Princess Red Wing

Princess Red Wing, aka Mary E. (Glasko) Congdon, (March 21, 1896 – December 2, 1987) was a Narragansett and Pokanoket elder, historian, folklorist, and museum curator. She studied American Indian history and cultures, and she once addressed the United Nations.

Early life and education "Princess Red Wing" was born Mary E. Glasko on March 21, 1896, in Sprague, Connecticut to Walter and Hannah Glasko (née Weeden). Her mother was a Pokanoket and her father was a Narragansett, and she was related to prominent Native Americans such as Simeon Simons, who fought with George Washington, and Metacomet, who is remembered for waging King Philip's War against the colonies in New England in the 1670s.

Career Red Wing was the co-founder and editor of The Narragansett Dawn tribal newspaper which was published from 1935 to 1936.

Personal life Red Wing was married to Horace Peek until his death in 1927, then to Daniel Congdon from 1936 to his death in 1959. She died on December 2, 1987, at age 91

Museum work

She co-founded the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum in 1958 alongside anthropologist Eva Butler, with the aim of preserving and promoting the history and culture of Indigenous peoples in southern New England.

The museum is the only institution in Rhode Island dedicated entirely to the history and culture of Indigenous peoples of the region. It was originally established in Tomaquag Valley in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, and later relocated to Arcadia Village in Exeter in the early 1970s. It is also recognized as the only museum in the state operated by Indigenous people.