The Indian Mariners Project at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum

Summary

The Indian Mariners Project explores the history of and ongoing relationship between Native people and the sea. A principal goal of the project is to create and share with public, school, and academic audiences a series of digital maps revealing the dynamic social networks and global traveling histories of American Indian mariners during the 19th century. This project research is grounded in a rich and accessible archival record relating to the active commercial Yankee whalefishery and Indian crewmembers, including: ship’s logbooks; crew lists and other federal customs records; tribal-held archival materials; as well as descendants’ family stories, images, diaries, and objects. The digital maps will document some of the complex sociocultural changes that took place among New England’s Indian community in the wake of European colonization. Through these maps, new patterns of mobility and social interaction at sea contribute to a new understanding of the diverse histories and culture of New England’s indigenous population. By examining the maritime adaptations of social networks as a response

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Exploitation and Survival: Indigenous Americans and the Commercial Whaling Industry   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-11,06