With Thanksgiving approaching, organizers have expanded a traveling exhibit about the Wampanoag people that the Pilgrims encountered when they arrived in 1620.
Plymouth 400, the group planning the 400th anniversary events in 2020 commemorating the Mayflower’s voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony, recently unveiled the second installment of “‘Our’ Story: 400 Years of Wampanoag History.”
The traveling, multimedia exhibit debuted in Plymouth a year ago with an initial installment, “Captured 1614,” that offered a Native American perspective on colonization and Thanksgiving.
The exhibit’s second chapter, “The Messenger Runner,” recounts how members of the tribe were selected -- based on their endurance and capacity for memory -- to carry messages on foot to neighboring villages and territories. The unveiling took place at a recent reception at the Mashpee Wampanoag Community and Government Center in Mashpee.
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The expanded exhibit through Jan. 8 will remain on display at the Mashpee site, where it is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit will then continue traveling around New England through the 2020 commemoration year, with additional chapters added each November.
The creation of the exhibit, designed by a Native team, reflects Plymouth’s 400’s intent to provide a commemoration that is historically accurate and culturally inclusive, the group said.