Biography of Dr. Chester P. Soliz

Chester Pascual Soliz “Blue Duck” is a native elder of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian
Tribe. He was raised in Mashpee on Cape Cod, Massachusetts by his mother, Marion
Gertrude Halfkenny Lowe Soliz. Chester received his elementary education (grades 1-8) at
the Mashpee Samuel G. Davis School. His secondary education (grades 9-12) took place at
Lawrence High School in Falmouth, Massachusetts. There he was a member of the college
course and received the coveted Henry B. Smythe Honor Roll Award and the Babe Ruth
Sportsmanship Award. He graduated in 1952.

From 1952 to 1953, he attended Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts, in the
post-graduate division to further strengthen his academic curriculum. Upon graduation, he
received the prestigious Dexter Lemuel Barron Award in history for writing a treatise on
the “History of Quaint Cape Cod.”

In the fall of 1953, he entered John Hopkins University where he received his undergraduate education in the biological sciences.

In 1957, he was accepted to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. He received
the degree of Doctor of Dental Medicine in 1961, as well as his license to practice oral
surgery.

Upon completion of his eduction, he entered the United States Air Force Dental Corp,
where he completed a three-year rotating internship program. In 1964, he was honorably
discharges as a captain from the USAF Dental Corp.

Dr. Soliz received a teaching fellowship in the pediatric division of the Murray & Leonie
Guggenheim Dental Clinic in New York City. He concurrently opened his private
practice in Yonkers, where he practiced dentistry and dental prosthetics for 36 years.
During his long career, he was a supervisor for the 9th District Dental Societies Children’s
Dental Health Program for 12 years. In 1983-84, he served as president of the Yonkers
Dental Society, which had 131 members. He was an attending dentist on the staff of
the Yonkers General Hospital for six years.

In 1983, Dr. Soliz was elected a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, and in
1989 he became a Fellow of the American College of Dentists.

In 1989, Dr. Soliz received the distinguished Wampanoag Indian Tribal Business Leadership
Award.

In 1990, Dr. Soliz was elected a Lifetime Member of the NY State Dental Society and
a Life Member of the 9th District Dental Society of Westchester County, New York.
He was active in the real estate business in New York, as well as on Cape Cod, where he
built the LaPlaza Del Sol Motor Lodge, which his wife and children managed for 40 years.
Dr. Soliz was married to the late Barbara Blake Bearse Soliz for 53 years and is the
father of five children, Chester Jr., Fenton Neal, Christopher Blake, Whitney Alison and
Sydney Leigh.

Book Signing Party A Success!

Thanks to all of Chet's friends, colleagues, family and supporters who attended the wonderful Book Signing party on May 19th, 2011 that was so graciously hosted by Arti & Harold Freeman.  Luckily, the rain held off and while the air was muggy and humid outside, it was nothing but cool easy breezes indoors as 50 -60 guests gathered around, wine glasses and fruit plates in hand, as Harold introduced Chester Soliz and his labor of love, "The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians."

Welcoming everyone with "Kuneepeam!" which means "Welcome!" in the Algonquian language, Chet (or Blue Duck) spoke about his 50 year long desire to write a book about the history of his tribe, the Mashpee Wampanoag, which has often been misrepresented inaccurately in the past.  Between jokes about the sometimes arduous task of researching material for his book and the tribe's current state of developing its own casino, Chet explained the three main parts of the book section by section and then answered questions during a Q&A period aftwerwards. 

One of the questions was about receiving your "Indian name" and how the naming ceremony takes place, at which point, members of the author's family who were present recited their Indian names and how they received them.  In an unexpected and unrehearsed moment (the best kind), the author's eldest grandson, Fenton Neil, recited a touching passage from the book (a passage he had written himself) about how he received his Indian name as a young boy and the significance it held for him as a rite of passage. 

The evening continued with wine and cheese and a celebratory cake which had a photograph of the cover of the book, as old friends reunited and caught up in between getting their books signed by the author. This book signing was truly a wonderful event made successful by the love and support of good friends who came out in droves to support Chet and his work and we extend our heartfelt thanks to them all!

Next Book Signing: Look for our table at the...

Mashpee Wampanaog Annual Pow-Wow ~ July 2nd - July 4th, 2011!
Mashpee ~ Cape Cod, MA

Click here for more details: http://www.powwows.com/calendar/event-details.php?eventid=11787

The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians Takes Its First Steps

 “The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians” Has Been Published!

(May, 2011) At long last, The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians was finally completed on May 2, 2011 and the books arrived hot off the presses on May 5th! This is an exciting time for all of us who have been involved in the gestation of this labor of love and we are thrilled to see it come to life thanks to the diligence, hard work, and steady focus of Chester Soliz of whom we are extremely proud. His deep love and concern for the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is evident throughout the pages of his book. 

"The Wampanoag tribe has enjoyed a rich oral history passed down from generation to generation by our tribal elders. Unfortunately, when our elders die, much of our history dies with them,"  Chester remarks. "For the past fifty years, I have had a passion to chronicle our history in a straight forward, factual chronological narrative for those interested in native Wampanoag history."

Beautifully and dramatically presented with pages filled with historic black and white and rich colorful photographs, many shot by native artists and the author himself, this chronicle of the Wampanoag tribe successfully weaves together a fascinating visual history with a written history that is both compelling and dramatic and long overdue. 

"It was disturbing that in both elementary and high schools, there was an abundance of European, Asiatic and U.S. history, but a woefully inadequate amount of Native American history," Chester says. "Despite the fact that Native Americans were this nation's first authentic citizens!"

The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians recounts the history and survival of this nation's tribe, known as the "People of the First Light," in vivid detail.

Thank you so much for your continued interest in this essential piece of the American portrait.  Join us now and take a walk in our footprints!

"The Historical Footprints of the Wampanoag Indians" is now available on Amazon.com by clicking here:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+historical+footprints+mashpee

Please email any questions to: historicalfootprints@gmail.com

The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians

The Highly Anticipated Release of “The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians” Scheduled for Summer 2011

(March, 2011) We are pleased to announce that Dr. Chester P. Soliz ("Blue Duck"), an elder of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Cape Cod, has successfully completed a personal project that he holds dear to his heart; the daunting and equally rewarding challenge of chronicling the history of his tribe. Scheduled for a June 1, 2011 release date, his book, "The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians” discloses the real events surrounding the history of the tribe that famously "welcomed the Pilgrims" and inadvertently created the national holiday known as Thanksgiving.  Americans are aware of the holiday yet few, for example, even know the name of the tribe present at the first Thanksgiving, the true origins of that holiday and what really happened.  

Never before has there been a written or published work that documents the history of the Wampanoag Tribe in as detailed and comprehensive a manner as "The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians" achieves. For the first time ever, a native author shares with you the factual history and fascinating evolution of his ancestors, the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians, from their very beginning to the present day. With an authoritative voice and vibrant text that brings the history alive, ancient cartography and rich colorful pictorials of the tribe's past and present, "The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians" recounts the history and survival of this nation's first tribe, known as the "People of the First Light," in vivid detail.

"The Historical Footprints of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indians" tells the timeless story of a widely unexamined people, whom many in America, even today, view as almost mythical. The reader is taken on an exhilarating journey starting with the early Pilgrim settlers through the great Indian wars, a proud and ultimately tragic account of the Wampanoag’s last stand against the white man to retain their land rights, culture, and way of life. 

View history for the first time through the eyes of the original founders of this nation, the Wampanoag people. Manipulated and deceived, they endured tragedy during the hostile takeover of their sacred lands but generation after generation fought and persevered until they ultimately triumphed and rose once again receiving Federal Recognition that was long overdue. This band from the Algonquin Nation has sustained centuries of hardships, but through their perseverance, courage, grace and the omnipresence of their Creator, the Khietan, the Wampanoag have not only survived, but today, thrive as a people.

For those who are proud to claim Wampanoag ancestry, this isn’t a history book, it’s your photo album and your personal journal to pass down to your children and their children for generations to come.  For everyone else, we invite you and we welcome you to join us on what is sure to be an enlightening study of an essential piece of the American portrait.  Join us and take a walk in our footprints.

We welcome you to post your comments!  And please visit our blog often for updates and forthcoming details on how to purchase a copy of the book.

You may email your questions to: historicalfootprints@gmail.com