Colonial Maine Indians and their French Allies
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Ellen CowieMARK YOUR CALENDAR

The Indians whom the Pilgrims befriended in Massachusetts often come to mind at this time of year. But Native Americans living in Northern New England are shrouded in mystery. Find out more at the Old Berwick Historical Society on Thursday November 21, 2013. (Click title for full info) 

 

At an upcoming lecture sponsored by the Old Berwick Historical Society, Dr. Ellen Cowie will discuss the French in Maine during the 16th through 18th centuries with a particular emphasis on the Wabanaki village of Norridgewock.  The archaeological information from this site has provided rich insight into the history of one Native American community located on the embattled frontier of French, English and Wabanaki colonial America.

Entitled, “The French and Wabanaki in Maine: The View from Norridgewock,” Cowie’s talk will be Thursday, November 21, at 7:30 pm at Berwick Academy's Jeppesen Science Center on Academy Street. The public is invited, and refreshments will be served by volunteers.

The program is the concluding lecture in the historical society’s 2013 series marking the 300thanniversary of Berwick’s formation, when it separated from Kittery in 1713. Monthly historical talks and walks have been presented under grants from Kennebunk Savings and the Maine Humanities Council. 

 Cowie is the president and co-director of the Northeast Archaeology Research Center, located in Farmington, Maine. 

She started her career in northeastern archaeology in 1983 at Munsungun Lake in northern Maine and Fort Pentagoet in Castine while an undergraduate student at University of Maine.  She became the director of the University of Maine at Farmington Archaeology Research Center in 1997. 

Cowie received her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2002.  Her dissertation research focused on the Contact period Norridgewock villages in Maine – when Europeans and Indians encountered each other during 17th century.  Her recent research focuses on riverine adaptations with an emphasis on the adoption of maize horticulture by native peoples in northern New England. 

The Old Berwick Historical Society's website, www.oldberwick.org, offers more information on 17th century local history, including Native Americans.  More information on the Counting House Museum and all the Old Berwick Historical Society's programs is available on the Web site or  by calling (207) 384-0000.