The Peskotomuhkati, or Passamaquoddy, are a coastal nation who have lived for at least 13,000 years on the shores of what later became known as New Brunswick and Maine. Part of the Wabanaki Confederacy, their name translates to “people who spear pollock.”
This summer, archaeologist Katherine Patton took a small group of students to a site near the small town of Pembroke, Maine, to search for evidence of how the Passamaquoddy lived before European settlers forced them off their original lands. The students were there as part of the Research Excursions Program (REP), an experiential learning initiative offered by the Faculty of Arts & Science.
Before the trip, Patton — an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology — consulted with Donald Soctomah, the local tribal historic preservation officer and the most recognized authority on Passamaquoddy history.
“There was a nice alignment of our interests,” says Patton. “I’ve worked in a variety of different locations, and I’ve always been interested in the relationship between people and marine ecosystems. Dr. Soctomah was interested in one of those sites as well, because it was situated in a location that had a lot of oral history attached to it.”
Patton’s research group included one graduate and two undergraduate students, the first of whom was able to contribute special expertise in sediment analysis. Patton often works in shell-bearing archaeological sites because animal bones tend to be well preserved in them.
Consequently, the group were able to unearth some incredible finds. These included a piece of pottery at least 1,500 years old, as well as remnants of what appeared to be part of a colonial period storage cellar.
“I designed the research excursion program specifically to give the students the chance to do archaeological field work,” says Patton. “We spent about a week on this site, but then we also met with the Passamaquoddy representatives; we met a Passamaquoddy language teacher, attended ceremonial days, and were invited to a community dinner afterward. I wanted students to appreciate what was important to the tribal historian about the Passamaquoddy history: where there are overlaps with archaeology, and where there might be some distinct differences.”
Archaeological work complements the work of historians by providing physical evidence and analysis of prior inhabitants. “We find artifacts that tell us about the kinds of tools people made, how they used them and how they disposed of them,” Patton says. “We can get at how people moved through the landscape, and at questions around settlement.”
Trip participant Morgan Neundorf is not an archaeology student, but she nonetheless left the trip with what she calls a “wealth of indispensable knowledge.” The third-year member of Woodsworth College is pursuing a major in health studies and critical studies in equity and solidarity.
“Opportunities to explore outside of one’s discipline of study — especially in such an immersive way — are rare, and the REP allowed me to do just that,” she says. “Initially, I was interested in this project to understand the true nature of community-engaged research, specifically the relationship-building necessary when working with Indigenous peoples. I was overcome with the generosity of my comrades and the community members we met, whose knowledge was a privilege to witness and absorb.”
Patton echoes this sentiment. “Careful and rigorous archaeological work can offer a part of the story, if a community wants it,” she says. “I have particular knowledge, and if there’s interest, I can use it to help explore an aspect of history.”
Unfortunately, climate change is having a deleterious effect on archaeological research. So Patton emphasizes that it’s critical to undertake projects such as this while researchers still can.
“One of the biggest threats now to archaeological sites in Maine and other coastal sites is development and coastal erosion due to increasing storm activity and rising sea levels,” she says. “Sea levels have been rising pretty steadily on the east coast since the end of the last ice age, and we’re losing archaeological sites at a pretty astonishing rate.”
Patton plans to return to the site in the near future, to continue documenting the story of the Passamoquoddy people. For students such as Neundorf, the opportunity to assist in that goal via hands-on research was a rare privilege.
“Ultimately, the opportunity to carry out learning outside the classroom, engaging all the senses through experiential learning, offers an invaluable form of knowledge production that I’m grateful to have experienced,” she says.