Twelve Millenia: Examining the Peopling of Cape Cod

Instructor: Paul Savage
Time: Wednesdays from 1–2:30 pm
Dates: In person Apr 25 and May 1, Field trips May 8, 15, 22
Location for in-person classes: Wellfleet Preservation Hall
Class limited to 30 participants

Cape Cod’s history is indelibly linked to Nov. 1620 when English Pilgrims landed at Meshawn, today’s Provincetown. Yet people have been here on Cape Cod for 12,000 years, long before the age of European exploration. On the Cape and Islands, hundreds of place names reflect Native American peoples, culture and communities. This is a journey back to the origins of human settlement in North America, Massachusetts and the Cape. The class will be an exercise in viewing history through different lenses and perspectives. 

The class will include:

• A discussion and Q and A with Wampanoag educator Annawon Weeden about viewing history through Wampanoag eyes

• A field trip to the Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor’s Center in Eastham

• A field trip to the Highland Center in Truro to visit the recently-constructed Wetu and Three Sisters Garden, and to the adjacent Highland House Museum. Tracy Plaut will discuss the garden; Helen McNeil-Ashton will discuss the museum’s collection

• A field trip to the Wellfleet Historical Society to hear from Michael Parlante, who will discuss his extensive collection of Native American artifacts

Members of the class must provide their own transportation to field trip locations. 

We will examine various primary and secondary sources, all of which will be posted at:  http://paulsavage.net/ouw