A few weeks ago we visited Plymouth Plantation. This is a place full of history and mystery about the past. On the streets of Plymouth Plantation we met Pilgrims and Wampanogs (Native Indian - Americans) who explained to us about their culture and historical importance of their place. Also we visited Mayflower II the second ship of the Pilgrims.

The 1627 Pilgrim Village is a re-creation of some of the homes, gardens, storehouses, animal pens, fields and fortifications that the English colonists had established in New Plymouth. Surrounding the town is a palisade, a high wooden fence like the one that was built in 1622 to protect the original village. Outside of the palisade are fields where you may encounter role playing staff farming or cutting hay. The role players you meet stay "in character". For them the year is 1627, seven years after the arrival of the Mayflower. Remember, as you enter the village, you are in the year 1627 too! The role players express 17th-century viewpoints and not their own modern points of view. The artisans here practice 17tyh-century trades, with many of the same techniques, materials and types of tools used more than 350 years ago. The items made in this exhibit include furniture, Native crafts, baskets, pottery and clothing.

Wampanoag means "Eastern People" or "People of the First Light." Before 1616, there were approximately 50,000 Wampanoag People in about 67 different villages in the Wampanoag territory. This territory included southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island. Between 1616 and 1618, a devastating plague probably carried by Europeans caused the deaths of many thousands of Wampanoag greatly reducing the population. Today there are about four to five thousand Wampanoag on tribal lists. Most live in Massachusetts where there are three primary communities, Mashpee, Aquinnah, and Manomet. In the Caribbean islands there are also descendants of Wampanoag People that were sent into slavery after a war with the English in 1670's. By the mid 1800's the Wampanoag language was spoken by very few people - it was a dying language. In the 20th century, Wampanoag scholars began to recover their language. To do this they used documents including a bible that had been translated into Wa mpanoag by Wampanoag people in the 1650's. Today many Wampanoag people are taking classes and learning to speak their original language.

The Wampanoag Homesite is the recreated home of one man Hobbamock, and his extended family. You will see two wetuash (houses,) a garden area with a corn - watch and an outdoor cooking arbor. The Wampanoag Homesite is not a village, but rather a representation of how one Wampanoag family might have lived in the 1600's. Traditional skills are practiced throughout the site, such as belt weaving, hide tanning, and the burning out of mishoonash (boats.) You will meet Native staff members wearing traditional Wampanoag clothing of the 1600's. All these staff members are Native People. Located near a body of water, the word" homesite" described the two or three acres where an extended Wampanoag family would live in spring, summer and fall. Here they would grow their crops, fish and gather and dry foods for the winter. A homesite was located near fresh and/or salt water. In the fall, families would travel
to their inland winter village.

Mayflower II is a square rigged - vessel that is about 25 feet wide and 106 feet long, displacing 236 tons of water. She has 4 mats, including a mainmast, foremast, mizzen and sprit, with a total of 6 sails. You may walk around the main deck, or lop deck, and half deck, Mayflower II is a seaworthy sailing vessel. In the past few years, she has traveled to Providence RI (2002), Boston, MA (2001) , and Provincetown , MA (2000).

I hope you will enjoy visiting this site and learn more about those extraordinary people and their habits. You can bring yourself back to the 17th century! Field trips to Plymouth Plantation are exciting, educational and fun. You may smell a pottage cooking inside a colonial house, or watch a traditional Wampanoag dugout boat being made.