Forgotten Founder: The Untold Story of Samson Occom and Dartmouth

Co-directed by Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, a descendant of Occom, and filmmaker Signe Taylor, this new documentary uncovers the largely erased history of Samson Occom, a Mohegan minister, educator and Indigenous intellectual whose fundraising efforts were instrumental in the founding of Dartmouth College. Despite his central role, Occom’s contributions—and the promises made to Native communities—were erased from the historical record.

The film features three of Occom’s descendants—Sarah Harris, Vice Chair of the Mohegan Tribal Council and the first Mohegan woman to graduate from Dartmouth; Beth Regan, Native Studies educator and Chair of Mohegan’s Council of Elders; and Bruce Bozsum, a well-regarded actor playing Occom’s spirit and a member of the Council of Elders—creating a powerful dialogue between history, memory, and lived experience. Bringing together leading scholars—including Dartmouth Professor Bruce Duthu and Indigenous Scholar Anthony Trujillo—archival materials, and community voices, the film explores questions of legacy, accountability, and survival.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the film arrives at a critical moment. In an era when history itself is fiercely contested, Forgotten Founder calls for a fuller, more honest reckoning with America’s origins—one that acknowledges Indigenous presence, contribution and resilience, and insists that these stories be restored to the center of our national memory.