Metacom Creative is the creative space of Ryan Cowles.

Oh yeah.. This is a work in progress..

I am a 22 year old artist, designer, photographer and maybe a few other things. I live in Westfield, Massachusetts, however I work for clients across the world. I guess being a bit of a nerd when I was younger paid off. Kidding, I’ve always been cool. (I’ve been told I have a dry sense of humor. Or maybe it was sarcastic.. Just take it with a grain of salt.)

I work for a Design/Print Shop in Southwick Massachusetts called Southwoods. I also do Freelance work, anything ranging from Business cards to Web Design to Photography. Pretty diverse, hm?

I’m horrible when it comes to talking about myself, so when I asked my fiancee how to describe myself she gave me the following: I am Awesome, Cute, Hamsum, I have a cool earring and I can grow a beard.

I come from mixed blood. I am maternally French and Mik’maq and paternally Irish and Pocomtuc, although my Pocomtuc relatives were pushed from their land and began to live with the Ojibwe’s in the late 1600’s. I look to my roots and you can easily see many influences from my Native American heritage in my designs.

Who was Metacom?

Metacom or Metacomet was a war chief or sachem of the Wampanoags. He was Massasoit’s son, and he was given the name Philip by the colonists, and his older brother Wamsutta was given the name Alexander. When Wamsutta died, Metacom became sachem. From the beginning, he sought to live peacefully with the colonists. As the colonies grew, and the Iroquois Federation expanded, the entire Algonquian Federation, including the Wampanoags, were losing their homeland. in 1671 the English forced Metacom to turn over arms and ammunition, and subjected him to English law. About four years later the constant encroachment became too much. Metacom stood up for his people, and King Philip’s War began.

Fun Fact (Kind of)

I was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, which is kind of ironic. During King Philip’s War

“..the Pocomtuc tribe attacked Springfield and destroyed more than half the town on October 5, 1675.”

Yep, my ancestors burnt my birthplace to the ground. Hm.. Although I spent a lot of time in the city, I also spent as much time as I could in nature. I’ve walked countless miles on the Metacomet trail, and I haven’t found the same contentment I find in the woods anywhere else. It’s hard to live simply in the age of technology though.. Need a web site?

Let’s get back on track now..

Metacom sought to unify all the tribes, to fight for their homeland. Unfortunately this never came to be. Many Algonquin tribes fought for their homeland and their rights to exist as they had for hundreds of years. Metacom was killed on August 12, 1676 by a praying Indian. His wife and son were sold into slavery, and his head was mounted on a stake. I pay homage to Metacom, my Wampanoag brother.