NIPMUC SACHEM ZARA CISCO BROUGH DIED—WRITER, FASHION DESIGNER, ENGINEER
Born in New York City (NY) on January 3, 1919, Brough, known as “Princess White Flower,” grew up on the tribe’s Grafton, Massachusetts reserve. Descended from tribal chiefs, her grandfather sparked her interest in tribal culture & beliefs. Attending NY University, she then worked in NY & Washington as a fashion designer, draftsman, technical writer, supervisor of government projects and, during World War II, as civilian consultant to the Army Air Corps. Eventually an owner of a NY textile printing company & vice president of Ibis Corp. in Waltham, in 1961, she inherited the duties of Chief after her mother died. Serving as Chief until 1987, Brough was devoted to preserving New England Native American heritage and to conservation. She founded the Hassanamisco Museum in 1962, taught weaving & leather working, wrote a history of the Nipmuc, helped establish the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs (1974), and served as its 1st Commissioner (1976-84). She died in Westboro, Massachusetts.
Sources: “Indian Chief Who Was Fashion Designer and Engineer Dies, Associated Press, 1/8/1988. Retrieved 2/19/2021, Indian Chief Who Was Fashion Designer And Engineer Dies (apnews.com) Wikipedia Photo: Zara Cisco Brough, 12/10/1957. Permissive Use.
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