Way of the Wampum Preview

Lucky schoolgroups got a preview of our upcoming "Way of the Wampum" Family Day today, which will take place this coming Saturday, April 25 from 1 to 4 pm.

Perry Ground (Onondaga), one of several invited guests, spoke about the trade of wampum up what is now known as the Hudson River throughout different communities. Other guests included David Martine (Shinnecock), Allen Hazard (Narragansett), Ken Maracle (Cayuga), Yvonne Thomas (Seneca), Elizabeth James-Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag/Eastern Band Cherokee) and Jonathan Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag).

Our Resource Center staff was also hosting hands-on activities in the Rotunda. Students were invited to try weaving a wampum belt themselves. Justin is demonstrating how holes were drilled into the shells.

For more info on Saturday's program, click here.

This program is funded by a grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, with the support and encouragement of Andrew Lee and with the support of the Hudson River Improvement Fund. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation provided funding for this project from the Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson River Estuary Program.