Life is fleeting, fickle; its moments all too short. But even within the fragility of human existence, the echoes of an individual can resonate for generations. With the passing of Eleanor Spears Dove on July 13, the Narragansett tribe lost a matriarch, a centenarian, a leader and a figurehead. But for those left behind, and those yet to be born, the Indigenous community has gained a legend.
The date is August 1, 1918. In France, the guns of the First World War will continue to roar for three more bloody months. But in East Providence, a baby is born to Joseph and Mildred Spears, the oldest of five children raised in a working-class home where means were often tight. But Eleanor, who was also known as Pretty Flower, would overcome the difficulties of her youth to blossom into one of the most influential figures in the Narragansett community.
Not that it was an easy ride. Dove was born into the generation that would struggle through the Great Depression, the path made all the more challenging by the institutional racism suffered by Indigenous communities across the country. Federal recognition for the Narragansett tribe was 74 long years in the future, the patriarchal insensitivity of the Indian Relocation Act still to come in 1956.
Despite the obstacles, Dove persevered. In 1937 she met a tall, handsome young man named Ferris Babcock Spears, a descendant of celebrated 17th century Narragansett war chief Ninigret, and they fell in love. The pair married within the year and soon were parents to four boisterous children. And it wasn’t just her new husband who recognized Dove’s beauty; when she became a model at the Providence Art Club, a sculptor made a bust of her likeness to be exhibited at the World’s Fair.
However, it was the art of food, not sculpture, that defined Dove’s life. From childhood, Dove had a love and talent for cooking, developed alongside the other maternal attributes demanded of a working-class big sister. She began her career as a caterer in Newport, Watch Hill and Westerly Yacht Club, later becoming a caretaker at Chemawockee Lodge in Charlestown where the young family lived in a small cabin without running water or electricity. But all that was practice for her first independent venture, the opening of Dovecrest restaurant in 1960. A modest, honest eatery serving homemade Indigenous cuisine, Dovecrest was the first such establishment of its kind in the nation and would soon become an icon.
Dove was now anchored in the heart of the tribe’s southern homeland, deep in the dense woods of Exeter. Whether because of the surroundings, a stirring in her DNA or a combination of both, over the decades she became an increasingly important figure in a resurgent Narragansett community reclaiming its identity after three centuries of suppression. After Dovecrest closed in 1984 following the death of Ferris the previous year, the whitewashed, two-story farmhouse on a hill would eventually become the home of Tomaquag Museum; the award-winning educational and historical center of the Narragansett Tribe. But all this did not spell retirement for Dove. Rather, the regal old lady with the dazzling smile was to be found deep in the museum’s workings right up until her death at 100. To date, she is the oldest recorded member of the Narragansett tribe, as well as the oldest then-living Indigenous person in the United States.
Today, Tomaquag Museum is under the stewardship of Dove’s granddaughter, educator and activist Lorén Spears. Speaking with Motif, Spears celebrated the many ways her grandmother’s influence and legacy lives on, and commented on what that means for the community as a whole:
“Asco Weequasin Neetômpooag. Eleanor Spears Dove was the matriarch of our family and community, and throughout her life she gave up herself to others. She was the mom of four by birth and the mom of many by the heart.
“Eleanor won many awards for her culinary skills focused on Indigenous cuisine, and was written up in the Congressional record for raccoon pot pie. People came from all over the world to visit Dovecrest restaurant and sample unique foods, including game dishes with bear, venison and moose, as well as traditional clambakes. She continued the Narragansett culture through the foods she served the public; but more importantly through the foods she fed her family.
“She modeled what it is to be a Narragansett woman, and demonstrated a strong work ethic and the importance of family and community. She is missed by us all.”
Celebrate a life and support a legacy. Donate to Tomaquag Museum in Eleanor’s name here: tomaquagmuseum.org/donate
