Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2014
Contact: Ryan LaFata, 757/728-5328
[email protected]
Seamus McGrann, 757/727-6841
[email protected]
Lives of Powhatan Indians Explored at Hampton History Museum
During Second Saturday Family Event on February 8
Hampton, VA- Through crafts and other hands-on activities, novice scholars of all ages
have the opportunity to experience aspects of Virginia Indian culture at the Hampton
History Museum’s free Second Saturday Family Event, themed “Life of the Powhatan
Indians,” scheduled for February 8, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
According to museum educator, Sarah Heinsman, “Virginia Indians were expert hunters,
craftsmen, and farmers. This event will give parents and children an opportunity to try
their hand at just some of the skilled work Powhatan Indians would have completed
regularly, and to learn more about what daily life was like for men, women, and children
in the Powhatan chiefdom.”
Attendees will learn the importance Virginia Indians placed on industry and self-reliance.
Take home projects include creating a bowl out of clay and learning how to make rope
-More-
Lives of Powhatan Indians Explored at Hampton History Museum During
Second Saturday Family Event on February 8- Page 2
(cordage) from dried grass (raffia). To demonstrate how a dugout canoe was made,
participants can use oyster shells as tools to assist in the hollowing-out of a burnt log.
Communal efforts continue as youngsters try their hand at gardening with Virginia Indian
farming tools made from deer bones and shells. Kids will learn about the value of
farming in Native American culture.
The Second Saturday Family Event activities are free and based onvaried themes of the
area’s culture. The program is held in the museum’s Great Hall and courtyard.
The Hampton History Museum is located at 120 Old Hampton Lane, in Hampton, VA.
There is plenty of free parking in the garage across the street. For more information call
757/727-1610, visit www.hamptonhistorymuseum.org, or follow us on Facebook and
Twitter @HamptonHistoryM.
Partially bordered by the Hampton Roads harbor and Chesapeake Bay, Hampton, with
the 344,000 sq. ft. Hampton Roads Convention Center, is located in the center of the
Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Hampton is the site of America's first continuous
English-speaking settlement and is home to such visitor attractions as the Virginia Air &
Space Center and Riverside IMAX ® Theater, Hampton History Museum, harbor tours
and cruises, Hampton University Museum, Fort Monroe, award-winning Hampton
Coliseum, The American Theatre, among others.
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Image: Detail of A map of Virginia of 1612, showing Powhatan in the royal wigwam. He wears a
crown of feathers. Engraving by Robert Vaughan. Illus. in: John Smith's, Generall Historie of
Virginia. London, 1624. Library of Congress