MDI Historical: Wabanaki Foodways & Environmental Stewardship In-Person / Online

Shell mounds—rich in clam and oyster shells, animal bones, tools, and pottery—reveal the long-term, year round presence and sophisticated stewardship of marine resources by Wabanaki people. A 1993 underwater discovery of oyster shells, dating back 9,000 years, supports evidence of ancient coastal living when sea levels were lower. Today, while warming waters are enabling the return of oysters, rising waters and storms threaten the integrity of cultural heritage sites. Preserving shell mounds and the Wabanaki knowledge they hold offers vital lessons for sustainable living in a changing world. Join Bonnie Newsom and Catherine Schmitt as they journey through thousands of years of dynamic coastal transformation and enduring human presence. Through the lens of ancient shell mounds, they will explore the sophisticated foodways, seasonal movements, and environmental stewardship of Wabanaki people, past and present. This program is based on the 2025 Chebacco article Gifts from Former Shores.

This program is a collaboration between the Northeast Harbor Library and the MDI Historical Society. It will be offered in person and via Zoom, and recorded for later viewing. If you do not receive a confirmation email after registering, please check your spam or junk folder.

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Dr. Bonnie Newsom is a member of the Penobscot Nation and an archaeologist who is interested in the pre-contact lifeways of the Wabanaki peoples. She is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Faculty Associate in the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. She and her husband Les are both military veterans, and they live in Eddington, Maine. They have four children and three grandsons. 

Catherine Schmitt is a science communication specialist with Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, and previously served as a science writer and communications director for Maine Sea Grant at the University of Maine. She is the author of the books Historic Acadia National Park, The President’s Salmon, and A Coastal Companion: A Year in the Gulf of Maine from Cape Cod to Canada, as well as articles and essays for varied publications. She lives in Bangor.