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Passamaquoddy

 
Original Source: - Northeast Wigwam - Passamaquoddy
The Maliseet and Passamaquoddy people were closely related neighbors who shared a common language. The Passamaquoddy were great whalers and fishermen. Today's Passamaquoddy have two reservations in eastern Maine: the Pleasant Point Reservation with approximately 225 acres and more than 600 people on the Passamaquoddy Bay, and the Indian Township Reservation, about 50 miles inland with a 23,000 acre forested landscape and more than 600 people. The total Passamaquoddy population in Maine is about 2,500 people, with more than 1/2 the adults still speaking the Passamaquoddy language.
     
Fun Questions and Answers ...
What does Passamaquoddy mean?

This name refers to a traditional way of catching pollock (a kind of fish) by using a spear.
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What are Passamaquoddy arts and crafts like?

 

Passamaquoddy artists are known for their basketweaving and beadwork. Passamaquoddy and other eastern American Indians also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads to use as regalia, currency, and commemoration of important events. The designs and pictures on wampum often told a story or represented family affiliations.
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Where do the Passamaquoddy live?

The Passamaquoddys are original natives of the area between Maine and New Brunswick. They lived on both sides of the border, because they were there before Canada and the United States became countries. Today, most Passamaquoddy people live on the US side of the border, in Maine. There is still one band that lives in Canada, though.
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They lived in extended families in summer villages of up to 100 people. On fertile river floodplains along the coastal inlets, they planted and cultivated "The Three Sisters" (beans, corn, squash).  Their canoes of different sizes varied in design from the coast to the interior and are very similar to Maliseet canoes.
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What were Passamaquoddy homes like?

Their homes were dome or oval-shaped wigwams covered in birch bark or woven matting.  In fall and winter, they lived in conical, bark-covered teepees when they scattered in small groups and went inland.  Each man had his own hunting territory, inherited through his father. 
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What was Passamaquoddy clothing like?

The Passamaquoddies also had pointed caps like their allies the Mi'kmaq, and moccasins for their feet. Most Passamaquoddy men and women wore their hair long; the women wore long skirts or dresses with removable sleeves, and men wore breechcloths with leather pant legs tied on. In colonial times, the Passamaquoddys adapted some European fashions such as blouses and jackets, decorating them with fancy beadwork.
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What was their barter system like?

 

The Wabanaki were hunters spending much of their time in isolated hunting camps. The additional pressure of several hundred people on the Machias area's hunting territories had drastically depleted the game, resulting in a shortage of food. They were far from large population centers that could provide sources of income. The basket industries developed during this period and by the middle of the 19th century Indian craftwork became their largest single source of income.
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Seal oil, seal skins, and porpoise oil (for use in watches and lighthouses) were in demand so they provided these. They sold fish. They became fishing and hunting guides for Canadians, Americans, and others.
Source: "The Wabanaki of Maine and the Maritimes," compiled and published by the American Friends Service Committee

 

What kinds of food did they eat and how did they get it?

 

The Passamaquoddy people moved around a lot as they collected food for their families. Usually the Passamaquoddy tribe would travel to the coast in summertime to fish, hunt porpoise, and plant corn, and then back inland during the winter to hunt game. Fish is still important to their diet today. Passamaquoddys also gathered berries and wild plants to eat, and made maple syrup from tree sap.
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What kinds of weapons or tools did they use to get their food?

 

Passamaquoddy hunters and warriors used bows and arrows, spears, and wooden clubs. Passamaquoddy fishermen used harpoons and pronged spears to catch fish and porpoises.
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What kinds of games did they play?

 

Bundle and Pin - This traditional Woodland Indian game is called "T'wis", by the Passamaquoddy Natives of Maine. The T'wis is an indoor game that is composed of an oblong piece of moose hide, about four inches in length, punctured with small holes, the center one being slightly larger than the others. This piece of hide is joined to a bundle of cedar twigs, tightly wound round with the cord. To this, by several inches of string, is attatched a sharp pointed stick, tied near the center and held between the thumb and forefinger like a pen.The game consists of giving the moosehide an upward toss and at the same time piercing one of the holes with the pointed end of the stick. The number of points necessary for the winning is usually set at 100. Each player can hold the t'wis until he misses a point.
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What kinds of stories do the Passamaquoddy tell?

 

There are lots of traditional Passamaquoddy legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Passamaquoddy Indian culture. One of their most important legends is about Glooscap (Gluskabe), the culture hero of the Wabanaki tribes, and another is about a brave Passamaquoddy girl.
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What was their transportation like?

The Passamaquoddy tribe was well-known for their birchbark canoes. Canoeing is still popular among Passamaquoddys, though not many people handcraft their own canoe from birch bark anymore. When they were on dry land, Passamaquoddy people usually just walked, though they did have sleds and snowshoes to help them in the winter (they learned to make those tools from northern neighbors like the Crees.)
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Student Friendly Links ...
Wampum Photos Bundle & Pin Game Passamaquoddy - People of the Pollock-Spearing Place
Beadwork Picture of a Birchbark Canoe Traditional Maliseet/Passamaquoddy Clothing
* * Brave Passamaquoddy Girl Story
    "All My People" Passamaquoddy Drumming
     
site assembled by ebartley@sad4.com - January 30, 2004S.A.D.#4 Home