Soft Racism in the Contemporary Legend of Anawan Rock: A Critique

Abstract:This essay is a critical folklore study concerning the traditional practices at Anawan Rock in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. Anawan Rock is the site of the surrender of Annawon, a captain of the Wampanoag people who were defeated by English colonists in 1676 during King Philip’s War. Annawon’s capture by Benjamin Church inspired legendary tales for centuries and multiple folk practices of and at the Rock. Since 1994 an emerging contemporary legend has posited that Anawan Rock is haunted; that story has fueled legend tripping and has been incorporated into the performances of paranormal investigators, who have increasingly utilized the site for their own agendas and to increase their own cultural and monetary capital. In addition to critiquing the narratives and related traditions associated with Anawan Rock from the colonial to the contemporary period, I argue that such folkloric material demonstrates a transition from a “hard racism” to a “soft racism,” an expression of inequity that continues to warrant redress to this day (including the potential return of the land at Anawan Rock to the Wampanoag people).