Joan Tavares Avant

Joan Tavares Avant (born April 14, 1940), also known as Granny Squannit, is an educator, Mashpee Wampanoag tribal leader, historian, and writer living in Mashpee, Massachusetts. Avant served as the Mashpee Public School Director of Indian Education and was a founding Trustee of the language immersion program. As a tribal leader, Avant has served as Tribal President, Tribal Housing Commissioner, Clan Mother, and Professional Tribal Elder. Her writer's credits include a long-running column in the Mashpee Enterprise, editing the National League of American Pen Women's newsletter, and People of the First Light.

Biography Joan Tavares Avant is the granddaughter of respected Mashpee leader Mabel Pocknett Avant (Nokomis). Avant has served three terms as Tribal President, four terms as Tribal Historian, and was the Director of Indian Education in the Mashpee Public School System for 26 years where she developed a Wampanoag curriculum along with teaching and promoting history and cultural awareness to Native parents, students and non-Natives. She has worked with Wampanoag families for over 30 years regarding social issues and has served in the court as a Professional Tribal Elder for family in crises (IQUA).

In 1993, the Falmouth Affirmative Action Committee recognized Avant for her work with education. In November 2012 she was featured in the CBS News segment Wampanoag: Reviving the language discussing the Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project. Avant remains actively involved in the Mashpee community as a Clan Mother, Commissioner for the Tribal Housing Commission, and member of the Mashpee Historical Commission. She also serves on the Mittark Committee,

Education Avant received a Bachelor of Arts in human services in 1993 at the age of 53 and has also written for the Cape Cod Times. Two of her articles, Now, and Always, Wampanaog and With Intent to Civilize, have been featured in the Cultural Survival quarterly magazine. She is also an editor of the National League of American Pen Women’s newsletter.

The Tale of Granny Squannit Granny Squannit is one of the oldest Wampanoag legends. An old medicine woman with long black hair covering the single eye in her forehead, she snatches away children who misbehave, taking them away in her canoe to her cave in Cummaquid to scare them into being good. However, Granny Squannit also has a benevolent side, giving presents to good children and guiding sailors who leave her gifts. Every Halloween, Avant dresses up as Granny and greets (often scaring them in the process) Mashpee children as they walk through the woods.

After playing Granny Squannit for adults, children and organizations and keeping her alive through writings for 20 years, Avant was given "Granny Squannit" as her native name from their tribal medicine man. She continues to write articles on Granny Squannit, even having her own column titled "Tales from Granny Squannit" in the Mashpee Enterprise in recent years. She also has a black and white tattoo of Granny Squannit on her right arm.

Today Joan writes, "I am honored to serve as a founding trustee for the WLRP project to open a K-3 immersion charter school in the fall of 2015. It has been my forever passion to not only preserve the culture but to assist making wise pedagogic decisions for our children and families in their own public recognized tribal school".