POW’S IN PASSAMAQUODDY FORESTS: THE STORY AND BACKSTORY OF A WWII GERMAN POW CAMP AT MOTAHKOKMIKUK, MAINE
Between 1944 and 1946 the United States government operated a WWII German Prisoner of War (POW) camp on Passamaquoddy land at Motahkokmikuk (Indian Township), Maine. Archaeological and historical research into this little-known episode in Maine history reveals a complex story of socio-cultural relations and Indigenous territory encroachment. In this presentation, Dr. Bonnie Newsom discusses her research into the POW presence in Passamaquoddy territory highlighting the broad applicability of Indigenous archaeology methodologies.
This series is free and open to the public. Use the button below to reserve a spot and receive a link. Space is limited and available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Please email educator@abbemuseum.org with any questions.
About Dr. Bonnie Newsom:
Dr. Newsom is a member of the Penobscot Nation and an archaeologist interested in the pre-contact lifeways of Maine’s Native peoples. She is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Associate Faculty in the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. Through her research, Dr. Newsom seeks to humanize past peoples by exploring concepts of identity and human agency. Her current research centers on community-engaged archaeology, aboriginal ceramic technologies, and Maine’s shell-bearing coastal sites. Dr. Newsom’s professional history includes serving as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Penobscot Indian Nation and as Assistant Director for UMaine’s Wabanaki Center. She has a strong public service record which includes serving as Chair of the Repatriation Review Committee for the National Museum of Natural History, a member of the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission, and a Trustee for the University of Maine System. She currently serves as a commissioner for the Maine State Museum. Dr. Newsom holds a B.A. in Anthropology and an M.S. in Quaternary Studies from the University of Maine and she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She and her husband Les are both military veterans and they live in Eddington, Maine. They have four children and two grandsons.
About the Indigenous Methodologies Series: These virtual sessions will highlight the ongoing work of Native researchers and scholars. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from Indigenous people working in fields such as Ethno-botany, Educational Studies, History, and Anthropology.
