Larry Spotted Crow Mann is an award-winning writer, poet, and cultural educator, He is a traditional storyteller, tribal drummer/dancer, actor, filmmaker, and motivational speaker involving youth sobriety and cultural and environmental awareness. Mann is the Co-director of the Ohketeau Cultural Center and Founder of the Native Youth Empowerment Foundation and former board member of the Nipmuk Cultural Preservation Trust. He served on the Review Committee for The Native American Poets Project at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology.
Mann has traveled worldwide to schools, colleges, powwows, and organizations sharing music, culture, and history of the Nipmuc people. He is known for his literature and traditional Nipmuc stories, which he’s shared from Ecuador to Sweden. The work is intersectional, building bridges from Native to non-Native communities helping create intentional relationships. His work connects Indigenous populations with resources and potential allies.
Mann had an active role in the PBS Native American Miniseries “We Shall Remain.” (see samples) and was the winner of the NPS 2007 Award for Interpretive Media for “Living in Two Worlds: Native American Experiences on the Boston Harbor Islands” and “First Patriots,” produced by Aaron Cadieux. He featured in X-MEN- The New Mutants released in 2020. Most recently, he was awarded a NEFA: NEW WORK NEW ENGLAND grant to write and produce a documentary film: Indigenous Voices in Photo, Film, and Story.
The film will be an Indigenous educational Docu-Film: This voyage focuses on the iconic photo of a 12-year-old Nipmuc boy named Anoki Mann. The photo would later capture the hearts of an entire nation when it became the cover photo for Larry Spotted Crow Mann’s award-winning novel, The Mourning Road to Thanksgiving. A deeper and not so pleasant story that developed in contrast was in the actions of Native American appropriation and exploitation of the same photo, including some people claiming to be Anoki’s grandfather. Anoki, now 22, shares his experience growing up as a Native American and the challenges with the photo being falsely used. The film includes many voices from the Nipmuc community about how Native appropriation and marginalization has impacted their lives.
Larry is also a playwright/actor. His new work, Freedom in Season, commissioned by Double Edge Theatre and scheduled for 2021/22. As a musician, the drum, which is the heartbeat of Mother Earth, holds a special place for Mann.
