NEW ENGLAND INDIAN WHALING HISTORIES

“Around the World:  Mashpee Wampanoag Whaling in the Nineteenth Century," presented by Nancy Shoemaker.



Native American history scholar Nancy Shoemaker will discuss some of the fascinating experiences of Mashpee Wampanoag whalemen in the nineteenth century - highlighting the success Wampanoag whalers achieved despite the challenges they faced daily, considering how difficult, how risky, and how dangerous it was to work in the whaling trade.

The presentation will include ship logs written by Mashpee Indians, maps, listings of Mashpee whalers, and much more!

This presentation is part of the "Mashpee Indian Whalers" exhibit at the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum in Mashpee, running September 14 through November 1.
Nancy Shoemaker, professor of history at the University of Connecticut, is the editor of Living With Whales:  Documents and Oral Histories of Native New England Whaling History, which will be published by the University of Massachusetts Press later this year.  She's already at work on her next book about Native American Whalemen as world travelers in the 19th century.  She is the author of American Indian Population Recovery in the Twentieth Century and editor of Negotiators of Change:  Historical Perspectives on Native American Women, Clearing a Path:  Theorizing the Past in Native American Studies, and American Indians.  At UConn, Professor Shoemaker's areas of specialty include American Indian History and Maritime History.