Pamunkey Indian Tribe Museum
Encyclopedia
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe Museum is a museum in King William
, Virginia
, United States
, that holds information on the Pamunkey
people, their history and way of life.
The museum was built in 1979 with the aim of preserving the people's inherited identity. When it was built, the intent was to show the houses of the ancient Pamunkey. It now displays ca. 12,000 years of Indian artifacts that represent the Pamunkey people's history from the Ice Age
to the present.
The museum has followed a display model combining replicas with original artifacts in order to provide a full and authentic view of the tribe's lifestyle. It is mainly the work of Warren Cook, an anthropologist, and Errett Callahan
, an experimental archaeologist. Callahan was mainly responsible for the replicas. He also collected many of the artifacts.
The several pavilions composing the museum start with the Ice Age, and all archaeological timeframes until the present. In "People", the ornaments displayed show the way of life of the Pamunkeys at that time. Natural Environment and Settlement show the dwelling places, whereas Subsistence exhibits the tools they used and how they survived. These four themes show up in this order in each archaeological time frame, and are color-coded blue, green, yellow, and red respectively, in order to assist the visitor in moving with ease from one era to the other.
The museum also hosts a gift shop where visitors can buy handcrafted items crafted by the Pamunkey people. In particular, pottery is made using old techniques and the clay used is dug exclusively in the Pamunkey River
.
King William, Virginia
King William is a census-designated place in and the county seat of King William County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 252. Located in King William is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the United States, built in 1725...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, that holds information on the Pamunkey
Pamunkey
The Pamunkey nation are one of eleven Virginia Indian tribes recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The historical tribe was part of the Powhatan paramountcy, made up of Algonquian-speaking tribes. The Powhatan paramount chiefdom was made up over 30 tribes, estimated to total about...
people, their history and way of life.
The museum was built in 1979 with the aim of preserving the people's inherited identity. When it was built, the intent was to show the houses of the ancient Pamunkey. It now displays ca. 12,000 years of Indian artifacts that represent the Pamunkey people's history from the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
to the present.
The museum has followed a display model combining replicas with original artifacts in order to provide a full and authentic view of the tribe's lifestyle. It is mainly the work of Warren Cook, an anthropologist, and Errett Callahan
Errett Callahan
Errett Callahan is an American archaeologist, flintknapper, and pioneer in the fields of experimental archaeology and lithic replication studies.-Early life:...
, an experimental archaeologist. Callahan was mainly responsible for the replicas. He also collected many of the artifacts.
The several pavilions composing the museum start with the Ice Age, and all archaeological timeframes until the present. In "People", the ornaments displayed show the way of life of the Pamunkeys at that time. Natural Environment and Settlement show the dwelling places, whereas Subsistence exhibits the tools they used and how they survived. These four themes show up in this order in each archaeological time frame, and are color-coded blue, green, yellow, and red respectively, in order to assist the visitor in moving with ease from one era to the other.
The museum also hosts a gift shop where visitors can buy handcrafted items crafted by the Pamunkey people. In particular, pottery is made using old techniques and the clay used is dug exclusively in the Pamunkey River
Pamunkey River
The Pamunkey River is a tributary of the York River, about long, in eastern Virginia in the United States. Via the York River it is part of the watershed of Chesapeake Bay.-Course:...
.