The  Abenaki And The White Settlers of Maine:
Culture Collision

 The Eastern Abenaki who lived in Maine were made up of groups including the Kennebec and the Penobscot tribes. These people named themselves after where they lived. The Kennebec settled along the Kennebec River and the Penobscot lived along the Penobscot River. They lived in portable wigwams shaped like upside down ice cream cones.These shelters were made from birch bark and animals skins. The Abenaki used fishing spears and nets to catch food as well as bow and arrows for game. They hunted harbor seals, porpoises and ducks and geese. They also hunted moose and deer. In the spring they planted crops; in the summer they harvested berries and hunted. Sometimes they moved to temporary camps along the ocean and rivers. In the winter they would seek shelter in the thick forests. The Abenaki used their environment with rich soil and timber trees to meet a lot of needs like food and material to get shelter from rain and hail.
 
 



 Two famous Abenaki figures from Maine were Molly Spotted Elk and Chief Greylock. Molly Spotted Elk was an actress, author, poet, dancer and a good student. She learned these talents from the white culture of Maine. Chief Greylock was a brave Abenaki leader.  A carving of the chief stands in Maine as a tribute to brave Abenaki leaders from Maine. These many leaders struggled with conflict and tension over the true ownership of Maine and its resources.
 
 




 When the white settlers came to Maine they settled on the land and used resources that had been used by the Abenaki and other Maine tribes for thousands of years. They built cabins and cleared land to plant their crops. The Abenaki lost their hunting grounds and soon the animals that they hunted were scarce because of all the white settlers hunting them as well. The white settlers polluted the rivers with their paper and lumber mills. Eventually, the environment that the Abenaki relied on for their way of life became too populated and polluted. Many Abenaki died from starvation and conflicts and the rest ended up on reservations. The Abenaki tribes could not practice their religion and they lost the land they lived on. Their culture was destroyed.

 Today many people like the image of being “Native American” and they dress up like Indians and try to make teepees and baskets. It’s a popular thing to do. But the Abenaki who live in Maine today have been able to keep some of their culture and pass it down to other members of their family. Within families many of the traditions are still practiced.
 This example clearly shows the big idea about culture: when two or more cultures combine there may be tension or violence.

 By Zachary Alan Hughesand Dakota Linkel

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