Mishoon Burning
September 21 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT
Master mishoon maker Jonathan James-Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag) will join the Little Compton Historical Society for an artist’s residency this September. He will lead a team of Wampanoag artisans and paddlers in the making of a Wampanoag mishoon (dugout canoe) at the Little Compton Historical Society, which is located on the traditional homelands of the Sakonnet Wampanoag people. Jonathan and his team will then conduct a Reconnecting Ceremony and launch the mishoon near Squant Rock, a sacred Wampanoag site, at Sakonnet Point, and paddle the mishoon on the Sakonnet River.
The mishoon and the ceremonies surrounding it are important parts of two Historical Society projects: this year’s transportation exhibit, Little Compton Connected, and next year’s Sakonnet History Project. Upon completion, the mishoon will become a focal point in the Historical Society’s Sakonnet Wampanoag History Garden which will open to the public in late June 2025. We hope the mishoon paddling on the Sakonnet becomes an annual collaborative event.
This project is made possible through the generous support of St. Andrew’s Lodge, Rhode Island Humanities, the Little Compton Historical Society’s members and donors, and our Wampanoag and Narragansett advisors.hs
Mishoon Making
The public is invited to join Jonathan and his team during the creation of the mishoon on the Historical Society grounds, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI. The public burning times are alcohol free events and are free and open to all. Guests are welcome to picnic on the grounds.
Burning Dates: September 14, 15, 21, 22
Public Welcome: 10 AM to 4 PM
Craft with LCHS Staff: 2 PM
Master mishoon maker Jonathan James-Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag) will join the Little Compton Historical Society for an artist’s residency this September. He will lead a team of Wampanoag artisans and paddlers in the making of a Wampanoag mishoon (dugout canoe) at the Little Compton Historical Society, which is located on the traditional homelands of the Sakonnet Wampanoag people. Jonathan and his team will then conduct a Reconnecting Ceremony and launch the mishoon near Squant Rock, a sacred Wampanoag site, at Sakonnet Point, and paddle the mishoon on the Sakonnet River.
The mishoon and the ceremonies surrounding it are important parts of two Historical Society projects: this year’s transportation exhibit, Little Compton Connected, and next year’s Sakonnet History Project. Upon completion, the mishoon will become a focal point in the Historical Society’s Sakonnet Wampanoag History Garden which will open to the public in late June 2025. We hope the mishoon paddling on the Sakonnet becomes an annual collaborative event.
This project is made possible through the generous support of St. Andrew’s Lodge, Rhode Island Humanities, the Little Compton Historical Society’s members and donors, and our Wampanoag and Narragansett advisors.
Mishoon Making
The public is invited to join Jonathan and his team during the creation of the mishoon on the Historical Society grounds, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI. The public burning times are alcohol free events and are free and open to all. Guests are welcome to picnic on the grounds.
Public Welcome: 10 AM to 4 PM
Craft with LCHS Staff: 2 PM