Don’tgetleftinthedustwhenplanningyour nextgrouporbusinessfunction.Makeita memorable occasion with an evening of harnessracingexcitementandfinedining. Fordetailscall883-4331.
^X41cometothewon¬ derfulworldofMikasa. Withaisleafteraisleof eleganttabletoptreasures. Stemware.Flatware. Dinnerware.Giftware. Weddingfavors.And much, much more.
munityandthenacrossthecountry. Armenian business people walked intotheofficewithdark,richphoto¬ graphsgenerationsdeepinfamily legend, meaning. I was impressed withthenetwork:Subscriptionsfloat¬ edinfromalloverthecountryad¬ dressed to surnames ending in "ian”:Mezoian,Manoogian,Krekorian,Malconian,Goulasarian.
On The Magic Of Lost Neighbor¬ hoods—Iknewtherewassomething specialaboutthisissuewhenIwalked intotheofficeandCzeslawMilosz was on the telephone, inquiring aboutourEthnicityissueandthestor¬ iesweweredoingonPolishEchoes andtheLithuanianfriarsattheFran¬ ciscanMonasteryinKennebunk.
We lucked into this wonderful issueconceptthroughpractice.After wedidourstoryon"LittleArmenia,” inJuneof1988,wordspreadquickly through the local Armenian com¬
Ayearearlierourstoryonthelost neighborhood of Gorham’s Corners hadawakenedthesameinterestfrom the local Irish community. Over¬ night,itseemed,Maine’sLebanese community passed the word about our November 1989 feature on 70year-old businesswoman Kareemi Atallah, and our story on highschoolerBabakNejad’scourageous emigrationfromIrantoPortlandin ourFebruary/March1990issuegota similarliftfromwordofmouth.
IreadyourarticlewrittenbyWen¬ dellP.Sargent(Winterguide1990) andthoughtIwouldjustdropyoua notetoletyouknowthatIwasalsoat BurySt.Edmondsnexttotheairfield. 1 saw them take off each day and returneachnight.Ialsovisitedthe RedCrossClubatBury.(We)sleptin tentsthatwinterwaitingtoheadinto Normandy that spring. I remember howfulloflifethosefliersweredes¬ pitetheirdailyordealinthesky.I couldsmellthecleaningfluidagain whenherecalledit.1wentonwith GeorgePattonthroughEuropeinthe groundforces.
I am a member of the Ex-CCC’s, Disabled American Vets, Ex-Pris¬ onersofWar,JewishWarVets.Idid likeyourarticlesonMaine’sUnsung Heroes of World War II (Winter¬ guide1990).
TheirbandwasalwaysinthePort¬ land parades, and their baseball teamwasallowedtoplayballonSun¬ dayswhenMainehad"bluelaws”in effect,becausetheywereongovern¬ ment property. Sometimes up to 5,000peoplewouldgotothefortto seethegamesbecausePortlanddid nothaveanyactivities.
I joined the 14th Infantry in Panama to hold single maneuvers againstthe5thInfantry.In1943the 14thand5thInfantriesleftPanama viathePacificroute;landedinSan Francisco,California,andweresent toCampCarson,Colorado,toform the71stDivision,whichlaterwent intobattleinEurope.
Iwentasareplacementtothe90th InfantryDivision,whichhadlosta lotofmenintheNormandyInvasion, where I was wounded and captured later.
presents thefinalthreeplaysof PortlandStageCompany’s 1989-90Season TWELFTH NIGHT byWilliamShakespeare
DRIVING MISS DAISY byAlfredUhry March6-25
BillGardiner Portland
LITTLE EGYPT
PORTLAND
.
Amy S. Fisher Reception
Jeanne McGovern Assoc. Publisher
Johanna Hanaburgh Calendar Editor
Contributing Editors Kendall Merriam. Henry Paper. David Swartzentruber. Dan Domench, Charlie Brown. John N Cole. Maria Hazen. Bonnie Brown
Staff Photographer Francis DiFalco Intern Susan Gillmor Founders: Colin And Nancy Sargent
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PORTLA N D Magazine is published by Colin and NancySargent, 578 CongressStreet, Portland, ME 0^ 101. All correspondence should be addressed to 578 Congress Street, Portland, ME 0410L
Advertising Office: 578 Congress Street, Portland. ME 04101 (207) 775 4339.
Subscriptions: In the U.S and Canada, $20 for 1 year, $32 for 2 years, $40 for 3 years
Newsstand cover date: April, publ. March 1990. Vol. 5, No. 2, copyright 1990. PORTLAND Magazine is mailed at third-class mail rates in Portland, ME 04101. (ISSN0887-5340). Opin ions expressed in articles are those of authors and do not represent editorial positions of PORTLAND Magazine. Nothing in this issue may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permis¬ sion from the publishers. Submissions welcome, but we take no responsibility for unsolicited materials.
PORTLAND Magazine is published 10 times annually by Colin and Nancy Sargent, 578 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101, with newsstand cover dates of February/March, April, May, Summerguide, July/August, Sep¬ tember, October, November, December, and Winterguide.
KENNEBUNKPORT TheFourSeasonResort
Inns
CaptainFairfieldHouse
CornerPleasantandGreenSt.967-4454
TheInnonSouthStreet
SouthSt.967-5151
Shops
FantasyAttic
Union Square.967-3521
PortCanvas Ocean Ave.967-2717
Schooner’sLtd.
Ocean Ave.967-4225
Kennebunk Book Port
Dock Square.967-3815
CookieLoft
DockSquare.967-2812
Jandies,Ltd.
LowerVillageCenter.967-3934
TheLobsterPot
Route9.967-4607
Restaurants
PortGardensInn&Restaurant Ocean Ave.967-3358
WhiteBarnInn BeachSt.967-2321
Windows on the Water ChaseHillRd.,LowerVillage .967-3313
ThefollowingisalistofInternationalServiceOrgan¬ izationscurrentlyoperatinginMaine.Manyareestab¬ lishedculturalagencieswithmanyyears'experience, othersarebrandnew.Wehopeitwillbeusefultothose seekingaffiliationandopportunitiesforincreasedcul¬ turalidentity.It’smoreofabeginningthanacompre¬ hensivelisting,andwethereforeinciteculturalorgani¬ zationsnotlistedheretosendusbackgroundinfor¬ mationforfutureinstallments.Asaspecialnote,we’d liketodrawyourattentiontoanoutstandingbilingual reviewpublishedbytheFranco-AmericanCenteratthe University of Maine at Orono. Titled Le FA ROG (Franco-American Resources Opportunity Group) Forum,it'sfilledwithbilingualessays,reviews,source materials,interviews,andleadsrelatedtoFrancoArnericansinMaine(seelistingnextpage).RheaCote Robbins,whosearticle.DownthePlains.’appearsin thisissueonpage21.isaneditorforthemonthlyLe FA ROG Forum.—Ed.
MaineCulturalOrganizations
Asian Cultural Programs, Inc., P.O.Box34,Man¬ chester,ME04351.Telephone(207)622-9426.Asian CulturalProgramsisdesignedtoprovideassistanceto
CookattheTreeCafe
AsiansinadaptingtoMainelifeand topromotecommunityawarenessof Asian cultures. The program pub¬ lishesregularnewslettersandspon¬ sorsanAsianFairevery2-3years.
John Brown Russworm AfroAmerican Center , Bowdoin Col¬ lege,Brunswick,ME04011.Contact: HarrietRichards.Phone:(207)7253272 The Afro-American Center sponsors regular programs and eventspromotinggreaterawareness ofBlackcultureandhistory.Are¬ sourcelibraryisavailableforpublic use.
Martin Luther King Day Commit¬ tee, 18BelmontSt.,Portland,ME 04101.Contact:EliSmith.Phone: (207) 773-8030. The Committee plans Portland’s Annual Martin LutherKingDayeventsandiswork¬ ingonstatewidecelebrations.
N.A.A.C.P.-PortlandChapter,P.O. Box3631,Portland,,ME04101.Con¬ tact:NevilleKnowles.Phone:(207) 772-5272. The N.A.A.C.P. works expresslyforthecivilrightsofBlack peopleinMaineaswellassponsor¬ ingProjectPositiveAwareness.
WATSAMKI, 2DedhamSt.,Port¬ land,ME04103.Phone:(207)7978554. A non-profit organization founded in 1977 to help preserve Cambodiantraditionandculturein the Cambodian-American commun¬ ity in Maine, WATSAMKI maintains theCambodiantempleinPortland, offerstranslationandinterpretation of both Khmer and French, runs a languageschoolforyoungCambodi¬ ansandthegeneralpublic,andspon¬ sorsworkshoppresentationsonCam¬ bodianculture.Regulargroupsocial events, such as folk dances and suppers,areoffered,someopento thegeneralpublic,othersheldpriv¬ atelyinconjunctionwithreligious ceremoniesandcelebrations.WAT¬ SAMKI sponsors a weekly radio broadcastfrom12noonto1p.m.
A Portland Index
NumberoftrafficLightsonForestAvenue:17
Number of practicing Otorhinolaryngologists (earnoseandthroat people) in Greater Portland:11
Saturdays on WMPG (90.9 FM), featuringCambodiannewsandhis¬ toricalfacts.
Acadian Heritage Society, P.O. Box239,Mexico,ME04257.Contact: TheresaMartin.Phone:(207)3642702. The Acadian Heritage Society promotes awareness of Franco-Americanheritageandcul¬ ture,offersscholarshipstodeserving Franco-Americans in Maine, and sponsorsanannualFranco-American CulturalFestivaleverySpring.
Le Centre Franco-American, UniversityofMaine,CollegeAve., Orono, ME 04469- Contact: Yvon Labbe.Phone:(207)581-3764.The Centerservesasastatewideadvocate of Franco-American heritage in MaineandtheUnitedStates.They publishasocio-culturaljournalcalled "Le F.A.R.O.G. Forum." Le Centre Heritage, 985 Upper Turner St., Auburn,ME04210.Contact:Joanne Lapointe.Phone:(207)783-8143.Le Centre Heritage promotes regular
programsinFrenchcultureandclas¬ sicalconcertsinFrench.AFrancoAmerican Museum is maintained at BatesCollege.
Philoptochos Society (Greek). President: Helen Ureneck. Phone: (207)775-3007.
ItalianHeritageCenter,40West¬ landAve.,Portland,ME04102.Con¬ tact:MarioDiPietro(President). Phone:(207)772-2500.TheItalian HeritageCenterholdsmonthlymeet¬ ings the first Thursday of every month,sponsorsamonthlydinner¬ danceaswellasanAnnualLittleItaly ReunioneveryApril.
Japan-America Society of Maine, 1BankRoad,Portland,ME 04101.Phone:(207)774-4014.The Japan-America Society is a nonContinued
OPEN DAILY
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FREEPORT — 865-4642
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Spirit
profitorganizationdesignedtopro¬ moteandcreateunderstandingbe¬ tween Japan and America through educcational,cultural,businessand economic programs. The Society sponsorsregularmonthlyevents— topicallecturesandsymposiums,and maintainsalibraryandvideocollec¬ tion.Low-costmembershipsavailable.
Jewish Community Center, 57 Ashmont St., Portland, ME 04103, Contact:MarvinStark(Director). Phone:(207)772-1959.TheJewish Community Center provides social services,educationalprograms,and recreationaleventsforyouth,adults andseniorcitizensintheJewish community.
Korean United Methodist Church, 100WestbrookSt.,SouthPortland, ME 04106, Contact: Rev. Byoung Joon Lee. Phone: (207) 774-1617. The church serves as a religious communityandculturalcenterfor Maine’sKoreancommunity,provid¬ ingregularSundayserviceswithEng¬ lishtranslation,aKoreanlanguage schoolforyoungpeople,aswellas regularculturalfestivalsandcelebra¬ tions.
Lithuanian Franciscan Fathers, P.O.Box980,Kennebunk,.ME04046. Phone:(207)967-2011,Contact:Fr. John Bacevicius. The Franciscan Fathersprovideeducationofyoung FranciscansforLithuanianparishes nationwide.
Aroostook Band of Micmacs,P.O. Box 844, Presque Isle, ME 04769Phone: (207) 764-1972. Houlton Band of Maliseets, P.O. Box 576, Houlton, ME 04730. Phone: (207) 532-4273.
Passamaquoddy Tribal Govern¬ ment —IndianTownship,P.O.Box 97, Princeton, ME 04668. Phone: (207)796-2301.
Passamaquoddy Tribal Govern-
Spirit
ment—PleasantPointP.O.Box343 Perry, ME 04667. Phone: (207) 853-2551.
Penobscot Indian Nation, Indian Island,OldTown,ME04468.Phone: (207)827-7776.
The5tribalofficesaboveprovide supportservicestotribalmembers andinformationtothegeneralpub¬ lic.Nativesnotlivingonreserva¬ tionsorofficialmembersoftribesare servedby Central Maine Indian Association, P.O.Box2280,Ban¬ gor,ME04401.Contact:TerryPolchies.Phone:(207)942-2926.Job training,adulteducation,substance¬ abuseassistance,andsmallbusiness development—forMaine’soff-res¬ ervationNativepeople.
Maine Indian Program —Ameri¬ can Friends Service Commmittee, P.O.Box1096,Bath,ME04530.Con¬ tact:SarahSchmidt.Phone:(207) 725-4012.Produceseducationaland otherresourcematerialaboutNative AmericansforMaineschools.
Philippine American Association (PAMAS), P.O. Box 10433, Port¬ land, ME 04104. Contact: Lito Mainit. Phone: (207) 773-4828. PAMAS is a newly organized group serving the Philippine-American communityinMaine.
Holy Name Society (PolishAmerican), St.LouisChurch,279 DanforthSt.,Portland,ME04101. Phone: (207) 773-4176. The Holy NameSocietysponsorsregularsocial eventsandprovidesongoingspirit¬ ualsupportformembersofthePol¬ ishcommunity.Monthlymeetings.
"TheItalianmenwantedto marryItalianwomen,sotheywould send unknown women money— sightunseen—tocometotheU.S.A, tomarrythem.Dominicwentto workforMaineCentralRailroad.”
Jim Conti
Portland
■ "I came here from Russia soon afterWorldWarII.Mymotherwas Polish,myfatherRussian.Iwasfif¬ teenwhenthewarbrokeout.When IwasseventeenIwastakento Germanyasaforcedlaborer—as wereallyoungpeople—toworkin theGermanfactorieswhiletheir ownpeople(Germans)servedin thearmy.Ispentthreeyearsina forcedlaborcamp.
"Ineverknewwhatarealhome wasuntilIcamehere.Idonotcon¬ siderRussiamyhome.Americais my home where anyone who works hardcanachievethegoodlife.Ifeel verypatriotictowardmyadopted home.”
Nina Colcord
Portland
H"ln 1979 the Soviet Union invadedAfghanistan.In1980Ileft (Afghanistan)....andtheU.S.was oneoftheonlycountriesthat acceptsrefugees—(and)eventually youcanbecomeacitizen.
"InAfghanistan,myfamilyused torentoutourhouseforthe summer, and we had some Ameri¬ cansthereonesummer.Itisnot uncommontohaveacookora housekeeperoverthere,because helpissocheap.ButthisAmerican familyusedtogetmadatthehelp andfirethemeveryweek!They raisedahell!That’swhatIthought allAmericanswerelikeuntilIcame here.Theyaremuchnicerthan that!”
“Itiseasytoforgetheritageand ignore the differences among us— though what truly remains American isourabilitytolivetogether,not despite our differences but because ofthem,”
Portland’s Little Italy
■Little has been written about the Italian immigrants who have come to Maine during the past century.
Our history books are quick to covertheRevolutionary,Civil,or WorldWars,thegrowthofEnglish settlementsorthestate'smaritime history,buttheroleoftheimmigrant in Maine’s development has been largelyignored.
Of those people who have come fromforeignshorestocallMaine theirhome,itisperhapstheItalians whohavebestblendedtheelements oftheircultureintothefabricof Mainelife.Today,althoughtheir numbersareonlyslightlymorethan onepercentoftheMainepopulation, Italiansurnames,cultureandfoodare knownthroughoutthestate.
Unlikeearlierdecades,thein¬ creaseinpopulationnumbershasnot beenduetoimmigration,butrather toshiftsinpopulationthroughout theUnitedStatesbasedonaregion’s orstate’slifestyleandeconomic offerings.Duringthe1970sMaine sawitsmostsignificantoverallpopu¬ lation increase in 20 years with 130,997 people moving to Maine, more than the combined increases recordedduringthe’50sand’60s. The 1990 survey should show even greaterincreases.
Verrazano’s Maine Visit
ButMainehasalwaysbeenaplace ofopportunity,anditiswithpride thatItalian-Americanscanpointto thediscoveryofthispartofthe NorthAmericancoastbytheItalian, GiovannidaVerrazanoontheFrench ship La Dauphine inMayof1524. Verrazano’smissionandopportunity forfame,providedbyagroupofItal¬ ian merchants living in Lyons, France,andtheFrenchKingFrancois I,wastofindapassagetoChina. Instead,hereturnedasthefirst explorertostatethatNorthAmerica wasacontinentthroughwhichthere wasnopassage.
Throughhistoricalrecordsithas been determined that Verrazano enteredMaine’swatersattheeastern endofCascoBay,landingoneither SeguinIslandorBaldHeadatthetip ofCapeSmall.
behinds and laughing immod¬ erately.”Thisincidentresultedin VerrazanonamingtheCascoBayarea "TerraOndediMaiaGente,”orLand oftheBadPeople.
Accordingtoaworldmapcreated byVerrazano’sbrother,Gilarmo,the explorer continued his journey northwardandgavenamestoSever¬
in1920sgetupat theoldItalianAmerican Club on PearlStreet,from lefttoright:Bennie Alfiero,knownto Portlandersas owner of Harbor FishMarket;Gloria Alfiero,andHen¬ riettaPaolino DiPhlllppo.
Dominic Marino, future owner of the Roma restaurant on Congress Street,
alislandsandareasofMaine,includ¬ ingMountDesert,whichwasknown astheIslandofCatherine,andMonhegan,whichwasnamedtheIslandof Anne.Andtothenorth,anareawas named Oranbega, an Abnaki name meaning"placeofstillwater.”This namelaterevolvedintoNorumbega, whichwassometimesusedtodesig¬ nateallofNewEnglandandatother timestoindicatethelocationofa legendaryIndianvillageofgreat wealthonthePenobscotRiver.VerrazanoalsogavethenameArcadiato asectionoftheCarolinacoast,but overtheyears,mapmakerscontinu¬ allyindicatedtheareatobefurther northuntilitbecameL’Acadia,en¬ compassingNovaScotia,NewBruns¬ wick,andpartofMaine.
Forallthefameofexplorerssuch asVerrazanoandChristopherCol¬ umbus,theItaliansdidnotsignifi¬ cantlyfigureinthesettlingofNorth America.Onesmallgrouparrivedin Virginiain1622whileotherscamein the1700stoDelaware,Georgia,New Amsterdam,andMaryland.Thefirst manofItalianextractiontoplaya significantroleinAmericanhistory was Governor William Paca (17401799)ofMaryland,whowasasigner oftheDeclarationofIndependence. ButduringtheColonialPeriodof American history, when Catholic FranceandProtestantEnglandoften
clashed on North American soil, therewasasuspicionanddislikeof RomanCatholicsbyColonists,and Italy,hometotheVaticanandthe Pope,wasseenasitscenter.
ArtistMicheleFaliceCorne
Attheendofthe18thcenturyand intothebeginningofthe19th,anew attitudetowardsItaliansandItaly tookholdasRomewasrecognizedas theseatoftheWesternarttradition. ModelingitselfaftertheGreekDemo¬ craciesandtheRomanRepublic,the fledglinggovernmentoftheUnited StatesembracedNeo-Classicsculp¬ tureasrepresentativeofitspolitical andphilosophicalimage.Menlike CarloandGiuseppeFranzoni,Fran¬ ciscolardella,GiuseppeCeracchi,and Antonio Capellano were commissi¬ onedtocreatethesculpturalwork thatwouldadorntheyoungnation's newcapitol.
Mainewasnotunaffectedbythe country’snewfoundloveaffairwith Italianartandculture.Amongthe severalItalianartistswhocameto Maine was Michele Falice Corne (1763-1845).Hewontheheartsofits nativeswhenheunveiledhispano¬ rama"TheBombardmentofTripoli” atPortland’sUnionHall.The60-x 10-footpaintingdepictedtheUnited StatesNavy’sattackonTripoliledby Maine native son Commodore
thatcountryaboutthewealthand opportunitythatseemedtoaboundin America. By the 1880s America begantoseeadifferentkindofItalian comingtohershores.Theywerenot artists,musicians,oraristocratsbut farmers,fishermen,stonecutters, andlaborersofeverykindwhocame for America’s promise of freedom andaprosperousnewlife.
Not Romantic Images
Theseimmigrantswerenotpartof theromanticimagesofItalythat American society had envisioned. They were seen as poor, undereducatedforeignerswhohadcometo thiscountrytochallengeitsAngloSaxonProtestantself-imageandto competeagainstAmericansforjobs intheirownlabormarket.Thisnew perspectiveonItalianswasahostile oneasreflectedintheonlyItalian placenametofinditswayontothe Mainemapduringthisperiod.The namewasDagoJunction.
Inthelate1880ssmallnumbersof Italian families began coming to PortlandeitherdirectlyfromItalyby boatorworkingtheirwaynorthfrom NewYorkorBoston.Theygravitated totheCatholicCathedralParishand alongwithRussian,Greek,Armen¬ ian,andJewishfamiliesbegantoset¬ tlethatareaaroundCongress,Mid¬ dle,Fore,Temple,Federal,andIndia Streets.SpeakinglittleornoEnglish, eachofthesegroupstendedtoband togetherinthesameareaformutual aidandcompany—thus,"LittleItaly” wascreated.
Italians On The Increase
Intheearly1900sthenumberof Italians in Maine began to swell dramaticallyasrelativesandfriends wereencouragedtocometoMaine, wherejobssimilartothosefoundin the"oldcountry”wereavailablewith railroads,onthewharves,asfisher¬ men,cityworkers,millworkers, stonecutters,farmers,orgeneral laborers.Laboragentsatpointsof immigrantentryallalongtheMaine
coastrecruitedthenewarrivalsas soonastheydisembarked,usually supplyingthemwithrailroadpas¬ sage to the most remote parts of Maine.
ItaliansAtGreatNorthern, Carving Rumford Out Of The Wilderness
HundredsofItaliansweresentto theforestsofMillinocketasthe Great Northern Paper Company was created. Others were sent to the feldsparquarriesofAuburnorthe granitequarriesofHurricaneIsland, Vinalhaven,NorthJay,andHallo¬ well, where Italian stonecutters createdthefinestgranitecolumns, sculptures,blocks,andotherarchi¬ tecturalfurnishings.Thetownof Rumfordwascarvedoutofthewil¬ dernessbyimmigrantlabor.
OtherItaliansbecamevendorsof fruit,seafood,vegetables,andother commodities. Businesses emerged from these efforts in the 1920s. Grocerystores,restaurants,hotels, drugstores,clothingstores,along withcobblerandtailorshopsbecame commonandplentiful.Italiansur¬ namessuchasAmato,Valle,Nappi, Napolitano, Quatrucci, DiPietro, Puia,andPiscopoweretakingtheir placeintheculturalandeconomic makeupofMaine.WhileItalianen¬ trepreneurshipflourishedwherever Italianslivedorworked,itwasPort¬ land’s"LittleItaly”thatspawnedthe largestself-sufficientcommunityof merchantsandconsumers.
Fresh For Spring
Harve'Benard’s
Y BENARD HOLTZMAN
Alongwiththisprosperitycamea whiplashofresentmentfromAmeri¬ canswhofeltthattheethnicandreli¬ gious homogeneity of the country wasthreatenedbythearrivaland prosperityofimmigrantsfromnon¬ Nordiccountries.
TheDepressionbroughthardship toallAmericans,andalthoughitwas notatimeofgreatgrowthforthe ItaliancommunityofMaine,there wasstillworkavailable.InPortland, trainsfromMontrealstillpulledinto the Grand Trunk station, the New York and Boston boats brought in goods,teamstersdeliveredgoods,the water company and city needed laborers,andbakeries,meathouses, small businesses, and companies alongCommercialStreetandinother areasstillhired.TheItaliancommun¬ ityremainedcompactandcohesive.
St. Peter’s With Dimes
Thatbondofheritageandculture wassymbolizedbythecreationofSt. Peter’sChurch,thefirstandonly nationalItalianparishchurchin Maine,whosepriestsministeredto Italian-Americans throughout the state."Theybeganthischurchcol¬ lectingnickelsanddimesduringthe Depression,” says Father Edmund Ansalomi,O.S.M.,presentpastorof St.Peter’s."Ittookagreatdealof sacrificeandinvolvementforthemto raisethemoney,butSt.Peter’shas always been there for them.” St.
Intheearly1950s,plansforUrban RenewalwerepresentedbyPortland, and the use of eminent domain leveledtheveryheartof"LittleItaly” inlessthan10years."Morethan 90%oftheparishwaslost,”states Father Ansalomi of St. Peter’s. "Around250housesweredestroyed, andthemajorityoftheseweretene¬ mentsthatcouldhousesixfamilies.”
PatsyNapolitano,Sr.
Patsy Napolitano, Sr., who was bornin"LittleItaly”andlosthis homeandfamilybusinesstoeminent domainwhileraisingsevenchildren, remembersthefeelingsthatheand hisneighborsexperiencedasthey watchedtheirmicrocosmbeingdes¬ troyedbythewrecker’sball."The peoplegotscatteredtothewind,and theyfeltliketheirwholeworldwas
Napolitano remembers that when eminent domain took his home, he waspaid$4,000lessthantheap¬ praisedvalueofthehouse,whichwas nosmallsuminthelate’50sandearly ’60s.Theappraisedvaluehadalso determinedthepropertytaxeshehad paidovertheyears.
Wheremanyoncefeltbitterness towards the unfairness of Urban Renewal,thereseemstobeamore philosophicalapproachnowtothe changesthatinevitablyassimilated theItaliancommunityintotheMaine lifestream.
Experiment Considered
"It was a new project and they didn’tknowwhattheyweredoing,” saysNapolitano."Therewasnodis¬
crimination involved. They were experimenting.Idon’tthinkthey wereouttohurtanyoneinparticular, buttherewerethosewhodidn’tcare whogothurt,also.Ithinktheydidit thewaytheydiditbecausetheywere ignorant.”
LivingStreets
For those who lived in "Little Italy”itwasthelossofclose,day-todayrelationshipswithneighbors, friends,andrelativeswholivedinthe samebuildingoronthesamestreet— thatwasthesaddestaspectofthe Urban Renewal project. "It was a very close neighborhood,” muses Napolitano."Everyoneknewevery¬ one.Mostoftheoldtimersaregone nowandthere’snorealneighbor¬ hoodlikethereusedtobe.It’sall gone.”
Although the neighborhood is gone,theItalian-Amerleancommun¬ ityhascontinued.Thedisplacedfam¬ iliesdidfindnewhomesinother partsofPortlandandincommunities throughout Maine where relatives andfriendsalreadylivedorwherejob opportunitiesdictated.
AtSt.Peter’sonly5to10parish families come from the immediate neighborhoodtoday,yetthechurch
Center was built in 1977. With a membershipof1,600,itisattheCen¬ terthatItalian-Americansfromall overMainegathertoshareorlearn their common heritage through social, cultural and educational events.
Thesonsanddaughtersofthose first-andsecond-generationItalianswho laboredsohardinanewlandthat theirchildrenmightfindabetterlife, havefulfilledtheirparents’dreams socially,culturally,andeconomically in this land of opportunity — America.
Italiansurnamesthatoncefilled thelaborrostersofrailroads,lumber camps,androadcrewsarenowalso thenamesofdoctors,lawyers,elected officials,businesses,andcompanies throughoutthestate.Today,ItalianAmericansoftenliveinurbanand ruraltownsthatwereoncebastions ofYankeetradition,farfromthe crowded streets and tenements of theirimmigrantforefathersin"Lit¬ tleItaly.”Smalltowngeneralstores thatsellItaliansandwiches,meat¬ balls,andpizzasarecommonwhere only20yearsagosuchcuisinewas oftenunknown.
Italiancultureisanacceptedand valuedpartofMainelifetoday,and itstraditionsliveon.Youngandold sharethestrugglesandthesuccesses oftheirpeople,reaffirmingthepride andhistorythatisindicativeofthe Italian-American heritage. H —ByPaulLuise
Y paternal me'm'ere’s (grandmother) name wasAnnieGirouxCote”, and my maternal memere’snamewasVictoriaGagnonSt. Germain Daigle. My maman's name wasRitaLucilleSt.GermainCote, andmynameisRhe'aJeannineCote Robbins. 1 was named after my maman’stwin.Iampartofallthese women and they are a part of me. They are my past propelling me towardmyfuture.Wehavebeenand are all women of Franco-American Quebec/Acadian descent. We are speakersoftheFrenchlanguageasa mothertonguewithcommandofthe Englishlanguageinoppositepropor¬ tiontoourcommandofFrench.My memeres,mostfluentandmymaman thecontainer/carrierofthelanguage tome;IamtheleastfluentinFrench andthemostagileinEnglish. Howmuchofmeasapresent-day Franco-American woman has to do
Generations
Above, from left, author Rhea Cote Robbins with her mother, Rita St. Germain Cote, daughter of Victoria Gagnon St. Germain Daigle, pic¬ tured below (center) in a 1935 photo with Rita (right) and her twin sister,Rhea,forwhomtheauthorisnamed.“Theyaremypastpropell¬ ing me toward my future. We have been and are all women of FrancoAmerican Quebec/Acadian descent. My memeres, most fluent and my maman the container/carrier of the language to me; I am the least fluentinFrenchandthemostagileinEnglish.”
‘downthePlains’
love and language through 3 generations of Franco-American women
withhowmuchFrenchorEnglishI speakisadebatefortheexperts.At present,Ihavetheluxurytoexamine myculturefromtheprotectionofthe workplace.Isayprotectionbecauseit isnotalwaysexpedienttoliveaselfconsciouslife.IeditandwriteforLe F.A.R.O.G. Forum, which is pub¬ lishedoutoftheFranco-American CenterlocatedontheUniversityof MainecampusinOrono.LeF.A.R.O.G. Forum, with the help of FrancoAmericanvolunteercommunitywri¬ tersandartists,isabilingual,socio¬ cultural journal published eight timesperyear.Forit,Iwriteoutof myexperienceofbeingbroughtupin thetypicalFranco-Americanneigh¬ borhood in Waterville known as
WhileIgrewupIhardlyknewthat Ilivedinaborough,sotospeak, wherealltheelementsofsurvival were present and intact—home, school,church,grocerystore,doctor, dentist,entertainment,etc.were within walking distance. The old neighborhoodswhereallagegroups convergedandcongregatedandlife wascrustierthantheseparatedand segregated suburban developments whichgrewontheoutskirtsofthe city.Theneighborhoodanditsinhab¬ itantsplayedtheirpartintheforma¬ tionofmypresent-dayvision.Itake
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adrivedownthePlainstodayandI see ghosts. Ghosts of relatives, friends,theolddrunk—Danse-pourmoihewascalled.Aschildrenand young girls we would hide behind fencesandshrubswheneverhewould walkpastusandwewouldyellout "Dansepourmoi!" He would imme¬ diatelystophisdrunkenreverieand danceabeautifuldance,fullofgrace andrhythm.Aschildrenweenjoyed immensely the control of him he allowed us. Our own full-grown puppet without strings. He would takeafewstepstoleaveuswiththe memory of his "danse” and yet as oftenaswecalledout,hewouldstay anddanceforus.Besides Dansepour-moiIseeothervagrants,child¬ ren, mothers, fathers, policemen walkingtheirbeats,firemen,the “Ghostsofrelatives, friends,theold drunk— Danse-pourmoihewascalled.As childrenandyoung girlswewouldhide behindfencesand shrubs whenever he wouldwalkpastus andwewouldyellout “Danse pour moi!”He would immediately stophisdrunkenrev¬ erieanddanceabeau¬ tifuldance,fullof graceandrhythm. SometimesIeventry toseemyghostorthe ones of my mother and grandmother.”
candyman,strangerswithfamiliar faces; and, in the men and women livingtheretoday,Iseethefaceofthe childrentheywereyesterday.Some¬ timesIeventrytoseemyghostorthe onesofmymotherandgrandmother. Idon’tliveintheoldneighborhood anymoreandthosearemyowndan¬ cesandreveries.Ididnotwanttostay
intheoldneighborhood;Itriedto leaveit,butitreallyisinme.AndI carryitwithme.Always.I’mhere now,inthepresent,aproductof those times and places. My maman andmemereswerealsoproductsof theirowntimes.MyMemereDaigle and maman were from Northern MaineandtheGaspePeninsulaand
EarlyphotoofAnnieGirouxCote.
my Memere Cote was from Water¬ villeandadoptedasababywhenher fatherfellthroughtheicecrossinga river(Whatriver?1don’tknow)and hermothersubsequentlydiedofa brokenheart.Heradoptiveparents deeded their home to her and she livedthereherentirelifeandnow oneofmybrotherslivesinthesame housewithhisfamily.Mypepere, whomInevermet—hediedbeforeI wasborn,gaveapieceofmymemere’slandtomyfatherandmother, andonittheybuiltahome.They hauledonitanabandonedbuilding— anoldschoolhouseorvacantstore— andhanddugthebasementandbuilt theirhousearoundthebuilding.No loansandpay-as-you-go.Theiroldest grandchildlivestherenow.Sowe havethelandtoexplainwhoweare. Wehavethelanguageandtheland. Idonotknowhowimportantland orbuildingsplayinattestingtothe existenceofaculture,butformethe
Indulgeinthe luxurious splendor ofMaine’sHistoric castleoverlooking thesea.Graciously decorated with antiques,each charming bedroom hasaprivatebath; some have fireplaces,some haveharborviews. Norumbega is open yearroundandis theperfectsetting for romantic weekends, elegant weddings, and small meetings and seminars. NorumbegaisontheNationalHistoricRegister.Surprise someone specialurithagiftcertificatefromNorumbega.Inquireaboutour “Murder by the Sea” Weekend!
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landandbuildingsplayanimportant role.Thebuildingsandlandprove thespiritortenacityofourexistence, butnotjusttheprivatebuildings,but thesacredandsecularpublicbuild¬ ingsaswell.Theoneswherepeople live,work,play,andpray—theseare the buildings where community exists,wherepeoplebecomeacol¬ lectedbody.Family,friends,and neighbors are important because theyprovideareferenceinaworld thatissofast-pacedthatweareaptto losetrackofwhoandwhatweare.
If the language 1 speak is not alwaystheFrenchmygrandparents spoke,butakindoflanguagethat1 have,whichistheonethatallowsme, whenIwenttoQuebecthissummer, togetmedicalattentionformyson’s bee-stungfootthenthatistheFrench Iownformyselfandformychildren. I, however, have not passed the FrenchIknowontomychildren.On thiscontinentIamthetenthgenera¬ tiondescendantofFrenchspeaking peoplewhocamefromFrance,andI havestoppedtheflowofculturecon¬ sciouslybecauseoftheridiculeI receivedfromotherchildrenwhodid nothavecommandoftwolanguages as1hadwhenIwasagirl.Iwas ashamed of my accent and of my knowledge.SoIletpartofmyculture die.
What I have done as a FrancoAmericanwomanlivinginthestate ofMaineisprobablynominalatbest. Andmaybeevennegligent.Iamtry¬ ing to amend that by writing and speakingaboutmyexperiencesasa Franco-American through my work place. I’m learning my personal history—theoneIwasnottaughtin school—the one that was excluded fromthecitydirectoriesontown founders.It’snoteasy,butasIlookI findaMaster’sthesisoraCentennial celebrationbookletinwhichFrancoAmericansarementionedandIkeep hopingtofindpiecesofmyselfinthe books,andwhatIfindissomething biggerthanonewoman.Ifindwhole lives,wholestoriesofapeoplewho
pavedthewayformetocontinueto liveasaFranco-American.Iamtheir dream personified. Their hope of survivance—thesurvivalofthecul¬ ture.
Whatisthatculture?Asitislived bymeandthoselikeme,thecultureis morethanlanguage,land,andahis¬ tory.Cultureisacollectedbodyof knowledge passed on through the generations. Culture is a way of being.Weallpossessthecultural, genetic makeup which goes beyond knowingalanguage.Wecanlearna language other than our mother tongue,butthatdoesnotnecessarily makeusapartofthatculturalgroup, buttheoppositecanbetrue—wemay notspeakthelanguage,butwecan certainlyactthepart.Sowhichcame first,thechickenortheeggorinthis caseisthelanguagetheonlyviable proofthatacultureispresentina person’slife.1don’tthinkso.
AsaFranco-Americanwomanina present-dayexperience,1livethecol¬ lectiveexperienceorbodyofknowl¬ edgethatI’veinherited.Iamthesum totalofwhoIamnowandallthose people who have lived before me. Beyond language 1 am FrancoAmerican by my blood line, by my names,bymybeliefs,bymyideals,by my celebrations, by my separate pains, by my recipes, and by my simplybeing.1amtheproductand embodimentoftheFranco-American cultureasitexistshereinthestate.
AsaMaineresident,Ihavelivedin severalpartsofthestate—Water¬ ville,Detroit,Bangor,Portland, Presque Isle, and Brewer. 1 find whereverIgothereisinstantrecog¬ nition or happening which occurs betweenmyselfandotherpeopleof the Franco-American culture. WhetherItravelandvisitwithpeo¬ pleintheSt.JohnValleyofNorthern Maine (my mother was born and raisedinWallagrass)orhaveacon¬ versationwithavoterregistration clerkinPortland—therehasbeenan instantrecognitionandmeeting-ofminds when two Franco-Americans
Generations
cometogether.Sometimesthereisan admittance of French descent and sometimes an exchange of a few Frenchphrases,butthereisoften warmthinthegreeting.Weunder¬ stand many unspoken things. An automaticacceptance.Anacceptance ofwhoandwhat1am—withorwith¬ outcredentials.Suchmeetingshave providedmewithsomeofthemost affirmingmomentsofmylife.
Below: The Women of Acadian Sin¬ gersattheAffectingPresenceII Conference, a two-day meeting of threepeoples:NativeAmericans, Franco-Americans, and Acadians.
occasionforcelebratingtheFrancoAmerican culture. The culture changes with each generation and witheachindividual.Someritualsare retained,suchastheReveillonon ChristmasEve;somearemodifiedto fitmoderntimes;andsomenewritu¬ als,suchasthesummerfestivals,are incorporatedtorecognizetheap¬ proachoftime.But,nomatterhow wecelebrate,weareremindingour¬ selvesofeachanotherandwhowe are. H
TheGreek-Americansareoneofthe mostviableandclose-knitethnic groupsintheGreaterPortlandarea. MentionaGreeklivinginSouthPort¬ land to another Greek living in Westbrookandchancesarethatheor shewillnotonlyknowthepersonbut alsowillbeabletogiveyoutheper¬ son’sfamilyhistory.
Thereareanumberofreasonsfor thisexceptionalcohesivenessamong nearlyallGreek-Americans.Theyare ahard-workingpeoplewithstrong moral convictions who value very highly such institutions as the
church,marriage,andthefamily. Childrenarethecenterpieceofevery family.ManyGreeksoperatefamily businessesinwhichthechildren, whengrown,becomepartners.Oth¬ ersgointobusinessforthemselves withhelpfromparentsorrelatives. WilliamDilios,whohasownedand operatedPatsy’sVarietyinSouth Windhamfor16years,recentlyset up for his two sons—Christos and Andy—a business in Buxton called thePizzaBarn.
And generations of Portland’s Panagakos/Doukas family—see pho¬
Next to family for Greek-Amer¬ icans comes community. Thomas Stratis,ownerofBoone’sRestaurant onCustomHouseWharf,saysofthe localGreekcommunity:”Wearevery supportiveandworkveryhardfor thecommunity,thefestiveatmos-
Generations Portland’s Greek Community
HighlightsofthefestivalincludeauthenticGreekcuisineserved to the accompaniment of the bazouki, recreating the festive atmosphereofarealGreektavernaorcafenio.Thenthereisthe agora, or bazaar where everything—from Greek blouses and skirtstonativefood—issola.TheproceedsfromtheFestivalgo toward supporting the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church at Pleasant andParkStreets,whichisattendedbyover250families.
AHEPA, which stands for the AmericanHellenicEducationalPro¬ gressiveOrganization,isanational Greek-Americanorganizationwhich hasalocalchapterinPortlandwith
the very un-Greek name — H.W. Longfellow. According to William Dilios,thenationalorganization boastsnearly35,000members."Our localchapteriswellorganized,”says Dilios,whoseoldersonChristopher alsoisanactivemember."Wedoalot ofthingsforthecommunity.”
Kolas Anemia
Besidesgivingscholarshipsand contributingtotheBruceRoberts Christmas Fund, the 75-member localchaptercontributestosuch internationalorganizationsasKolas Anemia—a philanthropic organiza¬ tionwhichprovideshelptoneedy peopleincountriesalongtheMed¬ iterranean—andtoearthquakevic¬ tims such as those in Cyprus and Armenia.
Then,therearesuchindividualsas Rebecca Sotiriou Mezoian and her Armenian-American husband Andy, whoownthebuildingonYorkStreet occupiedbyPortlandPhotographic. The Mezoians have opened up the secondfloorofanewthree-story additiontohouseH.O.M.E.(Home¬ workers Organized for More Em¬ ployment)ofOrlandtoexhibittheir ownandotherMainecrafts.Thelast weekinJanuary,theMezoiansalso openedanartgalleryonthethird floorfeaturingtheworkoflocal artists.
AegeanSeasorfromtherock-strewn mainland.Noteveryone,however,is cognizantofthemorerecentGreek history.
Greek Diaspora
Forcenturiestheseproudpeople, alongwiththeSlavsandAlbanians, enduredgreathardshipsunderthe yoke of the Ottoman Empire. Some partsofGreecewerenotliberated fromtheTurksuntil1912.During World War II came the Italians, Germans,andBulgarians.Evenafter theGermanssurrendered,peacedid notcometothiswar-tornland.The ELAS (Greek Peoples’ Army) and other Communist factions nearly toreGreeceasunderbeforetheywere subduedordrivenintoYugoslaviaby anti-Communistforcesassistedby theBritishandtheUnitedStates. Consequently,centuriesofwar,op¬ pression,andpovertyinalandof fewerthanninemillionpeoplehave forcedmanyGreekstoimmigrateto variouspartsoftheworld.Justasthe Jews and the Armenians have had their diasporas, so too have the Greeks.
In 1952, Lisa Talarna Robbins, whooperatesRobbie’sCafeonRoute 25inStandish,wasthevictimofa feudcomparabletotheHatfieldsand McCoys.Lisa,whowasborninPatras inthePeloponnesos,wasbeingcar¬ riedtosafetyonherfather’sback when he was cut down by a bullet from a gun fired by someone in a guerrilla-likebandfromaneighbor¬ ingvillage.So,attheageoftwo,Lisa becameanorphan.Bothparentshad sacrificedtheirlivesforher—her mothergivingbirthtoher,andher fathersavingherfromenemyfire. FortunatelyforLisashewasadopted byanAmericancouplewhenshewas sevenandbroughttothiscountry, firsttoChicagoandthentoMaine,as
Generations
Left:LongfellowSquareinthelate 1920s,withtheoriginalPanagakos restaurantatthefarright(nowthe siteofH&RBlock),justtotheleftof St.Stephen’schurch,torndownin 1965 and now the Joe’s Smoke Shop parking lot. Andrew Doukas’ law officeisinthemiddlebuilding,tothe rightoftheTrojanHorse(corner).
anaturalizedcitizenin1958.Thanks toaspecialactofCongresswhichstill bears her Greek family name—the Talarna Act—"I never had to go throughthenaturalizationprocess,” Lisareportsgratefully.
Four generations of the Panagakos/Doukas family: above, fromrighttoleft,for¬ merstaterepresenta¬ tive Andy Doukas; groom Bill Doukas; brideJoanneCollette Doukas, from Bidde¬ ford’sHadiarisfamily; andhersisterDiane Collette Flanders, wifeofdistancerun¬ liberation.
1957William,whowasthenseven¬ teen,joinedhisolderbrotherJames andafriendinahair-raisingflight overprecariousmountaintrailsona dark, foggy night to freedom in GreeceandeventuallyintheUnited
Two months later he received a telegramfromAlbania.Hismother haddied.
Many Greek-Americans return to theirbelovedGreeceafterretirement toliveouttheremainderoftheir yearsinthepatriarchalsocietywhere lifeislivedataslowerpace.Stratis’ parentsreturnedtoJanninaafew yearsago."Youhaveworkedhard,” Stratistoldthem."GobacktoGreece andletustakecareofyou.”
Butwhethertheychoosetoremain hereforeverorreturneventuallyto thelandoftheirorigin,thesonsand daughtersofHellenareeternally gratefultoAmerica."ThankGodfor America!”Stratisexclaims.’’This countrycanofferalotforeverybody, but,”headdsemphatically,"youhave to work for it!”
RECALLthatasaboyofabout tenorelevenIhadheardajoke overtheradioononeofthe earlyFredAllenbroadcasts thatseemedtohavecaughtmy fancy and remained fixed in my memoryforalltime.Itwentsome¬ thinglikethis:"Whyarethepeople ofPolandcalledPoles,butthepeople ofHollandaren’tcalledHoles?"Ad¬ mittedlytheseweren’tlinestobring much,ifany,laughterfromanaudi¬ ence.Theywerenodoubtfillers, wordsusedtostartupadialogue,or tointroduceaskit.Whateverthe intentofFredAllen,itwastheabsur¬ dityofthethoughtwhichgotrooted inthatyounglistener’smind.The "Pole"hecouldeasilyunderstand andidentifywith,growingupashe didinwhatcouldonlybedescribedas aPolishcommunityinabigcityon theEasternseaboardsurroundedby America. "Pole" was a cognate derivedasitwasfromthePolishfor "fields”andfromwhich,itappears, most emigrants made their way to theseshores.Manyyearslaterand thousandsofmilescovered,Poles remainedthedescriptivecognateof thatethnicgroupwhicharousedspe¬ cialinterestinme,seeingasIwasone ofthem.
Whoever it was that said that travelbroadensone’shorizonsknew whatsheorhewastalkingabout. SinceleavingthenestofmyPolish rootswhereIwasbornandhadspent allofmyyearsthroughadolescence— thatEasternseaboardcitywithin which enclaves of ethnic groups claimedtheirturfandkeptalivethe customs which they brought with them from Europe—Italians, Ger¬ mans,Irish,Russians,Lithuanians, andPortugueseforthemostpart,I hadtravelledliterallythousandsof miles,muchofthisintheUnited States.AndoneofthethingsIhad alwaysdonewhereverIwaswasto inquireofthepresenceofanyPoles inthearea,curiousalwaystofindout aboutthemigrationofthesepeople from their home nests—what drove
PolishChurch,279DanforthStreet.
themtoleave,whytheywentwhere theydid,howtheyfaredinthemove, etc.
IhadmetaPoleinSovietGeorgia whowasthesonofaPolishnational exiledbyTsarAlexanderIIinrepri¬ salforthePolishuprisingofI860in whichhisfatherhadtakenpart.I recallthesuspicionthatthisGeor¬ gianPoleshowedtowardthePolish¬ speaking American who was inter¬ estedintheCatholicChurchandthe PolishcommunityinTbilisi,Stalin’s hometown.
who, as the story unfolded, had grandparentswhowereburiedinthe same village cemetery in Eastern Poland where my father’s parents wereburied.Talkaboutaneedlein the haystack! And that encounter reallytookplaceinthewild,offa gravelledtimberroad,literallyinthe middle of nowhere and quite by accident.
Incantatory Names
Myhabitofasking,"Whereareyou from?"or"Whereareyourparents from?” on meeting by chance the bearersofsuchnamesasZytkiewicz or Wlodakowski or Siemiaszko— linguisticcontortionsfortheun¬ knowing, to say the least—always seemedtoleadtosomeinteresting account,someadventure:Once1even cameacrossaphotoinamajorAmer¬ ican newspaper accompanying a movingstoryaboutalifeguardona Californiabeachwhohadriskedhis lifesavingaswimmerfromamaraud¬ ing shark. The lifeguard’s name turned out to be no other than CasimirPulaski—thenamebringing any Pole’s ear to attention, and maybe that of Americans as well. Afterall,itwasthenameofthe fatheroftheAmericancavalry,the younggeneralwhogavehislifein
"I’vebeenaroundtheworldina plane,”gothewordsofthepopsong "ICan’tGetStarted,”madefamous byBunnyBerriganintheTwenties. Indeed,itwassowithme.Ihadbeen aroundtheworldandhadalotof uniqueexperiences,asisthecase withanyonewhotravelsandiscur¬ ious.And1havetoadmitthatoutof alltheexperiencesthatI’vehad, touchingbasewithPoleswhereverI happened to find them had always yieldedamemorableandsatisfying story.Itgoeswithoutsayingthat amongstrangersifonecanfindsome common bond, some hook to hang thekindredhaton,thenchancesare thosestrangersbecomenon-strangers.
Aretiredschoolteachergettingby justbarelyonherretirementpension inMoscowrevealedtomepersonally, likenobookcould,thedreadfulyears ofStalin’sreignwhileweatelunchin acafeteriadown’fromthelittlePol¬ ish church in Moscow on Little LubyankaStreet,rightsmackinthe veryheartoftheKGBheadquarters. She begged to have me send her a Bible in Polish when 1 returned home.AndtherewastheAustralian
Polewhochanceduponadiarywrit¬ tenbyaPolishgold-diggerinthe gold-rushdaysofthelateNineteenth CenturyinAustralia.Andafterthe bookwastranslatedandpublishedit becameaveritable"goldmine"of informationonearlyAustralianhis¬ toryintheOut-Back.Andtheman whounexpectedlycameforwardand revealedtoastunnedaudience,after myownlectureonthesubject,thathe andhisfatherwerevictimsofthe terribleKatynforestmassacreof World War II and that, while his fatherhadperishedtherewithouta trace,hewasoneoftheluckyfewwho survived.And,ofcourse,it’sthat million-in-onestoryofthechance encounterwiththatPolishwomanin aWashingtonforestandthevillage cemetery in Eastern Poland that bindsus.Howtoexplainitall?Why thecrossingofpaths?Andsofar removed from the source? Hard to say.Theworlddoesindeedseema smallplace,butastoundingnonethe¬ lessinthefaceofthefivebillionfolks whoinhabitit.And,believeitornot, theonlyplaceortimethatIhadever encounteredanotherpersonwiththe samesurnameasminewasonapub¬ licbusinaprovincialcityinPoland notfarfromtheSovietborder,and thatquiteaccidentallyoverthemat¬ terofaskingdirections.Needlessto say,therestofthattripfoundthose twostrangersengagedinalongtalk aboutgenealogy.
Well,BunnyBerrigan’splaneev¬ entually brought me to Portland, Maine,amatterofpurepersonalcho¬ ice.Aseeminglyunlikelyspottofind anyPolesherewasmyfirstthought onsettlingdown.Andyet,whereto findout?Whocouldhelp?Mycuriositywasstillstrongasever.Ihad knownthattherewerequitealotof PolishimmigrantsinMassachusetts andConnecticut,nottomentionNew York and New Jersey. Even New HampshirehaditsshareofPoles, aroundManchesterandPortsmouth. ButPortland,letaloneMaine?My ownexperiencescametoplayhere.If
there were any Poles to be found here,thenthereoughttobeachurch towhichtheybelonged.It’saknown factthatPolesarepredominantly Catholic.ThePopehimselfisPolish— andthewholeSolidaritylabormove¬ ment, made common knowledge thanks to the media in the early Eighties,borethestampoffaithwith itsdisplayofthetreasuredPolish icon,theBlackMadonnaofCzesto¬ chowa. Lech Walesa even brought thiswithhimtotheStatesrecently and wore it on his lapel when he addressedCongress.
Lo and behold, it wasn’t long beforeIdiscoveredthattherewas indeedaPolishchurchinPortland, withaPolishcongregation,aPolish¬ speakingpriest,aserviceheldinPol¬ ish,etc.Nowalmost75yearsoldand preparingtocelebratethisevent,St. Louischurchislocatedrightinthe heartofPortlandonDanforthStreet, onacornerlotoverlookingthebay below.
Itscongregationissmall.Onceit waslarge,havingover200members, andbigenoughtoconstructachurch andrectory.Today,however,mem¬ bershipisdownasoldmembershave eitherdiedortheirchildrenhave moved away—not an uncommon story inparishesthroughoutthecountry. Still,theparishhasalivelyandactive groupthatholdstogetherandfosters the common ties by supporting church functions. These tend to reflectthePolishtraditionsofthe members.
LocalPolishFairs
At Christmas, the annual fair bringsoutthetime-worncustoms, specialfoods,beautifulcarols,hand¬ crafts,andtheveryspecialevents relatedtotheChristmasEvevigil— perhaps the most recognizable of Polishcustoms.Easterisspecialtoo, evenmoresoinPolishways,combin¬ ingspringriteswithchurchritual, something which seems to renew among members memories of past days,childhoodjoys.
Generations
Many New Poles Here
Inthelast10yearschurchmem¬ bershipincreaseddramaticallywith thearrivalintheareaofPolesfrom martiallawPoland.FormerSolidar¬ itydetaineesandactivistsnaturally headedfortheoneplaceinwhich they would feel most at home—the PolishchurchonDanforthStreet— anoasisinastrangeland.Alotof fascinatingpersonalstoriesweretold bythesenewcomers,notunlikethose thatIhadheardasaboyyearsagoin myownhomeparish.
Oneoneofthemostinspiringsto¬ rieswastoldbyoneoftheolder members,apersonthelikesofwhom would be hard to match; one who embodiesthespiritofsurvivalinthe faceoftheworstadversity.Inthis respectshetypifiesthePolishna¬ tionalspiritgiventhecountry’ssur¬ vivalafteroverone-hundredyearsof bondage by unfriendly neighbors, andthemorerecentefforttowipeit offthemap.IlearnthatMrs.G.,a widow now, survived not only the bombing raids over Warsaw at the startofWorldWarIIbutsurvivedas welltheharshrealitythatbecame Poland’slotafteritended.Shetooka graduatedegreeinOrientalartinher native country and subsequently becameinvolvedinavarietyofactivi¬ ties,someofthemnotatallrelatedto herstudies.Shegrewandsoldherbs, becamearefurbisheranddealerin antiquefurniture,aremodelerofold homes,andanaccomplishedwatercol¬ oristofsomelocalrenown.Addto
Right:formerSen.
Edmund. S. Muskie,proudofhis Polishheritage,in a 1966 conference withformer1st DistrictCongress man Peter Kyros, himselfaproud member of Port¬ land’sGreek community (see storyonpage25).
Atalocalfairrecently,Iwasmoved tocalloutaPolishgreetingtoformer SenatorandSecretaryofStateEd Muskie,aMainerifthereeverwas one.UntilIlearnedthedetails,I’d always imagined that Ed Muskie’s parents had come from the same regioninPolandashadmyparents. But,asitturnedout,thiswasn’tthe case.Nomatter.Mr.Muskiemadeup forwhateverdisappointment1might havefeltonlearningthatourparents camefromdifferentpartsof'theold country.’ To my own greeting Ed Muskieturnedinmydirectionand calledbackoverthecrowd,"Dzien dobry”("Hello!”)inasgoodaPolish asany.ThemostfamousMainer,I waspleasedtonote,drewonthesame rootsofhisheritageasIhad.Notthe samevillage,true,butthesameroots, stillfeedingandgivingnourishment. So, Where are you from?...Your parents?Besuretoask.Onenever knows what story might awaken. H —E.P.Kulawiec
Lithuania’s North Star
HeraldsofFreedom:
St.Anthony’sFranciscanMonastery,
Kennebunk
Like many thousands of exiles, Father Bernardino fled his native Lithuania after it was annexed by the SovietUnionin1939asaresultofasecretpactbetweenHitlerandStalin.LivingouttherestofWorldWarII in Rome, where he studied for the priesthood, he joined the original founding group of young Franciscans who in 1947 established the Franciscan Monastery on Route 35 in Kennebunk Beach. Banned from communicating with their native land for decades, the Franciscan monks developed codes, and, undaunted,continuedtheirworktopreserveLithuanianspirituality,language,andculture.Now70,heis partoftheeffortworkingtowardtherealizationofhiscountry’sdream.“Itisasensation,thismovement...,” hesaidofLithuania’snewstridestowardself-determination.
It’sthenorthstartoLithua¬ nians,anintellectualandspir¬ itualrefugeuniversallyknown tothembothinEasternEur¬ opeandacrossAmerica—asanctuary offreedomthatyoungmenweretold aboutbytheirfamiliesduringthe postwaryears,whenfamilyfortunes werespenttosendthemonebyone acrosstheAtlantictotheFranciscan Monastery on the Kennebunk River inthestateofMaine.
starnamedDariusKaralis,wholitup whenIaskedhimifhehadheardof it.NotonlyhadheheardoftheMon¬ asteryandtheSt.Anthony’sSchool thereforyoungLithuanianmen,but hecoulddescribethelayoutofthe groundsandthegardens,stoneby stone, without ever having been there. The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, the statue of Catherine Tekakwitha,thefountainwithstatue ofSt.FrancisofAssisi.Forhiscoun¬ trymen,thegroundsaremythicter¬ rain.Amiablefromthefirst,hegrew sentimentalandanimatedaswedis¬
cussedthegardensthatslopeddown to the peculiar octagonal brown boathouse.
Asmanyotherlocaltownspeople,I hadnevertalkedtoanyoftheLithua¬ nianmonkswhostrolledsosolemnly throughthegardens.WhenIrodemy bicyclepasttheMonasteryIjustlet my ignorance take over and would lapseintoconjecture.Whatdidthese
monksdo?Whatcouldtheydo,here in the New World? Their brown robesbroughttomindillumination ofmanuscriptslateatnightbycan¬ dlelightinthesaltseaair.Iheardthe eldersspeakingLithuanianingrave tones,andtheyoungLithuanianstu¬ dents at the school were just as extraordinary,ifnotmoreso.
They’dcruisethebeachinblack leatherjacketsandD.A.haircuts, tightblackchinosandrazorpoint shoes. They were the princes of Lithuania’sfuture.Theywerewond¬ erful,cool,smokers,earlyBeatles Liverpool.Themonkskeptthemona shortleash,though—eachgroupof stragglers was connected to the monks at Monastery Central by a 1960swalkie-talkie.WhenSt.An¬ thony’sclosedintheearly1970sI stoleintotheMonastery’sgymna¬ siumthroughaservicewindowand discovered,writtenonsomeoldtrack shoes,theirnames:Kadadas,Kuszimikus,SaulPetcus.JustinKuzikaviscus.
Aflashlightstabbedmeintheback andIwheeledaround.''NiceMus¬ tang,” brother Terry said in an incrediblyfriendlyvoicetothein¬ truder,anastonishingfirstexchange.
On September 8, 1947, with the helpofdonationsfromLithuanians allovertheUnitedStates,theLith¬ uanianFranciscanspurchasedthe60acrestoneTudorestatefrommillio¬ naire William N. Campbell, whose fortunewasconnectedtothePalm Beach clothing Goodall/Sanford mills. Campbell had bought the propertyin1937fromBuffaloindus¬ trialistWilliamA.Rogers,whohad builtthemansionandsurrounding buildingsusingdesignsbyGreenand WicksofBuffalo.Rogershadbought thewoodedoceanexpansefromthe Mitchellfamily,whichhadboughtit fromSirWilliamPepperrellin1740. Evenbeforethat,theIndianshad consideredthegroundholy,attested tobyoldIndianburialsitesonthe slopetowardtheriver.
LithuaniahasbeenunderSoviet Communist Party rule since 1939, whenitwasannexedunderasecret pact between Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Not surprisingly, Lithuanians have always, beyond consideringitpreposterousandcrim¬ inal,simplyconsideredthisagree¬ ment invalid, and the many thou¬ sandsofLithuanianexilesworldwide sharealifelongdreamtoreturnin triumphtocompletenationalreli¬ gious,cultural,andpoliticalfreedom.
Religiousfreedomandlinguistic integrityforLithuanianwritingsand speecharethecornerstonesofthis internationaleffort.Currently,three ofthe18friarstherewerebornin Lithuania. They’re getting on in years.Fifteenyearsago,allofthem werenatives.
For decades the Soviet Union banned communications from the Monastery to its homeland, and secretcodesweredevisedandexe¬ cutedbytheundauntedmonks,who list"courage”asanessentialFrancis¬ cantrait.TheSt.Anthony’sSchool forboysclosedover15yearsago.
NEWS FLASH: For years they’d thought of Maine as lonely duty—a dark continent Inac¬ cessible to Soviets and possibly hostile as they floated outside the 3-mlle limit In their fishing freighter Riga. A few lonely streetlights con¬ necting Maine towns In the distance, glares from U.S. fishermen en route to fishing grounds... Then, Glasnost!, and suddenly the Rockland Domino’s Is starting pizza deliverles.“Somethlng with vodka on It!” “Double an¬ chovies!” Speculation grew rampant, says Bob Mitch, who coordinated the delivery of 50 hot pizzas and several cases of Coca-Cola. But the final tally Is 20 pepperoni (“Everybody likes pepperoni”), 10 cheese, 10 hamburg, and 20 assorted. At sea, the Soviet cable lowers cable and nets to the deck of the “Domino Effect” delivery boat, where cold-numbed fingers slip and loose fully half the cargo into the moun¬ tainous green swells. A Soviet crewman strips off his wristwatch In trade for an American model, sends it down, but it too falls Into the slapping waves. Still, everyone's all smiles as the historic transfer begins something new for all of us, a spirited attempt at fruitful communi¬ cation, trade, and cooperation.
Oncetherichnessofthecreature’s chemistrywasrealized,aswasthe relativeeasewithwhichitcouldbe takeninnets,themenhadenbecamea stapleaccessorytoeastcoastagricul¬ ture.Anditbegantoacquireitslong listofcolloquialnames:"bunker” where I grew up on eastern Long Islandand"pogie"hereinMaine. ThefishandIhavebeenintimatein bothlocations.1workedonesummer inafish-mealfactoryonLongIsland, wherevastandslipperyboatloadsof bunker were unloaded, crushed, boiled,processedanddriedtobecome
DIPLOMACY
A Soviet crewman aboard the fish-processing freighterRigalosta watch while attempting to trade it with an American aboard the Domino Effect.
everything from a paint base, to avitaminBconcentrateandburlap bagsfullofsomeofthebestorganic fertilizeravailableontheplanet.
InMaine,Ihavenettedhapless pogiesfromcurlingKennebeceddies andusedthedocilecreaturesaslive baittotemptrecord-sizestripedbass andGodzillabluefish.Forthepogie hashistoricallybeenafavoriteblue¬ fishfood.Anglerswhofollowthe blues know this; when the pogies arrive,thebluefishwillnotbefar behind.
Itisthissymbiosisthatisthecrux
ofthecontroversyoverlastsummer’s sanctionedappearanceofamodest Russianfactoryshipoffthecoast downeast.Formerherringfishermen whohaveseenthesardinefishery diminishoverthepastdecadewere pleasedtobeabletocatchbutseldom sell at a profit. When a staunch RepublicangovernorlikeJockMcKeran gave negotiations his full approval,anytrepidationaboutdeal¬ ing with "the Commies” vanished with the promise of regular pay¬ checks. Butallwasnotwell.Therewere
alarmsraisedbyfisheriesmanage¬ mentbuffswhopredictedmenhaden stockscouldnotwithstandthesud¬ den pressure. And Downeast blue¬ fisherman,alwaysonthefarthest reachofthefishessummerrange, arguedthatanydimunitionofthe pogie population would sour the bluefisherytonearextinction.
Well,it’saconvenientandsimple argumentthat’seasyforeditorial writerstodigest.Itis,however,diffi¬ culttoprove.Thesea,andespecially pogiesandbluefish,arestillonevast mystery. We know more about the AtlanticandmoreaboutGod’srela¬ tivesthanweknowaboutbluefish andpogies.What’sneededisacoor¬ dinatedinternationalefforttobegin toconserve,insteadofexploit,the world’soceans.Perhapsthepresence ofaRussianshipoffRocklandisa first,faintglimmerthattheworldis aboutready.Ifso,it’seminentlyfit¬ tingthatthemenhadenisstillatcen¬ ter stage. ■
Gould Academy, Bethel.Alay/9 and 25Alice m Concert: Amusicalbasedon"Alicein Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass"byLewisCarroll.Book,wordsand musicbyElizabethSwados.Performancesat 8p.m.inBinghamHall.824-2196.
Bay Chamber Concerts attheRockport OperaHouse,Rockport. Thursday, April 19 Libana.Elevenwomenpresentascintillating performance,weavingtogetherthesongs, dancesandinstrumentalmusicoftheworld’s cultures,especiallyashandeddownthrough theartistictraditionsofwomen. Thursday, May 17 -StephenBurns,Trumpet Aneven¬ ingofmusicalfavoritesarrangedbyStephen Burnsandoriginalpieceswrittenforthe trumpet.Theseconcertsaremadepossiblein partbygrantsfromtheNationalEndowment fortheArts,TheMaineArtsCommission,The
Bath-Brunswick Folk Club. Saturday, May 12 -TaylorWhiteside.Thissinger,songwri¬ ter,andinstrumentalisthasentertainedaud¬ iencesfromNewFoundlandtoCentralAmer¬ ica.Hepresentsawidevarietyofmaterial frommoderntotraditionaltooriginal.Con¬ certheldattheChocolateChurch,804Wash¬ ingtonAvenue,Bath.Ticketsare$6advancedreservedand$8atthedoor.Call729-3185.
Bowdoin College, Dept,ofMusic,Bruns¬ wick.PerformancebytheBates, Bowdoin & Colby String Quartets atKresgeAudito¬ rium,VisualArtsCenter. Tuesday. April 1 7at 7:30p.m.OrganistWesleyParrotton Friday. April 20 at7:30p.m.intheChapel.$4public, $2seniors,freewithBowdoinID.Seating ticketsrequired,availableintheEventsOffice, MoultonUnion.725-3000.Bowdoin College
Chorale, Saturday, April 21 at7:30inthe Chapel. Bowdoin Concert Band, Tuesday, April 24 at7p.m.,KresgeAuditorium,Visual ArtsCenter.
Portland Symphony Orchestra,30Myrtle Street,Portland Toshiyuki Shimada,Music DirectorandConductor.On Tuesday, April 10 thePSOwillpresentyouthconcertsentitled Once upon a timeat9:30and11am.atCity HallAuditorium.MembersofthePortland BalletCompanywillperformscenesfrom "Cinderella"withtheorchestra.Also,selec¬ tions from the films "Snow White," "An American Tail," and "Sleeping Beauty." Ticketsare$2.773-8191.
Tuesday, April 24, 7:45 p.m. - Choral Arts Society,RobertRussell,director,Cynthia Anderson mezzosoprano.Shareintheex¬ citementofthisevening'sfinale.Prokofiev’s AlexanderNevsky"hasearnedaplaceasone ofthe20thcentury'smostpowerfulworks." Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3, Brahms Alto Rhapsody, Prokofiev Al-
The Chocolate Church,804 Washington Street,Bath.Fortwoweekends. April 27 28
DAY and RESIDENT CAMP AT Nashoba North
a summer camp for boys and girls ages seventofifteen located on Crescent Lake in Raymond, Maine
2,3,4,6and8-weeksessions
•Transportation provided from thePortlandarea and extended day for day campers.
•Specializing in Horsemanship, Watersports,Fieldsports, Tennis,TheaterArts&Crafts.
•Excellentfacilitiesandequipment.
• International clientele oExperienced staff
For more information: Camp Nashoba North Nashoba Road Littleton,MA 01460
508*486-3916 or 508-486-8236
The Seaward Family Summer: 207-655-7170
•Canoeing
•Kayaking
•Tennis
•Horsemanship
•Theater
•Swimming
•Windsurfing
•Dance
•Sports
•Pottery
•Archery
•Lacrosse
•Waterskiing
•Fishing
•Stable Management
•Arts & Crafts»Baseball*Badminton
•Soccer»Candle
Making»And Lots MORE!
APRIL•PORTLAND•41
INN ON CARLETON
intheheartof Portland'swestend
46CarletonStreet
Portland,Maine04102
BED and BREAKFAST
Events
andMay4-6youwillhavethechancetosee Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie Whathappenswheneightassortedguestsand amysterioushostspendtheweekendtogether inahouseonanislandoffthecoastofDevon? FridaysandSaturdaysat8p.m.,Sundayat3 pm..Ticketsare$10,$8forstudentsand seniors.442-8455.
PortlandLyricTheater,176SawyerStreet, So.PortlandpresentsSingingintheRain, based on the Hollywood movie with Gene Kelly.MusicbyHerb Nacio Brown.Starting Friday, April 20th forthreeweekends.Fridays andSaturdaysat8p.m.,Sundaymatineeat2:30 p.m.Allperformances$10.799-1421.
MISCELLANY
BatesCollege, Lewiston.Through May 4 -SeniorThesisExhibition1990.Selected worksbyBatesgraduatingstudio-artmajors andSelections from the Permanent Col¬ lection. Hoursare10-4Tuesdaythrough Saturdayand1-5Sunday.ClosedMondaysand majorholidays.Freeadmission.786-6158.
United Maine Craftsmen willbeholding their Spring Craft Show attheAugusta Armory onMay 11 and 12from10-5.Free parking,freeadmission,over80exhibitors. 377-9654.
Greater Portland Landmarks, 165State Street,Portland,willbeofferingaTourof HistoricHouseson Saturday, May 5. The ownersofeightbeautifullyrestoredprivate homesinPortland'sWesternPromenadearea willopentheirdoorstovisitorsbetween10 a.m.and3p.m.TicketspurchasedbyApril30 are$10,ticketsboughtinMaywillbe$14. Ticketholderswillreceiveabrochureand mapsofthetourarea.Call774-5561.
Colby College Museum of Art,Waterville. April IS to 30: AnnualStudentArtExhibi¬ tion MondaythroughSaturday10-12and1 -4:30,Sundays2■4:30.Closedmajorholidays.
Cumberland County Civic Center, One CivicCenterSquare,Portland. Sunday, April IS - SKATING, starringKaterinaWittand BrianBoitano. Monday. April 16 through Wednesday, April 18 -Kora Temple Shrine Circus. Call775-3458or1-800-678TIXS. MC/V1SA.
Maine Maritime Museum,243Washington Street,Bath. Saturday, April 14 -Apprentice¬ shopwinterworkshop: Caulking byJohn Maritano.Learntheintricatetechniqueof
keepingthewateroutsidethehullofawooden boat.9a.in.to5p.m.$45/members,$55/nonmembers. Wednesday, April 18: OfficialUn¬ veilingof T.F. Secor painting.7p.m., MuseumLectureHall.WinterLecture—"A View of the Maine Coast as seen by her Artists,"byEarleShettleworth,Chairmanof theMaineHistoricPreservationCommission. Freetomembers,S4.5Onon-members.4431316. May 4 -6: 18thAnnualMaritimeHistory Symposium.(Advanceregistrationrequired). May 9:Lecture"WomenandtheSea,”7:30 p.m. May 12: WoodenBoatbuildingAppren¬ ticeshopWorkshop.(Advanceregistration required). May 25: O'BrienFamilyShip¬ builders.Exhibitopentothepublic. May 26: SaturdaySeaStoriesforchildrenages5-8.2 p.m.
DyerLibrary,YorkInstituteMuseum,371 MainStreet,Saco.Currentexhibition:Fitfor a Nobleman - Coastal Maine Interiors, 1780 - 1830 WinterhoursthroughApril: TuesdayandWednesday1-4p.m.,Thursday1 -8p.m.283-3681.
A pril 28-29, May 5 -6 or May 12-13, yourchoice ofweekend.Emphasiswillbeonthemental andphysicalskillsneededforthecanoeist interestedinbecomingawhitewaterpaddler. Thetwodayswillincludebothhands-onpad¬ dlingexperienceanddassroom/lecturein¬ struction.Location:NezinscotRiver,Turner, Me.Forbrochureandregistrationdetailscall 1-800-341-4341or865-4761ext.7800.
POETRY
Open Poetry Readings, heldonthelast Tuesdayofeverymonth,7p.m.,atthe Port¬ land Magazine office,578CongressStreet, Portland.Signupatthereading.Prosealso welcome.773-5250.
Open Poetry Readings,heldonthesecond Tuesdayofeverymonth,7p.m.,atWood¬ fordsCafe,129SpringStreet,Portland.Sign upatthereading.772-1374.
D A N C E
LAArts, 36OakStreet,Lewiston. Saturday. April 21 at the Lewiston Jr. High School: DanceBrazil fillsthestagewithtwenty dancers,singersandmusiciansthatbringthe heartandsouloftherichAfro-Braziliancul¬ turetoaperformancethatwillknockyouout ofyourseat.High-flyingleaps,turns,spins. TicketsareS12andS10.Studentsandseniors $2discount.782-7228.
SUBSCRIBE!
C’est Magnifique!
DISCOVER THE KENNEBUNKS’ ART COMMUNITY
OrderPrintsfrom Mystic Maritime
Timberline byLaurieS.Harter
Patrone/Harter Studio: Old Cape Road, Cape Porpoise, 967-5355.
Patrone/Harter Studio: Old Cape Road, Cape Porpoise, 967-5355.
Discoveries
WearableArt
A night out at the recent Fine Art Dressing Fashion Show, coordinated by Mimi Dunn and Sherry MillerfortheMaineCraftsAssociationandheldatthePortland Club, gave viewers a look at new Maine-designed spring creations
Child’s Kimono by Jayn Thomas of Mt.DesertIsland.(207)276-5612.
Photos By Francis DiFalco
Behind God’s Back
/■ Pk S rantif at hcr Miya /■/Ilivesinaplacenearthe / I Bulgarian border. The -X J JL name of the place is Nish,anditisreal.Hespendsdayson hisback,lookingthroughthewin¬ dow.Throughthecurtainsofonce white lace, handmade by my dead grandmother,heseestheworldof infinite,dreadfulpresent.Before retirement, Miya worked for the railwayasaclerk,measuringdistan¬ cesbetweenstations.
Heoncetoldmethestoryabouta tunnelwhichneverends.1remember himwavinghiswrinkledhandsashe imitatedthesoundofasteamengine whichneverreachestheendofthe tunnel.Oneofhiseyeswaslookingat me, while the other, injured one alwayslookedaway.1rememberclos¬ ingmyeyesandtryingtoimaginethe worldofinfinitedarkness.But,the horrorhadbeensointensethatI immediately opened my eyes and giggledwhilehepuffedandsweated.
Mygrandfatherisonlyoneofthree persons who could have once been abletotellthestoryabouttheunend¬ ing tunnel with an abundance of detail,rage,andhorror.Iamsurehe rememberedeverytwistintheplot andthefateofallthepassengers untilthedayhewastakeninanolive grayvanwitharedcrosstothehospi¬ tal.Miyawastreatedfordepression withasteadycurrentofelectricity appliedtohistemples.Thiscalmed him down considerably, causing a
isresisted,ifthecoreofsufferingis preservedasanunspokenvow.The forcebehindGod’sbackmovesthe wordandtearsthroughthechainsof lieswhichcoverthesurfaceofthe whitepage,itspeaksintongues,and throughthevoicesofthosewhosuf¬ fered,itfindsotherfacesandbodies. Twootherpersonsaredead. GypsyDragidiedmanyyearsago.I knew him while I was a boy who’d spendhissummerholidaysplaying with the dog he brought from the ghetto.Dragiwasamanwhoslaught¬ eredlambsandpigletsforaprice.He foundapuppyinsideapileofanimal gutsoutsidehismudshack.Gypsy saw it inside the stinking mess coveredwithabuzzingcrustoffat flies,readitasasignfromKali,and
MygrandmotherLeiaistheperson whocouldtellthisstorybetterthan anyoneelse.Shefedmypuppyand evengavehimaname.Wecalledhim Johnniebecausethatwasthenameof theAmericanpresidentwhowasshot thatyearinadistantdesertcity,a manwhosetelevisionimagegrand¬ motheradoredwiththesamesilent devotionasshedidtheiconofthe Mother of God which looked at us fromthewallbyherbedcoveredwith Turkishrugs.Thedestinyofthelittle mongrelwithsadbrowneyescould sumupthestoryofourfamily:John¬ nielivedinsidetheyardpavedwith cobblestones,ateleftoversfromhis crackedplate,enjoyedthefondlingof my boyish hands, and died in the street,tornapartbytheGermanshep¬ herd.Soldierswhotookmygrand¬ father to the concentration camp thirtyyearsbeforeJohnnie’sdeath wereGermans.Theydidnotarrest himforsomeheroicdeedsinceMiya wasneitheraheronorabraveman. Hewasjusttryingtokeephisfamily alive.Germanstookhimtothecamp aspartofageneralracialcleanup,as anexerciseoftheirwilltopower,asa showofdecisivenessandstrengthof theirarmies:jawofthehugeshe¬ pherdopens,ivoryteethplungeinto theneckofthesquealingmongrel, bloodspurtsallaround;lifeevapo¬ ratesquickly.Coldnorthernwind blowsacrossthegrey,barrenplains ofSerbia,slowlybuildingupthesed¬ imentsofdustoverthebarbedwire closesttotheground,coveringitwith dirtinnotime,mufflingscreams, makingspacefornewbeginnings. Isee:mygrandfatherasayoung man,standinginalinewithother menwhodonotunderstand,whodo not even ask anymore. Orders are giveninsharpsoundsofaforeign language as men aimlessly move around the camp. Miya stands be¬
tween Gypsy Dragi and Leopold Alkalai,lookingastheprocessionof youngcommunistgirlsisbeingled intothegaschambers.Theydonot cry—they are naked. Many of them haveneverknownlove.Girlssingthe Internationalandthenadrawnout andsadSlavicsongaboutthelifethat isneverlongenough.Oneofthem dropsapieceofpaperbeforesheis hauledintothebuilding.Thewind carriesthemessageinfrontofthe lineofmen.Noneofthemdarespick it up. The wind blows the letter furtheroff,beyondthebarbedwire. What goes on inside the dog’s brainbeforeitdies?Isitabletocom¬ prehend the horror of murder and violence?Ordoesitsuccumbtothe law of nature which favors the stronger?Adogisnotabletobear witnesstothepresentandleavea testimonyforthefuture.Itdiesfal¬ lingslowlyontotheground,itslimbs shakingasthestrengthisdrained fromthebody,itseyeslosingthelast sparksoflife.Therearenolast words,nopromisesorprophecies. But,mygrandmothersaidthatwhen Johnnie was killed by the German shepherd she heard a loud crack insideheroldwalnutwardrobeand knewthatsomebodyhadjustdied. Onlylatershediscoveredthatthe dog’sbodywaslyinginthestreetina puddleofblood.
Themaninsidethesanitaryshack isLeopoldAlkalai.Hecanhardly stand up and walk on his own.
Grandpatriestohelphimtohisfeet, butcollapsesandfallsbyhisside. Theyareallwaitingforthelastblow, fortheironbarthatbreakstheskull andstartstheperiodofprolonged silence. The guard picks up his helmetfromthemudandstaresat themwithatwistedexpressionon hisface.GypsyDragijumpsatAlka¬ lai,grabshisheadandcutstheneck artery with a piece of sharpened glass.Thecrowdwatchestheweak trickleofblood,dimmingeyesanda grateful smile of the martyr who easeshimselfontothestinkingfloor andexpires.Miyagetsuponhisfeet, staresatthelifelessmassofskinand bones,andtriestosaysomethingto Dragi.Theguardisperplexedbut ordersDragitostepoverandhand himtheglass.Heslapshimhardon theface,takestheglassfromhishand andthrowsitintothestinkingpit. Thenheordersthemurderertofol¬ lowhim.
Dragi gave me the dog on Good Friday.Thepuppywasfullofscabs, ticks,andfleas.WhileIwashelping grandmothertocleanitsbrownfur, Dragitiedthelambtotheapricot treeinthemiddleoftheyardandsaid hewouldbebackonSundaytodothe job.Grandfathersatunderthetree withashotglassofplumbrandyinhis hand,watchingthelambashesipped thegoldenliquid.Hedidnotsay good-bye to Dragi. Grandmother latertoldmethathedidnotspeakto Dragieversincethewarhadended. Theywouldsometimessitinsilence anddrinkaglassofbrandywithout lookingateachother.Theystaredat thesoilpavedwithTurkishcobbles¬ tones,inhaledtheattarofrosesfrom thegardenandsighed.Icouldnot understandtheburdenthathadop¬ pressedmygrandfather.
Rightaftertheliberationfromthe Germans, the conquering partisan armytookmygrandfatherfromthe concentrationcampandputhimin prison.Hewassuspectedofknowing something; something that he did
Fiction (Continuedfrompage47) notknow.Hedidnotevenknowwhat they thought he was supposed to know. They had kept him in the basementoftheprison,immersedin theicyspringtorrentsoftheNishava River.Theywantedhimtotellthem thestory,everything,fromthebe¬ ginningtotheend—allthatheknew aboutcertainpersonsinthecamp, includingtheGypsyDragi.Investiga¬ torswouldwakehimupeverytime hisheadwouldslidedownunderthe waterandaskhimmorequestions. Who had collaborated with the Nazis? Who was against the Com¬ munists?Howisitthathestayed aliveandthousandsofotherwere dead? What did he promise to the Germans?
They released him after a few months. My grandmother, my moth¬ er,andmyauntwerewaitingforhim infrontoftheprison.Hedidnotsaya word,hedidnotevenkissthechild¬ ren.Thenhisbrother,afamouspar¬ tisancavalrycolonel,showedupwith ajeepandofferedhimaride.Miya justlookedattheredstarpaintedon thehood,spatinthedustandturned towardstherailroadtracks.Hecame homeandkneltinfrontoftheiconof SaintNicholas,movinghislipsand
Theimageisaboutmylife,thelife ofmygrandfatherandthedestinyof ourpeople.ItisconnectedtoNish,to thatrealplace.Serbiansvisitthe gravesoftheirdeadontheanniver¬ saryoftheirpassagetotherealmof light.ItsohappenedthatIhadto servemyyearofmilitarydutythere, inthemiddleofthings.Grandfather andIwenttograndmother’sgrave together.Iwasinuniform,inthe same olive gray uniform that the conqueringArmywaswearingasit liberatedthetownfromtheNazis.I stoodbythegravemonumentwhile hesatonapileofoldnewspapers.I hadacaponmyheadwiththeredstar ontheforehead.Besidegrandmoth¬ er'snameandpicturewasgrandfath¬ er’snameandpicture,withayearof hisbirthcarvedintothemarbleand onlytheyearofhisdeathmissing.He looked at his own picture on the graveandatthatmoment1thoughtI understoodhumanlongingforeter¬ nity.Dragi’shandtooktheknife manytimesandspilledthebloodof manylambsandmen,manydogsand menchangedtheirformsandexpe¬ rienceddeath,butallthosewerejust illusions,transitionsofvarious formsoflifewhichwereneverlived, butwerealwaysthere,inanuninter¬ rupted procession that went from lighttodarknessandbackfromthe
FatherBernardino,70,isdirector ofthenovicesandspokesmanforthe Monastery.Lithuanianborn,hestu¬ diedinRomebeforecomingtoMaine withtheoriginalpriestsof1947.He carriesawarm,scholarlysenseof humor. Admonishing our photo¬ grapher for showing up late, he winked, "You missed an important ceremony. Contemplation of the Ceiling!”Abeatlaterheexplained, "That’sournaptime.”
WithLithuaniaintheworldspot¬ light and Father Bernardino’s shareddreamonthebrinkofreality, heandhiscolleaguesarebeingbar¬ ragedbymediaacrossthecountryfor reactions.Inatypicallydramatic movetoaidinLithuania’sexciting stridestowardreligiousandpolitical independence, the friars, he an¬ nouncedtous,havesoldaparcelof theMonastery,withproceedsbeing senttoLithuaniaasacatalysttospur onthenativecountry:"Itisasensa¬ tion,"hehastoldthenewspapers. "Thismovementistowardafreedom ofreligion.Itisunsuspected,outof control.”
The Indian Land Claims settle¬ mentinfusedmillionsofdollarsinto the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribes.RalphDana,aPassamaquoddy andformergovernorofthetribe, startedatruckingbusinessinPerryin 1974withonetruck;henowownssix andrentsuptosixtymore.
EngineerWatieAkinshasbeena professionalfortwenty-sevenyears. His Old Town firm specializes in structuralengineeringandoccasion¬ allyteamsupwithotherconsultants todesignlargeresidentialandindus¬ trialprojects.
With a truck, some tools and a smallloan,MilesFrancisstarteda roofingandsidingcompanyin1973Now,withtwenty-eightemployees, twooffices,andmorethan$2million ayearinbusiness,Francissayshe’s "doingprettywell."Herecentlybid ona$300,000schoolproject.His firmhasalsobeenbusywithnaval contractsofupto$1.5million,finish¬ ingmostofthemaheadofschedule.
OldTown,IndianTentofLincoln¬ ville, and the Three Feathers of Houlton.Thesebusinessesareallrun privately,withnotribalaffiliation.
AndoverinPerryandPrinceton, the Passamaquoddy tribe has been creditedwithmakingaseriesofwise investments with the money it receivedfromtheLandClaimsset¬ tlement.Nottoolongagothetribe turnedoneinvestmentintoa$55mil¬ lionprofit.
Many say that time spent away from the reservation, out in the working world of "mainstream America,”sharpenedtheirbusiness sense.Danaworkedasatool-and-die maker in Massachusetts before returning to the Passamaquoddy reservationtostarthisbusiness. That work experience, he says, enabledhimtoseeopportunitiesto whichhisfellowIndians,becauseof theirisolatedreservationexistence, couldnotsee.Oildelivery,roadplow¬ ing, home building—this was work Indians, burdened with a chronic high rate of unemployment, could takeonthemselvesratherthanhire outsidecontractorstodo.
"We are in the development stage,”saidDana."Theopportuni¬ ties are there. And because we increasedourlandbase,thereare tremendousopportunitesfordevel¬ opment.Weareimproving.Wejust havealotofgrowingpains.”■
—Bryant Carpenter
Photo
New condos with view of the mountain. Includes all appliances and woodstove. Only two available at this price $59,900.
West side lots, acre + ; All lots within walking dis¬ tance of lift line. Phase 1, first time available. Only $25,000. $5,000 down. Don’t wait.
4 bedroom home with fireplace, acre lot, 2 car garage, one mile to the lift. $75,000.
New 2 bedroom year round waterfront home. North Pond Rt. 26, only 2.5 miles to the lift line. $105,000.
11 acre lots overlooking skiway 2.5 miles to lift line. $50,000. Owner financing possible.
5 acre lots, South pond Shores, deed beach access, some with views of Mt. Abram. Owner financing 10% 10 years, 30% down. Starting $38,000,—$56,000.
LetEARLY REAL ESTATEserveallyourrealestateneeds.
PatriciaAEarly,Broker 207-824-2122
Donald Taylor. Broker 207-875-2222
Jack Kerrigan. Sales
P.O. BOX 240, LOCK HILLS, ME 04255
P VERNON STREET, BETHEL, ME 04217
CONANT HOUSE REALTY
ALFRED — Handsome 1777 Colonial, 8 rooms, 2 baths, 5 fireplaces, recently restored. Newsystems, 19’ sq. screened porch, 2 car garage/stable, workshop andmore. 9 1/2 acres of fields, both sides of road. 1 mile from Village Square. $250,000 or lower price with lessacerage.
Brattle Street stillcornerstheFrenchfood marketinPortland.Itissurprisinglytheonlyone, butwhoneedstwoexcellentFrenchrestaurants? BrattleStreet,nearthePortlandPostOffice(7724658).MondaytoSaturday;seating6p.m.to9:50.
Photography: James A. Langone
Mame
TheSourceForTheFinestQuality
The western mountains of Maine are the source of the world’s finest pink tourmaline. Plumbago Mountain, near Newry, Maine, was the site of the most important gem find ever in North America, when, in 1972, over 3 million carats of gem quality tourmaline was discovered there.
Cross Jewelers is proud to offer the world’s largest collection of fine Maine Tourmaline jewelry, spanning the entire range of pinks and greens found in our state, from delicate pastels to rich deep greens and luscious burgundies. You'll love the wide selection of styles, from classic to contemporary, with prices ranging from $95.00 to $6,500.00.
This year, be sure to include Cross Jewelers in your visit to Maine. You’ll see why people from all over the country call Cross Maine Tourmaline “the prettiest part of Maine you’ve ever seen.”
