Animals in the 17th Century

Wampanoag : English Colonists

Wampanoag Animals

The Wampanoag and Respect for Animals

In the 1600s, Wampanoag People believed that all creatures were equal. For this reason, we did not keep any animals as pets. All animals on Earth were respected and were free to live their lives the way that was natural for them. Wampanoag People believed that animals had lives and families similar to humans, which shouldn’t be interrupted needlessly.

Sometimes Wampanoag People had dogs or birds or other animals that they cared for, but it was as if they were friends, not owners and pets. The People might have fed the animals or taken care of them, but the animals were free to come and go as they wished. They returned often because the Wampanoag treated them with care and respect.

Respect for animals was also shown when the men went hunting. The Wampanoag were sure to say thank you to the Creator and to the animal itself every time they took a life. The People needed to hunt so that they could live, but they had ceremonies of thanks every time they killed a deer or rabbit or fish.

Another way the Wampanoag showed their thanks was to not be wasteful. In the 17th century, the People used all parts of the animal, for clothes, tools and food. This was to show the Creator that they were glad for the gift he gave them and that they would not misuse something so special as the life of an animal. If the Creator knew that they were thankful to him and to the animals who gave their lives, then he would be happy to give them more gifts in the future. Wampanoag people today still believe that this is true and always show their thanks for the animal gifts that the Creator gives them.

Colonial English Animals

"Cockadoodle Doo, Farm Animals Came to Plymouth Too!"

How would you like to travel for months on a ship crowded with lots of people and maybe goats, chickens, pigs or even cows? That's what some of the English colonists, or “Pilgrims” as you might hear them being called today, had to do when they sailed to Plymouth the 1620s.

The English colonists brought farm animals with them because they knew they would not be able to find them in the “New World.” They wanted to get milk, meat, and eggs from the animals to feed their families, and manure to make their gardens and fields more fertile. They probably brought goats, pigs and chickens on Mayflower in 1620. Cows and sheep came a few years later.

Children helped take care of the animals brought over from England. They cleaned out the hen house and gathered freshly laid eggs. Older children took the pigs to the seashore when the tide was low to eat clams and mussels. Girls helped to milk the goats and cows, and everyone helped to cut and bundle hay to feed the animals through the wintertime.

In the 1627 English Village at Plimoth Plantation, we try to show you how the English colonists lived in the 1600s. That is why we keep farm animals like the ones they had back then. Today these animals are called “rare breeds” because they are endangered breeds. That means that there aren't so many of them left in the world today.

There are also some rare breeds kept in our barn, called the Nye Barn. These are some of the rare breeds you might see in the 1627 Pilgrim or the Nye Barn. Just remember, that if you ask the people in the English Village about “rare breeds,” they won't know what that means!

Cows
The cows in the English Village are black Kerry cows and red Milking Devon cows. They aren't black with white spots like the cows we usually think of, but either all black or all red.

Goats
Some of our goats are from San Clemente Island, which is off the coast of southern California. We also have goats that came all the way from New Zealand!

Chickens
The chickens in the English Village are called “Red Dorking” chickens.

 

Plimoth Plantation exhibits all these special animals so that you can learn more about how people lived in the past, and preserves and protects them so that people can continue to enjoy them in the future.

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