Wednesdays, Mar. 2-23, 2011; 3pm-5pm
Blue Hill Public Library, Howard Room
Facilitator: William Haviland

Native people have been living in this region for 11,000 years and are still present today. We will discuss the way that native people were living at the dawn of recorded history. We will look at artifacts and discuss the methods of archaeological analysis. Examination of the history of the “Red Paint People” will afford us a case history which contrasts scientific understanding with popular stereotypes of these ancient people. The European invasion of the region created vast changes among native peoples. We will discuss these historical events and the native reaction to this change. Finally we will examine native peoples today: their situation and their concerns.

William Haviland is Professor Emeritus at the University of Vermont, where he found the Department of Anthropology. Since his retirement, he has written a series of newspaper articles and three books on Indians of Deer Isle. He has served on the Deer Isle Conservation Commission, and is past President of the Island Heritage Trust. Currently he is on the boards of the Abbe Museum and the Deer Isle-Stonington Historical Society.