Native American Indians

And now…

Then…

What do these two

have in common?

They are both from the same tribe…

We know the Wampanoag tribe best because of the Pilgrims. Our stories of Squanto who helped the Pilgrims learn to survive in their new home of America and Chief Massasoit who ate the first Thanksgiving meal.

Ramona Peters(Nosapocket)

An American Indian of the Wampanoag Tribe

Of the Bear Clan on her mother’s side and the

Deer Clan on her father’s side

Introducing

Coil Pot Artist

“It has been said that

artists are the visual historians of the world’s cultures.

Although I was unconcious about this role when I began my artistic experience,

today I gladly offer this gift to the Tribal Circle. As children we are encouraged to

discover and master the special gifts planted inside us by the Creator and

through our ancestors. These gifts are intentional and important to offer, as

adults, to the Tribal Circle. Each clan has a place of expertise, each individual has a unique and specialized gift appropriate of

the generational need of the people.”

Ancient Lately

Cape Cod Bay Clay Sack

Cape Cod Style Wampanoag Cooking Pot

Clan Mother’s Pot

Four Face Pot

Legend of Mashpee Pond

Sunburst Berry Pot

Night Guardian

Trail Step Clay Sack

Whale Oil Pot

White Gallon Clay Sack

Young Woman’s Lap Bowl

Our objective

is to create our own clay sacks using both the pinch pot and coil methods and fill it

with a story of our culture.

Vocabulary you will need to know:

pinch pot method, coil method, score, slip, blend, greenware, bisque, kiln, firing the clay, glaze, 3-dimensional, form, 2-

dimensional, shape

Connections:Learn about the Wampanoag people and some of their culture;

Learn about the Native American Indian Artist, Ramona Peters;

Make a connection with our culture today—create and write about it.

First we will make a pinch pot to form the foundation of our clay sacks.

Next we will roll coils or snakes of clay.

It will be important to score, slip, and blend the coils as you add them so they will stay together.

Procedure

You can create designs…

Make patterns…

Plug holes…

Create your own CLAY SACK!!!

Let’s begin!!

The Wampanoag, Wôpanâak in their language, are a Native American people. In 1600 they lived in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, in an area also encompassing Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands. Their population numbered about 12,000.Wampanoag leaders included Squanto, Samoset, Metacomet (King Philip), and Massasoit. Modern Thanksgiving traditions are based on the Wampanoags' interaction with the Pilgrims.The Wampanoag were semi-sedentary, with seasonal movements between fixed sites. Corn (maize), beans and squash were the staples of their diet, supplemented by fish and game. More specifically, each community had authority over a well-defined territory from which the people derived their livelihood through a seasonal round of fishing, planting, harvesting and hunting. Because southern New England was thickly populated at the time, hunting grounds had strictly defined boundaries, and were passed on from father to son.The Wampanoag way of life fostered a harmonious relationship between the people and their natural environment, both physical and spiritual. Also, they respected the traditions and the elders of their nation. The work of making a living was organized on a family level. Families gathered together in the spring to fish, in early winter to hunt and in the summer they separated to cultivate individual planting fields. Boys were schooled in the way of the woods, where a man’s skill at hunting and ability to survive under all conditions were vital to his family’s well being. The women were trained from youth to work diligently in the fields and around the family wetu.A ‘’wetu’’ was the round or oval Wampanoag wigwam. To build them, several posts were placed in the ground, then bent in over a fire and bound together at the top. They were covered on the outside by grass or bark and had an exit hole for smoke at the highest point. A summer house like this was designed so that it could be easily dismantled and moved in just a few hours.[1]The Wampanoag were organized into a confederation, where a head sachem presided over a number of other sachem. The English often referred to the sachem as king, a misleading concept, because the position of a sachem was in no way like that of a king and allowed only restricted authority and few privileges. It was traditional, that if there was a lack of appropriate male candidates, a woman could become a sachem.[2]"Wampanoags are a fishing, hunting, and planting people. There was always enough bounty for feasts throughout the year. With four distinct prolific seasons, the Wampanoag harvested different types of food each season. The animal, fish, bird, and plant relatives of the Native people have life cycles and migration patterns which make this possible. Thanksgiving is a commitment to all living things we accept as food to sustain our lives.”

Teacher information