Wampanoag Homesite
Frequently Asked Questions

• WAMPANOAG HOMESITE
• MAYFLOWER II
• VILLAGE
• CRAFTS CENTER
• NYE BARN

What to Expect, How to Prepare:

1. What will I see at the Wampanoag Homesite?
2. Who will I meet at the Wampanoag Homesite?
3. What is a Homesite?
4. Is this the original site of the Wampanoag home?
5. How long does it take to visit the Wampanoag Homesite?
6. Is there any special way to talk to the Native People on your staff?
7. When you say “Native People” is that the same thing as “American Indians” and “Native Americans”?
8. What about the word “Indigenous?”
9. Will I meet people role playing as Massasoit or Hobbamock?
10. Can I do genealogical research at the Wampanoag Homesite?
11. Will I be able to see traditional ceremonies at the Wampanoag Homesite?
12. What happens at the Wampanoag Homesite when the weather is bad?

Frequently Asked Historical Questions:

1. What does the word "Wampanoag" mean?
2. Where did the Wampanoag live in the 1600s?
3. Who was Massasoit?
4. Who was Hobbamock?
5. Were the English colonists and Native People friends in the 1620s?
6. Did the English colonists and the Native Wampanoag celebrate the “First Thanksgiving” together?
7. How do you know about Hobbamock and the Wampanoag People of the 17th century?
8. How many Wampanoag lived in this area in the 1600s?
9. How many Wampanoag are there today? Where do they live?
10. Do Wampanoag still speak their traditional language?

Behind the Stereotypes: Wampanoag staff answer questions about Native People and culture.

1. Are you a "real Indian"?
2. Are you a "full-blooded Indian?"
3. Do you live in tepees?
4. Why do you look different from images of Native People that I have seen in the movies?
5. What is the most difficult part of working at the Wampanoag Homesite?
6. What is the best part of working at the Wampanoag Homesite?

What to Expect, How to Prepare:

1. What will I see at the Wampanoag Homesite?

the Wampanoag (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 1600s. Traditional skills are practiced throughout the site, such as belt weaving, hide tanning, and the burning out of mishoonash (boats).

2. Who will I meet at the Wampanoag Homesite?

You will meet Native staff members wearing traditional Wampanoag clothing of the 1600s. All these staff members are Native People. Although dressed in clothes of the past, they speak from a modern perspective about Wampanoag history and culture. They are not role players. This enables the staff to make visitors aware of generalizations and stereotypes about Native People, and to inform them of issues and concerns that Wampanoag People face today.

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3. What is a Homesite?

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.

4. Is this the original site of the Wampanoag home?

No. The original site of his home was Patuxet, located three miles to the north. Patuxet is now present-day Plymouth.

While Hobbamock never lived at the re-created homesite at Plimoth Plantation, this site has been a place where Wampanoag families have lived for thousands of years.

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5. How long does it take to visit the Wampanoag Homesite?

You may spend as much time as you like, but you can usually see it in an hour's time.

6. Is there any special way to talk to the Native People on your staff?

There are several important things to keep in mind when talking with Native staff. First of all, you should be respectful of their culture, traditions and history. Please avoid questions or comments that are based on stereotypes, such as war whooping or saying "How" as a greeting. Remember that Native staff members are talking from a modern perspective, in their own words, and are not role playing "characters" from the past. They welcome questions about the history and culture of their People, however, please do not ask them personal questions about their lives. For more information about asking questions with sensitivity, please go to our Cultural Sensitivity page.

HELPFUL HINTS:

• Ask lots of questions.
• Look and listen in on other visitors' conversations (it's OK to eavesdrop here).
• At the Wampanoag (Wampanoag) Homesite you will be learning about a different culture, so don't be afraid to ask the Native staff members to repeat something or to explain a word or idea if you don't understand.

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7. When you say “Native People” is that the same thing as “American Indians” and “Native Americans”?

Yes, but we prefer to use the more culturally sensitive term “Native People” or “Indigenous People” over those other terms. Many Native People feel that the using the word “Indian” to describe them is inappropriate because it was a name mistakenly given to their people by European explorers looking for the West Indies hundreds of years ago . The term “Native American” suggests that Native People were always “American” but this country was populated by Native People long before it was called America.

On this continent, it is appropriate to address a Native Person by the name of their particular tribal association, such as Wampanoag, Micmac, or Cherokee, in addition to referring to them by the more general term “Native.”

8. What about the word “Indigenous?”

“Native People” can also appropriately be called “Indigenous.” The word “Indigenous” comes from the Latin root for “native” and refers to someone who originated in a particular region or environment. The Wampanoag People are one of several Peoples (or Nations) indigenous to the southern coast of present-day New England; they have been living here for over twelve thousand years!

There are Indigenous Peoples all over the world, including the Inuit People of the Arctic, the Aboriginal People of Australia, the Maori of New Zealand, the Ainu of Japan, just to name a few. These groups often struggle to retain their identity, language and traditional way of life within the wider cultures they live in.

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9. Will I meet people role playing as Massasoit or Hobbamock?

No, Wampanoag staff members do not role play. They speak in modern day English.

10. Can I do genealogical research at the Wampanoag Homesite?

No. Although Native staff talk about the history of the Wampanoag in the 1600s, the information is general. The staff is does not provide specific genealogical information.

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11. Will I be able to see traditional ceremonies at the Wampanoag Homesite?

No. What you see on the homesite are the daily life activities of the Wampanoag People in the 1600s. While some of these activities would have had ceremonial aspects, the Native staff does not perform ceremonies for public viewing

12. What happens at the Wampanoag Homesite when the weather is bad?

The two wetuash (houses) that are on the homesite are weatherproof and quite cozy during inclement weather. You are welcome to come inside either wetu, sit on the benches and warm yourself by the fire.

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Frequently Asked Historical Questions:

1. What does the word "Wampanoag" mean?

Wampanoag means "Eastern People" or "People of the First Light."

2. Where did the Wampanoag live in the 1600s?

The Wampanoag homeland included the territory along the East Coast from Wessagusset (today called Weymouth), to what is now Cape Cod and the islands of Natocket and Noepe (now called Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard), southeast as far as Pokanocket (now called Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island) and to the northeast corner of present-day Rhode Island.

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3. Who was Massasoit?

Massasoit was the sachem or leader of a village in Pokanoket where Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island are located today. The word "Massasoit" is actually a title of respect, meaning "Great Leader." Massasoit's given name was Ousamequin. To the Wampanoag and other Native People, he is revered as a courageous and wise leader.

4. Who was Hobbamock?

Hobbamock was a warrior of special status. He was sent by his leader Massasoit (Sachem Ousamequin) to live near the English colonists at Patuxet. Hobbamock acted as guide, interpreter and ambassador. He was originally from the Wampanoag village of Pokanoket (present-day Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island).

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5. Were the English colonists and Native People friends in the 1620s?

This seemingly simple question has a very complex answer. The answer depends on what you mean by "friends." If by friendship you mean military agreements, trade relations, regular communications and even social interaction, then the answer is yes, the English and some Native People were "friends." If friendship means an abiding respect for each other's culture based on trust and loving-kindness, then the answer is no, they were not friends. In their writings, leading colonists betray contempt for the customs, household arrangements and, most especially, the religion of the Wampanoag. Likewise, written English sources and Wampanoag oral traditions reveal that many Native People considered the English to be both strange and aggressive.

Whatever "friendly" relations there were in the 1620s did not last long. After 1630, the relationship between the two cultures became increasingly tense as more and more English arrived in the Wampanoag homeland. Over the next few decades the differences between the two cultures reached a crisis. In 1675, a devastating war — later called "King Philip's War — broke out between the English and Wampanoag.

6. Did the English colonists and the Native Wampanoag celebrate "The First Thanksgiving” together?

No. While books and letters written in the 1620s mention that the colonists celebrated their first harvest “by rejoicing in a special manner” and that the Wampanoag People joined them, it was only much later in the 19th century—and erroneously—that this event was interpreted to be “The First Thanksgiving.” In fact, both cultures had separate traditions of giving thanks that predated this particular event, and neither culture called it a “thanksgiving” at the time. So not only was it not a "thanksgiving," but also it was also not a "first!"

Here at Plimoth Plantation, we simply call this event “the harvest celebration in 1621.” Be sure to visit our Thankgiving: Memory, Myth and Meaning Exhibit page for more information.

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7. How do you know about Hobbamock and the Wampanoag People of the 17th century?

Wampanoag oral history and European written sources are the two ways that we know about the Native People who lived in Patuxet (renamed Plymouth by the English) and the rest of the Wampanoag homeland.

For Native Peoples, the spoken word is very important in recalling historical events. The position of historian has always been given great importance in Wampanoag communities. It was and is essential that the stories passed on by the historian were accurately and faithfully told. This continuing tradition of oral history is a crucial key to understanding the past.

Although the Europeans wrote about the Native People who lived here, much of what the Europeans reported reflected a biased view of Native culture. However, there is still much actual historic information that can be gleaned from their writings. This written information combined with the oral cultural history of the Wampanoag gives us a good idea of how this area's Native population lived at the time the English colonists arrived.

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8. How many Wampanoag lived in this area in the 1600s?

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.

9. How many Wampanoag are there today? Where do they live?

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 1670s.

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10. Do Wampanoag still speak their traditional language?

Yes, some do and others are learning to do so. By the mid 1800s 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 Wampanoag, by Wampanoag people in the 1650s. Today many Wampanoag people are taking classes and learning to speak their original language.

BEHIND THE STEREOTYPES: Wampanoag Staff answer questions about Native People and Culture.

1. Are you a "real Indian"?

We often are asked this question and the answer is, "Yes!" Those of us dressed in the deerskin clothing on the Wampanoag Homesite are Native People. Most are Wampanoag but a few people are from other Native Nations.

Many visitors are curious about Native People but don't realize that asking if we are "real Indians" may be offensive. If you want to know about our heritage, a more appropriate question to ask is "What Native Nation are you from?"

2. Are you a "full-blooded Indian?"

Although it is not intended to be offensive, this question is insulting to Native People. Blood quantum, the idea that someone’s cultural heritage can be measured by blood percentage, is not a Native concept. As Native People, we use our own ways to ascertain someone’s identity as a member of our Nation.

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3. Do you live in tepees?

No, the Wampanoag have never lived in that type of housing. One of the many stereotypes is that all Native People lived in tepees but the truth is we built houses that were suited to how we lived. Some Native People in the West lived in teepees; they moved around the Plains as they hunted buffalo.Teepees made sense for their way of life.

The Wampanoag made “wetus” (houses) that were dome shaped and covered with bark or cattail reeds.These houses were suited for the climate and our lives here in the Northeast.

4. Why do you look different from images of Native People that I have seen in the movies?

Most movies depict Native stereotypes.There are many different Native Peoples across this country with different physical features as well as different lifestyles.

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5. What is the most difficult part of working at the Wampanoag Homesite?

The hardest part about working at the Wampanoag’s Homesite is when some visitors don’t believe what we are telling them or even doubt that we are Native! We have a great deal of knowledge about our culture and are glad to share this information. Unfortunately, some visitors have preconceived notions about what an “Indian” should look like or how an “Indian” should live because of popular book and movies.The fact is that many of those images were created and words written by non-Native people.

Luckily, most visitors are happy to take advantage of the unique opportunity to learn from the most knowledgeable source there is regarding Wampanoag history and culture – the Wampanoag themselves!

6. What is the best part of working at the Wampanoag Homesite?

The best part about working at the Wampanoag’s Homesite is the ability to learn and teach at the same time. Everyday, we gain valuable knowledge about the ways in which our ancestors lived. Our work also gives us insight in our lives as modern Wampanoag People, balancing between our traditions and the unavoidable Westernized world. By teaching visitors about our history and culture, we are taking an active role in our Wampanoag communities and helping others to see “behind the stereotypes.”

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hours: from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, 7 days a week March 22 through November 30, 2008
address: 137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, MA 02360 USA
telephone: 1 + 508 746 1622