Information, lesson plans, and activities inform students about
life among the Woodland Indians who lived in this area and prepare them for the museum traveling program On
the Abenaki Trail.
Documents are in PDF format unless otherwise specified. They require Adobe®
Acrobat® or the free utility
Adobe®
Reader®.
Rachel Meloon fashioned this belt of linen and dyed porcupine
quills while an Abenaki captive in Canada between 1754 and 1763. Her friend Peter Kimball, for whom she made the
belt, reportedly wore it during the Battle of Bennington in 1777. The artifact is on display at the New Hamsphire Historical Society's museum.
Abenaki Names and Signatures:
Classroom Activity
The document briefly describes naming practices of New England Indians and shows samples of the marks they used
as signatures in dealings with Europeans. Students are then invited to create their own marks to serve as signatures.
Abenakis Before Contact: Different
Worlds Meet
In this classroom lesson, students study how Native
Americans—specifically, Abenaki—lived before contact with Europeans. Also, they learn how Europeans changed Native
American life. [HTML
Version]
Circle of Life - The Abenaki Calendar:
Classroom Activity
Students study a Native American calendar, adapted from one designed by Jeanne A. Brink, then create a personal
calendar using a template provided.
Conflict and Culture: Rachel
Meloon's Belt
This document presents a photograph of a belt made by Rachel Meloon along with brief background information about
the capture of the youngster and her family by Abenaki Indians in 1754. The belt's material and decorative design
indicate the strong influence the Abenakis had on the girl during her nine years' captivity. As an exercise, students
are invited to draw two of the decorative patterns they find in the belt and make guesses about what they symbolize.
Dugout Canoes
Less well known than the birchbark canoe, the dugout canoe was also an important vehicle for transportation among
Native Americans. This document describes how dugout canoes were used and how they were made.
Fishing
The importance of this activity to Indians of the Northeast and some of the techniques are described and
illustrated.
Food Drying: Classroom Activity
Procedures for drying common Native American foods are described.
Grinding Corn: The Mortar and
Pestle
This document shows mortars and pestles used to grind corn and illustrates a technique for wielding a pestle.
Hunting and Stalking: Classroom Activity
Native American attitudes toward hunting are emphasized. The document includes an outdoor game in which students
practice the art of stalking.
The French, the Indians, and the
English: Trouble in Colonial New Hampshire (slides)
[READ
ME: Information about viewing slide shows.]
What role did New Hampshire play in the six wars England
fought with France and Native Americans of the Northeast? This presentation briefly discusses reasons for enmity
that the French and the Native Americans felt toward English settlers. It then traces the impact of Indian raids
on New Hampshire during a century of continual war. The program provides background information for the traveling
programs Redcoats and Rebels and New Hampshire Goes to War. [2.8 MB]
On the Abenaki Trail:
Background and Objectives
This brief background prepares teachers for the museum's outreach program On the Abenaki Trail. The document
also includes a list of the materials that comprise the standard pre-visit packet sent to schools—most of which
are available through this site.
On the Abenaki Trail:
Reading List
This is an annotated list of materials for teachers.
The Spoken Word: Familiar Words
and Placenames
Students are reminded of a few of the common words we owe to the branch of the Algonquin language spoken by the
Abenaki. Also, a list of Native New England place names is provided, along with the meanings in English.
Some Wild Plants Used by New England
Indians
This brief list explains how each plant was used and how it was prepared.
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