All About Wampum

 In 20th century slang, the word wampum was commonly used to denote money along with such terms as loot, moolah, and even clams, a far cry from what it meant to Native Americans who used wampum to foster spiritual and social bonds among the Native communities.  The fascinating story of wampum will be told at a special Wampum Demonstration & Talk with Annawon Weeden, from the Mashpee/ Wampanoag tribe on Saturday, May 19, at the Institute for American Indian Studies. 

About Wampum

Wampum is composed of white and purple beads and discs fashioned from two different shells.  The white beads are made from the whelk, a sea snail and the purple beads are made from a quahog.  These shells are found in the ocean water south of Cape Cod to New York, with an abundance of them in Long Island Sound.  

The shells were harvested in the warm summer months. After the meat was eaten, the shells were drilled and polished.  A hole was pierced through the shell so they could be strung on strings made from plant fibers or animal tendons.  Typically tubular in shape, the beads were then woven into belts, necklaces, headpieces, bracelets, earrings and other adornments. The beads were even used at day-long games with the winners taking the wampum bounty.

The color of the beads had meaning for the Algonquians.  The white beads represented purity and light and were used as gifts to mark important events like births and marriages. The purple beads represented serious events like war or death.  The combination of these beads represented the duality of the world, light, and darkness, man, and woman, life, and death.

Wampum Today & The Workshop

Today, Native artists and culture bearers continue to craft wampum jewelry and use wampum belts to record tribal history.  At this workshop on May 19 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington participants will learn about the significance of wampum and how it continues to provide a social and spiritual bong among Native communities.   A highlight of this workshop will be to watch the remarkable process of how wampum is made while listening to the stories the beads tell as they are strung.

The Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.
The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans; the focus is on stewardship and preservation.  This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages.

Mother's Day Perfumes and Powders Workshop for Kids @ Wilton Historical Society

On May 12 from  11 am to 12:30 pm the Wilton Historical Society located on 224 Danbury Road in Wilton is hosting a special perfumes and powders workshop for kids. 

In this program, Museum Educator Lola Chen will introduce kids to the world of perfumes and powders, including the story of Angelique, or the "Skunk Works" of Wilton (more below!). The workshop project is to create a fragrant, fizzing bath "bomb" - perfect for Mom!  Children will also help prepare a healthy snack.

According to the Perfume Society "Perfume's fascinating trail leads us from Ancient Egypt to Ancient Greece, to Rome - where rosewater played in fountains - and up to France, where Louis XIV's court was known as 'la cour parfumée', with the king demanding a different fragrance for every single day

Modern' perfumery, though, was born in the late 19th Century - with the creation of synthetic ingredients, and the dawn of great names like Coty, Guerlain, Roger & Gallet. Along came Coco Chanel, and No. 5 - and 'designer' perfumes were firmly on the map.

And it was Estée Lauder, in America in the 1950s, who with Youth Dew started the trend for wearing perfume as an everyday pleasure, rather than a just-for-special-occasions luxury. (Actually, Mrs. Lauder's blockbuster began as a bath oil - something women didn't feel guilty about buying for themselves.)" 

Did you know?

Angelique, or the "Skunk Works" was one of Wilton's most unique businesses, located at 93 Old Ridgefield Road. Founded in 1946, Angelique's perfumes and soaps were sold in specialty shops and featured in publications such as Life magazine. The company also employed marketing stunts - in one instance using a blower to waft aromas across Wilton Center. In 1962 the company was bought out by their competitor, Hazel Bishop. Angelique closed a year later. 

Visit the new exhibition "Connecticut's History, Wilton's Story" at the Wilton Historical Society to see Angelique perfume and soap.

Wellness Walk @ Weir Farm May 20

On Sunday, May 20 from 9 am to 11 am, Weir Farm in Wilton is offering a wellness walk through Shinrin Yoku Forest.  This walk is part of the park's Healthy Parks Healthy People program. The wellness walk will be lead by Certified Forest Therapy Guide Jennifer Salkin.

Shinrin Yoku, also called Forest Bathing, is a way to experience the natural world with increased attention to one's sense perceptions, and has many benefits including: reduces stress & improves immune functioning, lowers blood pressure, increases vigor & improves mood, increases the ability to focus, improves sleep. Join Jennifer for a slow-paced hike and re-connect with nature at Weir Farm National Historic Site!

Registration: Registration is free, but space is limited to twenty participants, so please call early to secure a spot! To register or for more information, please call 203-834-1896 ext. 28.

Copps Island Luau & Blessing of the Seaport Ferry

Have you ever tasted raw clams and oysters fresh off an oyster boat, visited a 4th generation oyster farm or witnessed the blessing of a fleet of boats?  Get ready for an unforgettable way to experience our shoreline at the Seaport Association's Copps Island Oyster Luau on May 19, 2018, from 6 pm to 8 pm at one of Connecticut's most revered oyster companies, Norm Bloom & Son Oyster Farm in Norwalk.

Tracing its origins back centuries to Mediterranean fishing villages, the annual Blessing of the Fleet ceremony hosted by the Seaport Association is based on a tradition meant to ensure a safe and bountiful season for the area's commercial fishing community as well as for the Seaport's vessel, C. J. Toth, that offers cruises to Sheffield Island from May through September. 

Over the years, the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony has evolved into a variety of festivities hosted by the Seaport Association and this year's new event, Copp's Island Luau promises a night of good food and drink among friends, old and new.  This New England style Luau has been organized to celebrate the treasures of our Connecticut coastline... clams and oysters!  The event will be held on Copps Island at Norm Bloom and Son, a fourth-generation family owned farm that provides some of the freshest and most luscious oysters and clams that you will ever taste! 

The fun doesn't stop there!  Expect to enjoy the tropical sounds of a ukulele trio, savor island-themed hors-d'oeuvres, and sip on beer and wine.  The Seaport Association has even concocted "one" special tropical drink, called "Tropical Grace" to salute the "Grace P. Lowndes Oyster Boat. All of this is included in the cost of the ticket that helps to raise funds for the programs of the Seaport Association that include the preservation of our maritime heritage, the environment of Long Island Sound and to help children experience the 150-year-old Sheffield Lighthouse.  So, pull out your most colorful Hawaiian shirt and join in the fun!

This unique experience is limited to only 200 special guests so be sure to get your ticket early as this event is expected to be a complete sellout.  Tickets are $75 online before May 6 and $85 after May 7, and, at the door if space permits. This event welcomes adults 21 and up only.  For Tickets click here. And, after this fantastically fun event, there is still time to explore all that Norwalk has to offer.

About the Seaport Association

Formed in 1978 by a group of local citizens the Seaport Association offers a cultural, environmental, and historical journey to the Norwalk Islands.  The Sheffield Island Lighthouse and the Light Keeper's Cottage provide a unique historical and educational landmark that strives to increase awareness, appreciation, and consideration of our environment and how the preservation of historic buildings and nature contribute to our quality of life.

It is our belief that preservation strengthens the perpetual partnership between the past, present, and future. As an Association, we are dedicated in our efforts to preserve our maritime heritage, the environment of Long Island Sound, and helping children experience our 150-year-old lighthouse on Sheffield Island.

About Copps Island Oysters

Norm Bloom and Son founded in 1994 have spent countless hours on the water doing what they love most, harvesting and farming oysters.  The Bloom family has been involved in the oyster business since the 1940s and today, Norm Bloom and Sons is one of the largest oyster farms on the east coast.

With an eye to the future, Norm Bloom and Sons have teamed up with marine biologists and local oystermen to preserve Long Island Sound in order to create a sustainable breeding and farming environment for the shellfish industry.  

Chowda Meet & Eat - May 24!

On the heels of Yankee Magazine recently naming Chowdafest one of “8 New England Events You Can't-Miss This Summer”, Chowdafest announces their own “not to miss” event. For the first time, Chowdafest, presented by Stop & Shop, will allow a limited number of passionate foodies and fans of the event, to get a sneak peek into some of the new restaurants and chefs competing this fall. “We call it a “meet & eat,” said Jim Keenan, executive director of Chowdafest. “Only 100 fans will get to sample new chowders, soups & bisque from outstanding chefs & restaurants new to the competition. It's a great opportunity to meet the chefs and gain some insight on how they hope to win this fall”

The VIP Meet & Eat” Sneak Peak takes place Thursday, May 24^th at Aitoro's Appliance in Norwalk, one of the premier appliance stores in CT that features over 20 state of the art kitchens. The event starts at 6pm and ends at 8pm and includes a raw bar of clams & oysters compliments of Copps Island Oysters, the official oyster of Chowdafest. Attendees get to enjoy unlimited sampling of at least twelve new chowders, soups and bisque being entered this fall by the likes of Hale & Hearty's from New York, Partner's Cafe in Norwalk, 190 Main of Westport and MCK Gourmet of Shelton. Enjoy beer, wine or sip on “cowtails” from The Farmers Cow as well as pies from 27-time award winning Michele's Pies!

This unique opportunity benefits Food Rescue US, Chowdafest's Official Charity in the ongoing fight against food insecurity. SAVE $10 by getting your tickets before 5/10. Tickets are available now online at $75 ($65 with savings) at: http://www.chowdafest.org/meet-and-eat. This event is expected to sell out quickly and is limited to just 100 tickets.

Tracing Native American Genealogy @ Institute for American Indian Studies

These days there are many ways to trace one’s ancestral roots -- from DNA kits to massive websites; but sometimes insider knowledge can save a person a great deal of time and aggravation.   This is especially true for tracing one’s Native American ancestry. To start your voyage of discovery or to get past a research hump, join Jeanne Morningstar Kent to learn how to trace your Native American heritage on May 12, at the Institute of American Indian Studies in Washington Connecticut, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Tracing Native American genealogy can be tricky because there are very few official records about early Native Americans.  Morningstar is an enrolled member of the Nulhegan Band, Coosuk-Abenaki of Vermont, and descended from Nipissing, Montagnais, and the Algonquin People from the Quebec area of Canada, making her uniquely qualified to help you navigate the somewhat complicated ways of tracing your Native American ancestry.

Participants in this workshop will learn the best places to begin research, which can be a fascinating and rewarding process.  The focus of this workshop will be most helpful for people tracing Native Ancestors in New England and Quebec, Canada.  “This talk is geared to New England and Quebec because it is based on my own genealogy work for myself and my father’s family.  This is what I am most familiar with.  I am currently working on another family line that is in the Midwest and southern states, so I will be able to answer some questions regarding pursuing non Native research in those areas,” says Morningstar.

Highlights of this program are the helpful hints that Morningstar will share to make your research easier.  Some hints will be places to find information and how to recognize Native names even though they sound like Christian names.

Based on the successful research of her own Native American ancestry, Morningstar will provide essential information on the best techniques for tracing your Native past. “Anyone who has heard family stories about an ancestor being Native with possible roots from Canada will be most interested in what I cover.  I am open to answering whatever genealogy questions I can as I am now pursuing my mother’s side of the family, which is not Native and primarily requires research in the Midwest and southern states of the USA.  It is different.

This workshop, Moccasin Tracks: Native American Genealogy with Jeanne Morningstar Kent is expected to sell out and reservations are required. Call 860-868-0518 or email general@iaismuseum.org to reserve your place.  Adults are $15, Seniors $13, Children are $11 and members of IAIS are $5.

The Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.

The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans; the focus is on stewardship and preservation.  This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages.

Before the Bow and Arrow: Atlatl Workshop

When people think of Native American weapons, bows and arrows are usually the first thing that springs to mind and with good reason. Just about every tribe had some form of a bow and arrow that was used for hunting or warfare, and sometimes for both. Before the bow and arrow, Native Americans used something called an Atlatl for hunting and fishing. To learn more about this ancient technology and to make and throw your own atlatl, The Institute for American Indian Studies is hosting a very special workshop, Before the Bow and Arrow: Atlatl, on May 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Gary Nolf, past president of the World Atlatl Association.

About the Atlatl

An atlatl is one of humankind's first mechanical inventions that preceded the bow and arrow in most parts of the world. Basically, an atlatl is an ancient type of a spear thrower that was used to throw a spear farther and faster towards the quarry. The word atlatl comes from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs who were using them when the Spanish arrived in the 1500s.

According to the World Atlatl Association, early people in the Americas used atlatls to hunt mammoths and mastodons around 11,000 years B.C. Much later, a variety of atlatl types were used in different parts of North America. Many of the large stone projectile points found in North American sites were used with atlatl darts and not arrowheads. Atlatls continued to be used alongside bows and arrows by many Native Americans. Experimentation through the years taught Naive American hunters that by using a spear throwing stick, or atlatl and using a whip-like action to release the spear the weapon would go a greater distance and have a deeper penetration.

Atlatls were used to fish and to hunt large and small game animals. Typically the projectile point of the spearhead was made of hard stone such as flint that was made by a Native American flintknapper. The spearhead was attached to a wooden shaft made of hardwood such as ash, hickory, oak, cedar, walnut or birch. The spear measured about 4 feet long and the atlatl thrower measured about two feet long and was typically made of wood or antler. In time, an atlatl weight was added to the spear thrower as a counter-balance and good luck charm to help the hunter hit his quarry. The spear holder was retained after the spear was thrown and sometimes a leather thong was attached to help the thrower retain it.

The Workshop

Participants in the atlatl workshop will learn the history of the atlatl and how there were used by Native Americans. Under the guidance of atlatl expert Gary Nolf, you will learn about the different designs of this ancient weapon before making your own atlatl and dart.

If you like to make things with your hands and test your skills, then this workshop is for you. A highlight of the day is the test of your workmanship and skill in a just for fun atlatl throwing competition! If you become an atlatl fan, you might want to compete atlatl competitions that are held worldwide!

This workshop ($13 seniors, $15 adults, $11 children, $5 IAIS members) is expected to sell out so make sure to reserve your space by calling 860-868-0518 or emailing general@iaismuseum.org. Please note that an adult must accompany participants under the age of 18.

The Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village. Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518. The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans, the focus is on stewardship and preservation. This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages.

New IMAX Movie @ Maritime Aquarium Norwalk

Celebrate the wonders of nature that we can find right outside our own homes – if we would just put down our devices – in “Backyard Wilderness,” a gorgeous new IMAX^®  at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

In The Maritime Aquarium’s 30-year history, “Backyard Wilderness” may be the IMAX movie that is most relevant to Aquarium audiences – and not only because the movie was filmed just over the state line in Westchester County, N.Y. The movie shows how we are so absorbed in the digital realm that we overlook a menagerie of real wildlife right outside our back door, including deer, coyotes, wood ducks, frogs, salamanders, raccoons, hummingbirds and more.

Through June 29, show times are 11 a.m. and 1 & 3 p.m. Times will change June 30.
It will play in the largest IMAX Theater in Connecticut, with a screen that’s six stories high and eight stories wide. But there’s more to the movie than just the IMAX format’s enormous scale, image clarity and surround sound. “Backyard Wilderness” captures the beauty of a suburban wilderness in rare intimacy – with IMAX cameras mounted inside dens and nests, moving along forest floor and pond bottom, and (through time-lapse and slow-motion) revealing marvels of nature unavailable to the human eye.

The story of “Backyard Wilderness” follows a young girl and her modern family, who are blind to the real-life spectacle around them; who instead are absorbed by an array of electronic devices in their busy lives. When the girl gradually discovers the intricate secrets that nature has hidden so close to her front door, audiences experience the joy she finds in her interactions with this new world.

The film reminds us that Wi-Fi is not the only connection that matters and that, sometimes, in ordinary places, you can uncover extraordinary things that can transform you forever – you just need to step outside.

Educators can find classroom resources and learn how the movie can help to fulfill U.S. Next Generation Science Standards at www.backyardwildernessfilm.com.

“Backyard Wilderness” is an SK Films release of an Arise Media/Archipelago Films production. Based in Ossining, N.Y., Archipelago Films was created by Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-Award-winning filmmakers Susan Todd and Andrew Young. Their non-profit company, Arise Media, was formed to make innovative media about the most urgent social and environmental challenges facing the planet, and to inspire a new appreciation for our own interconnected role in nature.

Get more information about “Backyard Wilderness,” watch the trailer, buy tickets and more at www.maritimeaquarium.org.

“Because the movie was filmed in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., its geography and animal life will be familiar to anyone in Connecticut and eastern New York who has ever walked in a forest park – or their own wooded backyard,” said Aquarium spokesman Dave Sigworth. “But the movie lets us see into these animals’ lives in intimate ways – which is a neat trick: creating an intimate feeling on a six-story screen.”

Ellen Moon: A Sense of Place” @ Sharon Historical Society

Sharon Historical Society & Museum announces the opening on May 12 in Gallery SHS of a solo exhibition of artwork by local artist Ellen Moon titled “Ellen Moon: A Sense of Place.” An opening wine and hors-d'oeuvres reception to which the public is invited free of charge will be held on Saturday, May 12 from 5:00 to 7:00PM.  The show will run through June 22.  A portion of all purchases supports the Sharon Historical Society & Museum’s mission.

Ellen Moon, a resident of Cornwall, is a versatile and accomplished artist.  She received a BA in art from Connecticut College and an MA in drawing and MFA in Multimedia from The University of Iowa.  As she describes when asked, “I am an artist because it is in my nature to be so. A cat hunts, a bird flies—I make stuff. Just can’t help it.”  Ms. Moon’s work has three strands—fiber, watercolors, and costumes.  The strands are interlaced by her love of the natural world.  The centerpiece of this exhibition at Gallery SHS will be Ellen Moon’s “365Days”, a series of plein air field paintings which is a monumental achievement of watercolor jewels, painted in one field over the course of 365 days.  

Ralph Waldo Emerson was on the same page as Ms. Moon, albeit some time earlier, when he said “To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and, in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again.”  The exhibition of “365 Days” will be complemented by additional work in various media, sizes and subjects from Ms. Moon’s expansive body of work.  Moon’s work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions over more than three decades throughout the area and beyond, including several group shows at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum.

Gallery SHS is located at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum, 18 Main Street, Route 41, Sharon, CT.  The gallery and museum are open Saturday from 10-2 and Wednesday through Friday from 12-4, and by appointment. For more information and directions to Gallery SHS, call (860) 364-5688, email director@sharonhist.org, or visit www.sharonhist.org.