagazine.org. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ Ssipsis (August 1, 1990). "Molly Molasses and Me: A Collection of Living Adventures". Robin Hood Books. Retrieved September 11, 2017 – via Amazon.
  8. ↑ Ssipsis (September 11, 2017). "Prayers, Poems, and Pathways". Robin Hood Books. Retrieved September 11, 2017 – via Amazon.
  9. ↑ "Aboutssipsis". outdusis.com. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Art and Theater: Luna/Ssipsis – The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram". Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
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