Honoring History: Celebrating the Wampanoag and the True Story of Thanksgiving

This year, let’s go beyond the traditional turkey and teach our children about the essential role of the Wampanoag people, who taught the settlers how to fish, plant, and thrive. We can honor their culture and history through three engaging and educational crafts:

1. Crafting Wampanoag Headbands (New Craft!)

Making a simple, beautiful headband is a fantastic way for children to connect with the Native American traditions of dress and ceremony.

What You’ll Need:

• Construction Paper or Cardstock: Brown, black, or natural colors for the band.

• Craft Feathers: Assorted colors and sizes.

• Tape or Glue

• Markers, Crayons, or Stickers: For decoration.

• Optional: Small beads or natural elements like small twigs.

How To Make It:

1. Measure the Band: Cut a long strip of paper or cardstock wide enough to fit comfortably around your child’s head (approximately 2 inches wide).

2. Decorate: Encourage your child to decorate the band with colors and designs. Discuss how Native Americans used natural dyes and materials for clothing and decoration.

3. Attach Feathers: Secure 3-5 craft feathers vertically to the back or side of the band using strong tape or glue.

4. Fit and Secure: Measure the band around your child’s head and either staple or glue the ends together to fit snugly.

2. Making Meaningful Necklaces

Beads, shells, and jewelry were highly significant in Wampanoag culture, often used for status, decoration, and trade. We can mimic this by making our own colorful, patterned necklaces.

• Action: Encourage children to string their beads or pasta pieces in repeating color patterns.

• Learning Connection: Discuss how Wampanoag women often created wampum beads from shells, which were a valuable form of currency and decoration.

🧶 Ready to make this craft? We have a full tutorial on How to Dye Pasta and Make Fun Necklaces! Check out the step-by-step instructions on our blog to create the perfect colorful “beads” for this project!

3. Creating a Celebration Drum

Drums are central to many Native American celebrations and spiritual life, used to accompany songs and dances. Creating a drum allows children to explore rhythm and connect with the history of the land.

• Action: After building the drum, encourage children to listen to Native American drumming (with parental supervision) and try to copy the beat.

• Learning Connection: Explain that for the Wampanoag, the drum often represents the heartbeat of the Mother Earth.

🥁 Ready to make some noise? Get the complete step-by-step tutorial for our sturdy, laced DIY Tom-Tom Drum Craft on our blog!