Long Journey Home

Four decades after they were accidentally unearthed on Conn grounds, the remains of an Indigenous American have been repatriated.

By Melissa Babcock Johnson

ometime in the 16th or 17th century, an Indigenous North American individual died and was carefully buried on land near the banks of what we now call the Thames River. This ancestor, who likely descended from one of the many tribal communities who lived in the territories known today as Connecticut, would rest in peace for hundreds of years.

By 1981, European settlers and their descendants had long overtaken the area, the Industrial Revolution had given way to the Space Age and Connecticut College was celebrating 70 years since its founding. While land was being cleared to make way for a new athletic field near the campus riverfront in March of that year, a bulldozer operator inadvertently uncovered human remains.

Construction was halted temporarily upon the discovery, and Harold Juli, then an assistant professor in Conn’s Anthropology Department, was called to the scene. Certain aspects of the burial indicated to Juli that the person was likely Native American and, as was customary in anthropology at the time, he began a three-day salvage excavation to remove the bones before construction continued.

During or after 1982—no records have been found—Juli transferred the remains to Marc Kelley, a biological anthropologist specializing in the study of human bones at the University of Rhode Island. Juli and Kelley eventually co-authored a report on the discovery.

According to an article published in The Day shortly after the ancestor was unearthed, Juli said he would notify the Connecticut Indian Affairs Council about the discovery, which he did later that month. In his letter, he explained that a “prehistoric Indian” burial had been exposed, damaged and scientifically excavated.

Yet even at the time, Juli seemed to sense that longstanding anthropological practices would eventually need to be rethought.

“Connecticut Indians have become concerned about what happens to the bones of their ancestors after chance excavations,” Day reporter Steven Slosberg wrote at the time. “Juli said the potential exists for argument over whether the remains should be reinterred or preserved for scientific and historic value.”

In the end, it would take more than 40 years, a federal push and a stroke of luck to bring the ancestor home.

Peter Som ’93

“It did take me a while to allow myself to have another dream, but sometimes the most obvious thing is right under your nose. And it was like, ‘Oh, cooking!’ I love cooking. I love how food looks. I love interesting flavor combinations. I love having friends asking me, ‘What is this you made?’ And to be like, ‘Well, I don’t know. I just made it.’”

As he details in Family Style—and as is implied by the book’s title—Som’s mother, Helen, and his grandmother Mary greatly influenced his love of the culinary arts. “Their interest in cooking may have been born out of obvious necessity … but that frisson of excitement, that spark of smile when talking about food—that was about love,” he writes in the book’s dedication to them.

Speaking with me from his wonderfully well-appointed New York City apartment, Som elaborates on his culinary philosophy. “I think food is rooted in one’s own history, storytelling, nostalgia. The memories, the communion of coming together as family, especially when I was a kid, it’s essential to why I love cooking,” he says.

“My grandmother passed away 20 years ago. Writing Family Style let me get to know her again, because I interviewed so many family members. I could reconnect with her through the legacy of her cooking.”

When I wasn’t drawing and poring over Vogue issues, I was most often in the kitchen helping my mom.

— Peter Som ’93

More than just a cookbook, Family Style features 272 pages of recipes, memories and reflections illustrated with gorgeous photography by Linda Xiao. Som walks readers through a plethora of dishes that, like his fashion designs, have roots in the past but are married to a flair for the present. As a result, they feel both fresh and classic. Additionally, the author interrupts himself with recommendations on what to stock for spices, the delights of eating with friends and family, and musings on everything from vegetables to fried rice to good-but-not-too-sweet desserts.

Cacio E Pepe Rice

While Som’s flair for food, fashion and design trace back to his early days growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, he credits his Connecticut College education with preparing him to chase his dreams to fruition.

“Conn had this wonderful, nurturing environment; a level of support not just for my academics, but also for my personal growth,” he explains. “It helped me cultivate—well, ‘delusions’ is maybe the wrong word because you better have the talent and work ethic to back it up, but—the ‘delusions’ to keep going. It taught me how to figure things out quickly and get them done and to have no fear.”

Conn taught me how to figure things out quickly and get them done and to have no fear.

— Peter Som ’93

The surveys, conducted in October and November of 2023, revealed at least 10 features below one of the athletic fields, most or all of which are highly likely to be burials, Graesch said.

Dean of Students Victor Arcelus, who oversees Athletics and partnered with Graesch’s team and the Dean of the Faculty division to support the surveys, said that as a result of the discovery, varsity track and field javelin and discus throwing events are being relocated and club rugby will no longer play on the field. “We are committed to partnering with our tribal neighbors to respectfully care for any Indigenous human remains and artifacts on our campus, and we want to reduce the risk of them being disrupted in the future,” he said.

TerraSearch returned to campus in summer of 2024 to conduct three new geophysical surveys, and the data from those surveys are still being processed. Johnson says the tribes realize that most burials are disturbed unintentionally and welcome this non-invasive approach to archaeology and campus planning.

“We’re not necessarily trying to stop development, but many tribes look out for their interests in these culturally sensitive areas,” he said. “From cultural stone landscapes to highly sensitive places such as a burial site, if we can develop a respectful and constructive working relationship with a university, that is the best outcome.”

In May, Graesch organized the first summit on campus for Connecticut College senior administrators, faculty and staff and ambassadors from local Connecticut tribes. The summit focused on how the College stewards Indigenous cultural heritage as well as the opportunities for education and research collaborations centering on Indigenous history, culture and the unresolved process of colonialism, Graesch said. “At the core of the conversation were issues of racial justice, cultural respect, sovereignty, reconciliation and legal and ethical obligations. It was a remarkably powerful and impactful meeting.”

Johnson, who attended the summit, said the area’s tribes appreciate their growing partnership with the College.

“We would like to continue building a relationship with Conn and other institutions, including seeking opportunities to educate the public about our unique Indigenous cultures,” he said, adding that he can only speculate on the life led by the ancestor now returned to a rightful resting place.

“Our ancestors walked these lands since time immemorial. When people are buried, it’s with a purpose, and we always hope that they lived a good life. Like other families, we just want them to be able to rest in peace.”

Char Siu Burger