Bullock Paul - Whirling Thunder : one mans journey through Native America : the evolution of New England powwows 1940-2014

For half a century Paul Bullock and his family have been committed to raising awareness about the Native people of New England. Paul, known as Whirling Thunder , grew up in Bristol, Rhode Island and is of part Wampanoag ancestry. He came into the powwow scene as a boy in the 1940s, performing from the time he was 11 years old. By the late 1960s, when he and his six children had become the Paul Bullock family dancers, teaching dances and songs to others, they had made a decision that they would emphasize Eastern dance steps and etiquette at New England powwows. They sought out Eastern Native people as instructors in dance, etiquette and regalia. At a time when the pervasive Plains look remained popular in the East, Paul worked patiently to raise consciousness about southern New England Native traditions.

In addition to active participation at powwows, Paul founded a company, The Wandering Bull, to market craft supplies, books, music and regalia both at the powwows, in a trading post in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and through on-line web sites. In the face of strong Pan-Indian influences, he tried to change perceptions through the example of his own familys dress, and by making available the materials and patterns for others to create Eastern-style regalia. Eventually, The Wandering Bull became the largest retail outlet for Native craft supplies in New England.

One of my lasting memories of Paul occurred at a powwow given by the Native students of Brown University. The small Native student group wished to make their presence more visible on campus by sponsoring an annual powwow, to which all Native organizations and dancers of the region were invited. I was seated in the audience, when the head student dancer invited me down to be one of the honorees in an honor dance. I was very nervous, not sure of exactly what was expected of me, until Paul danced by me and dipped his fan to me in acknowledgement, and from then on I felt as if I was in the right place. Paul had that wonderful capacity to understand and utilize the etiquette of the dance, and to show others how to use it. His innate courtesy and that of Native cultural traditions merged into one. He was a dedicated, purposeful individual whose influence during the long, dry period of the mid-twentieth century, before federal recognition of Eastern tribes, helped reinforce the sense of self of Native New Englanders.

Barbara A. Hail

Curator Emerita, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University