The Patawomeck living history village returns to the Central Rappahannock Regional Library from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, at the Salem Church Branch, 2607 Salem Church Rd..
Travel back in time to the year 1608, as local Patawomeck tribe members transform the library grounds into their village as it was when when Captain John Smith sailed up the Rappahannock.
“We take great pride in bringing history to life by creating actual experiences for people,” said Patawomeck Chief John Lightner. “You get a taste of the real thing.”
At the Patawomeck living history village, you can:
Dream about paddling down the Rappahannock to your favorite fishing spot, while sitting in a 13-foot, hand-carved canoe.
Play a handmade leather drum and dance with tribe members.
Learn how the inventors of barbeque roasted fish and smoked venison by watching them do it over an open fire. And yes, barbeque really was invented by the Patawomecks!
See artifacts that experts from the College of William & Mary have determined to be 6,000 – 10,000 years old.
Learn the mechanical engineering that makes a handmade, wooden rabbit trap work.
Create your own headdress with feathers and beads.
Sit inside a longhouse, and imagine you’ve time traveled to your new home.
Remove dried corn from the cob, and pound it into cornmeal in a handmade corncrib
Have your picture made with tribe members in full regalia, including Chief John Lightner and a Pocahontas reenactor. Pocahontas was indeed a member of the local tribe.
Watch animal skins being tanned, and give it a go yourself.
Try using replicas of everyday objects, such as a bone hatchet, musical instruments, or a gourd water jug.
Learn how an eel basket works. The Patawomecks are one of the last tribes who know how to weave them, and some of their baskets are preserved in the Smithsonian.
