WHAT’S ON
From 18 May
Wampum: Stories from the Shells of Native America
Danielle Hill & new wampum belt
This new touring exhibition is presented by The Box, Plymouth in partnership with the Wampanoag cultural advisors SmokeSygnals, as part of Mayflower 400 - the international commemoration programme of events and exhibitions in 2020 and 2021 to mark the voyage, and impact, of the Mayflower and its passengers. The exhibition unites contemporary indigenous artists and educators in the USA with museums and historic collections in the UK, as well as featuring the first artistic commission from the UK to acknowledge our cultural connection to the Wampanoag Native American nation - a new wampum belt. Told by Wampanoag voices throughout, the exhibition is the story of Wampanoag Native America, whose people have lived in north eastern America for 12,000 years; their nation extended beyond Boston, into Central Massachusetts and south to Rhode Island. Funded by Arts Council England the exhibition explores the history, art and culture of the Native Americans who met the passengers of the Mayflower in 1620 and ensured their survival. Yet for almost 400 years, the impact of the Mayflower’s arrival on the Wampanoag Nation has been widely marginalised in the telling of Mayflower history.
Wampum belts are a tapestry of art and tribal history. Wampum, translates literally as ‘bead’. Made from the purple and white shells of the whelk and quahog, wampum beads embody the Wampanoag connection to the sea and to life itself. Wampum belts are of cultural, sacred and symbolic significance to the Wampanoag nation. Through wampum belts, the Wampanoag share stories of their communities and culture. The newly crafted wampum belt has been created by more than 100 artisans from the Wampanoag nation and consists of 5,000 handcrafted beads. It will tour with historic wampum belts from the British Museum collection. On completion of the tour, the new wampum belt will be returned to the Wampanoag Nation. It is hoped that through this touring exhibition a lost Native American treasure may be uncovered – the wampum belt of the Wampanoag chief Metacom, which has not been seen since it was sent to England in 1677 following King Philip’s War. An intensive international search for it began in late 1970 and still continues. Paula Peters, of Native American creative agency SmokeSygnals and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Nation comments: “The Mayflower story cannot honestly be told without including the Wampanoag nation and the devastating impact of colonization on indigenous people. We are grateful to have been invited to contribute our historical and cultural knowledge to the Mayflower 400 commemoration unencumbered by centuries of marginalization and uncensored by contemporary event planners.” (Opening dates are subject to government restrictions at the time please check updates at theboxplymouth.com before visiting)
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