Researched & Written by Room 16 Students

PRIMROSE HILL SCHOOL - December 2014

THE WAMPANOAG

The Wampanoag

Who were the Wampanoag People? The Wampanoags were,

and still are, a Native American tribe who lived in North

America for more than 10,000 years before Europeans arrived.

Wampanoag means ‘People of the First Light’ because they

lived in the east. Once there were many different tribes of

Wampanoag but now there are only a few. Still, Wampanoags

had an amazing culture. They lived very differently from the

way we live now but also had many similarities to us. Come

and learn about these interesting people!

Location, Location, Location

by Mrs. White

Where in the world did the Wampanoag live? Long ago, they lived in the

northeastern part of the United States in

what is now New England. Tribes lived

on Cape Cod, the islands of Martha’s

Vineyard and Nantucket in Massachusetts

and in eastern Rhode Island. The

Wampanoags lived in villages near the

ocean during the summer. They were

able to fish and grow food in gardens

there. In the winter, they moved inland

to the forests where they mainly hunted

for food. At one time, there were as

many as 69 villages of Wampanoag

people. Some were called Patuxets

(Squanto was a Patuxet), others were

Pokanoket, Natick, Chappaquidick and Nantucket. However, they were all

considered Wampanoag. Nowadays, there are about 300 Wampanoag people. Some

live on a Reservation on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Others live in cities and

towns. The Wampanoags were the Native American tribe who first met the Pilgrims

in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Glossary

reservation land set aside

for Native

Americans

Wampanoag Houses

by:Alexandria

Have you ever wondered

how the Wampanoags

built their houses? Well,

first their houses were called

wetus [wee-toos] or

wigwams [wig-woms]. They

were a roundish shape. One

family, with both the

father’s and the mother’s parents, lived in one house including

the kids. So that would be about 11 people living in one house!

They built their houses by first digging a hole 3 to 6 feet deep,

Then they put saplings all the way over the hole. Then they put

saplings over the other saplings and that made the frame. They

made their houses out of bullrush, leaves, and reeds. That’s how

the Wampanoag built their houses.

Wampanoag Food

By Ali

Have you ever wondered what the Wampanoag [wham-

puh-no-ag] ate? Well, they ate many things. The men

were the hunters, gatherers and fishermen. The main

thing to hunt was deer, along with rabbit and bear. They

caught shellfish, cod, bass and lobsters. They used bows

and arrows and also large wooden hatchets. The women

were the farmers and cooks. They worked hard

harvesting and cooking. For example, they planted the

three sisters. The three sisters was corn, beans and

squash. First the corn was planted in soil. They waited

until it was a few inches tall. Then they planted the beans and squash. The corn held

up the beans. The beans put nitrogen in the ground so the

sisters had nutrients. The children did some gardening and

scared the birds away. The Wampanoag had the first

interactions with the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims brought many

other weapons to Plymouth. The Wampanoag taught the

Pilgrims how to hunt, plant and harvest. Then the Pilgrims

got the hang of things. They got better and better. Soon they

were experts. All Wampanoag were BIG on food.

Words

harvest reap, pick, collect

pilgrims wiki travelers

interactions wiki contact

Wampanoag Traditions

By Ava

Do you know what traditions the Wampanoags celebrated? Wampanoags

celebrated many traditions.The first one was Cranberry Day. Cranberry Day was

held in May. Cranberry Day was celebrated with food like cranberries, clambakes

and maybe soup. The Wampanoags did dances that their ancestors had done too to

celebrate. Every Cranberry Day the Wampanoags honored a special person.

Another tradition was the Spring Festival.

The Wampanoag celebrated the Spring

Festival like it was a festival for spring.

They did dances ,told stories and had lot of

food like turkey, vegetables and, for the

main course, soup.

Wampanoag children mostly decorated

their mom’s or dad’s hair and clothing for

ceremonies. Another tradition was

Nikomomo. It sounds like a Wampanoag

tradition only , and it is, but we celebrate it

today too. It’s called Thanksgiving today. In the past, the Wampanoags thy

celebrated with lots of food like corn, beans, squash, herbs, soup and deer meat.

The Wampanoags danced to music on Nickomo too.The Wampanoags had

traditions just like us!

Nikomomo Wampanoag Thanksgiving

Cranberry Day a Wampanoag tradition

Spring festival a celebration for spring

Wampanoag Weapons

by Charlie

Have you ever wondered

about Wampanoag

Weapons? Wampanoags

had war clubs, knives,

spears, tomahawks and bows

and arrows. They made their

bows by taking sticks and

putting feathers on to it. The

type of wood they had to

make it with was ashe or

hazel. The bows were 5 to 6

feet tall!!!!!. The

Wampanoag held their

arrows in quivers. They were made out of leather. The tips were made out of

bones or stones!!!!!!!! War clubs were rare. War clubs could only be held by the

leaders. Those are some facts about Wampanoag weapons.

Glossary

War clubs. A war hammer.

Tomahawk. Handle with an axe.

Wampanoag. A group of Native Americans.

What A Wampanoag Village Looks Like

by Chloe

Have you ever wondered what a Wampanoag

village looked like? The Wampanoag village

looked like a bunch of human-sized beehives.

The houses they made were called wetus or

wigwams. Their house was made with

spruce bark and saplings . First they cut

down a tree, then they took the bark off. After that they shaped

it into a dome. Now they had a nice wetu or wigwam. There

were about 65 people in a Wampanoag village, one family per

wetu, depending on how many kids. In one village there were

100 people because all of them had no kids! That’s what a

Wampanoag village looked like.

Wampanoag Weapons

By Evan

Wampanoags had many weapons. Wampanoags did not

have weapons like we have today. They had more of a

hand made weapon. All of the Wampanoags’ weapons

were made of wood and stone to make the weapon

deadly. A common weapon Wampanoags would use in

battle would be a bow and arrow for far shooting. Some

weapons were used for throwing and stabbing each other.

Wampanoags had some enemies including other tribes.

Wampanoags fought many different wars and many got

killed. Those are some Wampanoag weapons.

What Chores did Wampanoag

Men Do?

by Felix

Wampanoag men did a lot of

chores for their tribe. Two of

their main chores were making

mishoons and hunting. Mishoons (mish-oo-

ns) were canoes that were made by

Wampanoags. Wampanoag men burned trees and

scooped them out with clam shells. In the

winter, Wampanoag people sunk their

mishoons under the ice because it made the

wood more waterproof and stronger. Also,

Wampanoag men went hunting all year round.

They hunted for turkey and deer. In order to hunt

they had to have bows and arrows. They made them by

themselves. First, they found a piece of wood about

as tall as they were. Then they made two notches in

each side. At last, they put a piece of string and

attached it. Wampanoag did chores to make their

life better.

Wampanoag

Tools

By Fritz

Have you ever wondered what tools the Wampanoag had? They had many tools.

They hunted certain animals for certain tools. They made arrows by finding a

straight growing tree.

If they couldn't find

one, they would bend

a tree and little sprouts

would come which

were really good for

arrows. They would

also peel off the bark

of a strong branch so

it dried very quickly.

If the branch wasn't

straight, they would

bend the branch until

it was straight. Then it

would be fitted with

any sharp thing that

they could find. Bows

were a very important tool. Some bows were bigger than others. Western bows

were smaller than the longbow. Mishoons were a common tool for traveling.

Mishoons were Wampanoag boats. Mishoons were made by burning down a tree

and packing it with wet clay. The Wampanoag would then scrape the tree until it

fell. Then they would burn the inside to shape it and it would waterproof the boat.

Some could carry 20 to 40 people! Wampanoag people had an amazing history and

culture.

Wampanoag Body Paint

Grace A.

Have you ever wondered what the Wampanoag used

for body paint? Wampanoag used red, yellow,

black, white and ocher . Did you ever wonder how

the Wampanoag made those colors? They made red

by crushing berries. They made the yellowish color

by crushing flowers. They made black by crushing

charcoal. They made white by mixing clay. Finally,

they made ocher with crushed up flowers and tree bark. They took

bark off the trees, smashed up the bark, added a little water and

a tiny bit of mud. Then they mixed it all together to make ocher.The

Wampanoag used body paint because it meant signs to the Spirits.

They also did it for decoration. The men mostly wore body paint,

but once in a while the women would wear it around their ankle or

wrist. It was not important for the Wampanoag children to wear body

paint unless their parents said they had to. These are ways about

Wampanoag body paint.

Glossary

ocher: bark: decoration:

a yellow brown color the outside part of the tree the act of decoration

Wampanoag Names

by Gracie h.

Wampanoag names were very

important. Names gave people identity

and showed who their ancestors and

family were. Wampanoags weren’t

always named at birth. They were

given names such as Long Tooth or

Pale Eyes because of the way they

looked. Later, they were given new

names which described big events in

their lives such as Kills Two Eagles or

Runs From Bear. Out of respect,

Wampanoags used family names for

what was very close to them. For

example, fire or sky sometimes were

called “grandfather”, the sun might be

called “father, and the Earth was

“mother” or “grandmother”. Fathers

and uncles were called “nok” by the

children. Grandparents raised the

children while the parents were doing

important chores, like getting food and doing what they needed to do to help their

family survive. People older than the child’s parents were called ‘grandmother’ or

‘grandfather’ sometimes like us.

Do you know some Wampanoag names for animals?

wolf ontoquas

bear maske

fox whauksis

rabbit motuckquas

squirrel shannucke

gosse wawpatucke

crow kongkont

snake askooke

goldfish nammos

1 = e 2 = d 3 = a 4 = f 5 = c 6 = b

Some Wampanoag animal names are very different and some are similar to what

we call our animals. Some are hard to pronounce and some are not. It is amazing

what has changed over the years from when the Wampanoag lived and now!

Wampanoag Food

by Jace

In the spring, the Wampanoag women and children planted

seeds. They planted corn, beans, squash, onions, herbs and

melons. The picture shows the woman planting her seeds in

her garden. When she plants the corn she puts three

herring fish in the hole and puts the corn seeds on top of

the fish. The fish feeds the corn plant.

The women harvest the plants in the fall. Another word for

picking the plants is

harvesting. The other

picture shows the three

sisters, corn, beans and

squash, being harvested.

They saved the food to eat

all winter.

Glossary:

1. Herring: A small saltwater fish that is a

member of the sardine family.

2. Harvest: The picking of plants when it is ripe.

3. Squash: Vegetables with different shapes that grow on vines. They are

usually yellow or green.

Free Time with the

Wampanoags!

by: Kaylee

Have you ever wondered if Wampanoags had free time? They usually did. They

always found time to take a break and have fun. Wampanoag girls made dolls and

necklaces. When the girls made the dolls, they were learning because they were

practicing for when they got older to make their own clothing. The Wampanoag

girls used deer hide for the clothing. Wampanoag boys made little toy mishoons.

They were learning too so when they got older they

knew how to make real mishoons.

Both boys and girls played games together. One of the

games was called the Stick Game. A hoop was

attached to a stick and you had to try to flip the hoop

up and over, on to the stick.They also played the same

sports that we play today! Almost all Wampanoags

played lacrosse and football. They also had free time

in many different places, at ceremonies, in wetus, and

outside. At ceremonies they danced, feasted, prayed,

made things, and played games. That’s what

Wampanoags did in their free time.

Glossary

- mishoons: a kind of boat that the Wampanoags used

- deer hide: a skin from a deer

- wetus: a house that the Wampanoags lived in

WAMPANOAG PROTECTION

by Kevin

Wampanoag people use symbols and weapons for

protection. Wampanoag (wamp-an-o-ag) people put

mud on their faces for spiritual protection.

Spiritual protection would keep them from harm.

They also wore tattoos that mean something such as

peace symbols, strength symbols and a certain

animals like a bear or a deer. Wampanoags used

weapons to protect themselves and hunt animals.

After they killed the animals they cooked them then

ate them. Wampanoags usually used wooden bows and

arrows to hunt. They carved quartz to make the top

of an arrowhead and they carved wood to make the

bow. They also used axes and spears. They used a

feather at the end of the arrows as something to

make the arrow fly better. A bow and arrow was the

most popular weapon that they used. Wampanoags used

many weapons and symbols for protection.

Wampanoag Women’s Chores

by Lily

Have you ever wondered what Wampanoag women’s chores

were? Wampanoag women were

called squaws. Squaws made

every meal of the day. They

cooked turkey, corn meal cakes

and cranberries. They loved to

make meals. Girls learned how to

make dolls clothing so when

they’re older they would know

how to make their own. Squaws

made bags and baskets to store

stuff in. They did five to seven

chores a day and it took five to

ten minutes to do two chores.

Kids did not help with the chores because they were too young.

You had to be fifteen and older to do chores. Did you know that it

took two people to do certain chores? Cooking, gardening and

basket making took two people. Squaws didn’t do the same chores

as men because they had their own right to do different things

than men. This is what Wampanoag squaws did for chores.

squaws Native American women

How Wampanoag Children

Learned

by Madison

Wampanoag children would not

go to school but they still learned.

Girls would use dolls for learning.

They would make clothes and all

sorts of bags and mats. Girls

would learn how to collect

shellfish and berries when they

were very little. They would

learn a lot so when they were

older they would know a lot and

teach their children. The boys

would learn how to make small

canoes so when they were older

they knew how to make a bigger

one. They would also learn how to make a wetu when they were about thirteen or

fourteen. Boys would also learn how to be really good Wampanoag hunters. Boys

learned how to make bow and arrows and how to use them. Boys and girls were

both taught to respect nature and animals. If a child lied, the mother or father

would punish their kid. Girls and boys would learn from their grandmother or

grandfather. It was very important to learn these things

because they learned how to survive.

How Wampanoag

Travelled

by Owen

Have you heard of the Wampanoags? They are a

Native American tribe who travelled a lot. They mostly travelled

by foot and boat. One of the boats they made was the dugout

canoe. The dugout canoe was made by cutting down a tree.

First they cut off the bark. Then they found clay from the

riverside. Then they packed the clay up to where they cut off the

bark. After that they started to burn the tree down. The clay

stopped it from burning all the way. Once the tree fell, they

started to burn off the inside. They packed the sides with clay so

it wouldn't burn all the way. That process went on for up to one

week or 12 days . After the burning process. they used clam

shells to move the coals to make sure it didn't burn all the way

through. That is how the Wampanoag made a dugout canoe /

mishoon. The Wampanoag mishoons were used for fishing and

trading trips. The Wampanoag tribe sometimes had battles

against other tribes . A war boat was made the same way as the

mishoon. The war boat could hold up to 40 people . The

Wampanoag people traveled A LOT!

What the Wampanoag Women wore

bySonie

Have you you ever wondered what the

wampanoag girls wore? The types of

clothes they made were breeches, skirts,

moccasins, leggings, robes and belts. To

make the clothes they needed different

items. The items they used were deer hide,

plant fibers , bear skin , fox skin, bullrush

and moose hides. The colors that were on

their clothes were brown, hazelnut, red and

black. This is some information about the wampanoag women

and what they wore.

Glossary

1 } - Deerhide - a type of skin that comes from deer

2} - Hazelnut - a type of color

3} - Breechcloths - a type of clothing they wore

4} - moccasins - a type of shoes the wampanoag wore

Wampanoag Weapons and Tools

by Will

There are many different types of tools and weapons that were necessary in order

for the Wampanoag Indians to survive. Some of the types of tools and weapons

they used were tomahawks, bow and arrows, pestles, spears, knives, clay pots,

clubs, tobacco pipes, and farming hoes. These tools and weapons were made out of

materials like stone, shells, shale, soapstone, brewerton, granite and wood. They

gathered these materials from animals, trees and other objects from nature.

The Wampanoags made their own tools and weapons. Clubs were made by carving

them out of small trees and sharpening the roots. Arrows were made by sharpening

rocks and tying them to sticks. Their bows were made by carving wood then tying

string made of animal skin to them. Spears are similar to arrows but they had a

longer stick. Axes, hoes, and tomahawks were made by tying rocks to a stick.

Those were the weapons and tools of the Wampanoag.

How the Wampanoag Healed The

Sick

by Zoe

Have you ever wondered how the Wampanoag healed the sick? There was a man called

the medicine man. The medicine man was like a doctor when the Wampanoag lived, but

just called the medicine man. The mother or father would pay him to make them better,

just like today! The medicine man had tools. The medicine man would use the tools if

you had something in your skin like little small pebbles, twigs, rocks and dirt. But if you

were sick, he would sing and dance around you.

Have you ever wondered how the Wampanoags made medicine? The Wampanoags

picked a lot of berries. They would pick berries that were good for you. They would also

pick herbs and roots. The medicine man mixed all of the berries and herbs and roots to

make medicine.

Did you know that Europeans gave the Wampanoags a

bad disease called smallpox? That disease killed a lot of

Wampanoags. Europeans came to trade with the

Wampanoags. Back were Europeans lived, they owned

farms. The animals they had on the farm gave them

smallpox. But the Wampanoags didn’t own farms or

farm animals. So when the Europeans came to trade with

the Wampanoag, the disease traveled with the Europeans

and gave it to the Wampanoags. Few people survived.

Can you believe how much they did back then to heal the sick?

herb:

root

a plant used for medicine.

bottom of the plant that holds

it

Sources

Ditchfield, Christin. Northeast Indians

Flanagan, Alice K. The Wampanoags

Kamma, Annie. If You Lived at the Time of Squanto

Lund, Bill. The Wampanoag Indians

Miller, Jay. American Indian Families

Osborne, Mary Pope and Boyce, Natalie Pope. Pilgrims

Peters, Russell M. Clambake, A Wampanoag Tradition

The Nature Company Discovery Libraries. Native Americans. Wingate, Phillippa and Reid, Struan. Who Were the First North Americans?

Waters, Kate. Tapenum’s Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times

Wilbur, C. Keith. The New England Indians

Encyclopedia Britannica

World Book Encyclopedia

www.plimoth.org

www.native-languages.org

www.bigorrin.org

www.boston.com

www.manyhoops.com