| Melvin Coombs | |
| Birth Date: | January 30, 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Mashpee, Massachusetts, USA |
| Death Place: | Richmond, Rhode Island |
| Other Names: | Kennupmussitaccq ("Quick Foot") |
| Occupation: | Dancer, cultural educator, and cultural interpreter |
Melvin Coombs (January 30, 1948 – March 18, 1997) was a Wampanoag dancer, cultural educator, and cultural interpreter.
Born and raised in Mashpee, Massachusetts, Coombs' native name was Kennupmussitaccq, meaning "Quick Foot". He graduated from high school in Falmouth. After attending Cape Cod Community College in Barnstable, he began dancing competitively at local pow-wows.
Coombs later started speaking in schools and community gatherings to dispel myths and stereotypes about Indigenous peoples of the Americas. In the 1990s, he served as a cultural interpreter at the Plimoth Plantation while working for the Wampanoag Indigenous Program. Along with his fiance, Dawn Dove, he managed the Dovecrest Cultural Center in Exeter, which includes the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum, the Dove Trading Post, and a cultural education program.[1] [2]
On March 18, 1997, Coombs died from severe injuries in Richmond, Rhode Island. He and Lloyd Lance Comer, an acquaintance, had been seen drinking together all the day and night. Comer was initially charged with manslaughter, as Coombs' body was found on his property, but he was later acquitted.[3]
At the time of his death, Coombs was engaged to Dawn Dove, a Narragansett. They lived in Exeter, Rhode Island.[3]