Cape Cod National Seashore to Host Celebration of Wampanoag Culture on May 31

Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers performance from 2013

NPS photo

News Release Date: May 23, 2014

Contact: Sue Haley, District Interpreter, 508-255-3421

Come to Salt Pond Visitor Center on May 31, to participate in a celebration of Wampanoag culture and traditions. Five craftsmen and artists from the Aquinnah and Mashpee communities will demonstrate and discuss refined traditional skills from their Eastern Woodland culture that have been carried down through time. Fun interactive, experiences will be provided for children. There will be weaving techniques of twining and finger weaving by Elizabeth Perry; cooking and food preparation by Kitty Hendricks-Miller; pottery production by Kerri Helme; and the crafting of utilitarian tools and utensils through woodworking and stone making techniques by other participants. Traditional games will also take place. Several of these artists created cultural objects for the newest permanent section of the museum exhibit, "People of the First Light" installed in 2011. These demonstrations will take place at the Salt Pond Visitor Center from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM

At 1:30 PM the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers will perform an interactive program suited for all ages and designed to get the audience on their feet. This group of Mashpee and Aquinnah Wampanoag has impressed and educated countless school groups and community organizations during performances across New England.

All activities are free, open to the public, and wheelchair accessible. Sponsorship is provided by Eastern National, the national seashore's education partner that operates bookstores at two national seashore visitor centers, as well as a store and tours of Highland Light.

IF YOU GO: Salt Pond Visitor Center is located at the intersection of Route 6 and Nauset Road in Eastham, and can be contacted by calling 508-255-3421. The center is open daily from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM and staff is available to assist with activity planning. Stop by and visit the museum, view a park film, enjoy panoramic views of Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh, and shop in the gift and bookstore featuring national seashore-related items. For more information about the seashore's programs, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/caco.

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