photo100 – #48

Throughout the year, the Wampanoag hold celebrations in tandem with the harvest cycle. They once lived across 60 tribal villages in southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Wampanoags encountered the first European settlers at Plymouth, and laid the foundation for the American Thanksgiving celebration in 1621. By the early 1900s, five tribes remained and, in 1928, several Wampanoag communities organized themselves into the Wampanoag Federation. Today the Mashpee Wampanoag are a federally recognized nation with an annual powwow that attracts thousands.

The Kingfisher Singers and Dancers are from the Mashpee, quinnah, and Herring Pond communities. The members view their dancing as means to teach others about the values, perspectives, and culture unique to “the peopleof the first light.”

Wearing traditional dress and beating a rhythm with handmade rattles and a water drum, the dancers will periodically pause to explain their movements.

You can see all the 2015 Photo100 shots on my Flickr page here: http://bit.ly/2015photo100