Algonkian Living History

 

Drew Shuptar-Rayvis will present an immersive program designed to educate those attending in the ways of life of Native Americans living in what is today southwest Connecticut, with trade routes extending to modern day southern New York and northern New Jersey. This program will cover the approximate time period of 1700 to the 1763, the period includes the French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War) which would ultimately lead to the American War for independence.

Glimpse the seismic changes in Algonkian life (daily living, customs of war, adoption/captivity, alliances, friendships and marriages between Natives, Europeans and Africans) during the first half of the 18th century as the consequences of contact with new European neighbors in the Northeast rippled outward. The rising fur trade, persistent conversion efforts from Christian missionaries, epidemic disease and forced removal from tribal lands changed the balance of Algonkian life forever even as further colonial wars raged on, including Queen Anne’s, King William’s and the Seven Years’ War. Compare and examine traditional items such as pelts and daily objects made of stone, bone, wood and shell with those items acquired through trade: a set of trade axes, a flintlock musket, metal knives, blankets, jewelry (such as glass beads and earrings), clay pipes and entirely different pelts.

This was a period intense rivalry between England and France for dominance on the North American continent and collaboration with Native American tribes was seen as crucial for both England and France. This struggle for allies led to the French and Indian War which ended in the Treaty of Paris of 1763 with England in near complete control of America. Twenty years later, France, America, and their Native allies would be victorious, ensuring American independence.

When: Saturday October 7, 2023 at 1:00

Where: Morristown National Historical Park Museum Auditorium, 30 Washington Place, Morristown.