Essay Sample on Passamaquoddy & Wampanoag Tribes: Traditional Arts & Seasonal Migration

Introduction

The Passamaquoddy Tribe is Native Americans who live in Northeastern America, especially in New Brunswick and Maine. Passamaquoddy is known for their arts, such as building birch bark canoes, jewelry, wood carving, and basketry (Coen 13). Wampanoag is North-American Algonquian-speaking people who occupied the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Wampanoag were traditionally semi-sedentary and were used to seasonally moving from one state to the other (Coen 24). The Wampanoag tribe had various villages, each led by its local chief and corn was their staple food. The historical importance of the two tribes is to showcase the originality, culture, and how the pre-colonial Passamaquoddy and Wampanoag people used to live and interact. Also, the two tribes portray historical importance on how they have changed from the pre-colonial periods to modern life, and how their interactions with Europeans changed their life.

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The clothes worn by the Wampanoag tribe was made from animal skins (Coen 47). Some of the clothes that were made from animal skin include leggings, long breechclouts, as well as waist to shoulder length mantles. Women would wear wraparound tunics, skirts, and cloaks. Belts that were worn by men were woven from plant fibers and dogbane and were usually colored with vegetable dyes. Foods eaten by the tribe included corn, beans, and pumpkin. Also, they used to the meat that came from rabbits, bear, and squirrels. Their houses were long and oval-shaped which they lived in during winter. The longhouses were usually surrounded by a fence and reinforced with mud. The longhouses were permanent while Wetu were temporary shelters. The tribe's important events revolved around their culture and lifestyle. For instance, their most important events included farming together and First thanksgiving ceremonies.

The Passamaquoddy tribe lived in shelters referred to as wigwams, which were small round buildings during the pre-colonial period. Men used to wear leggings and breechcloths and at times would wear headbands that had feathers. The Passamaquoddy people used to eat fish that they used to fish during summer (Coen 32). Also, they used to eat corn, wild plants, and berries. Some of the crucial events in the Passamaquoddy tribe included fishing together and storytelling, which is essential to the Indian culture. However, modern Wampanoag and Passamaquoddy people do not wear clothes made from animal skin and now wear modern clothes such as jackets and dresses. Also, modern Passamaquoddy people continue to embrace the culture of storytelling as well as eating fish.

Work Cited

Coen, Barbara N. "Tribal Status Decision Making: A Federal Perspective on Acknowledgment." New Eng. L. Rev. 37 (2015): 491.