Native American Archaeological Sites in New England (looking for resources)

Jack Christensen Discussion

I am an AmeriCorps service member and currently work at an environmental nonprofit in southeastern Massachusetts. As part of my service work, I am collaborating with local Wampanoag groups so as to infuse the nonprofit's conservation mission with indigenous knowledge. One of the groups I'm working with, called the Indigenous Resources Collaborative (IRC), is embarking on an endeavor that involves correlating historical Wampanoag cultural artifacts they have in their possession (for use in an educational exhibit) with native archaeological sites in Massachusetts. I am helping them research state, federal, and academic resources that deal with archaeological surveys or actual digs with specific connections to Wampanoag culture. However, sites that connect to other tribes or non-specified indigenous groups elsewhere in the Northeast US are useful as well (the IRC is additionally interested in using archaeological findings, combined with oral history, to illustrate the migratory history and settlement patterns of indigenous peoples in the Northeastern US over the past 10,000 years, with an eye to how the Wampanoag Nation fits into that milieu).

Does anyone know of easily-accessible resources that might shed light on these topics? The IRC is a very small organization and does not have many connections to academia, so they'd appreciate any help they can get.

Thank you 

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I can suggest the following literature:

Kerber, Jordan E., ed. 2006. Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Native Peoples and Archaeology in the Northeastern United States. Lincoln, NE, London, UK: University of Nebraska Press.

You could also contact the archaeological division of the National Park Service and Plimouth Plantation.

Best, Renate Bartl

Thank you for the suggestions, Renate.