Wabanaki people (Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Nations) have a long and rich history of engagement with diverse bird species. Birdsfigure prominently in Wabanaki oral traditions and they are routinely visible in archaeological contexts throughout the region. This presentation explores the relationship between birds and Wabanaki people through a blended discussion of oral narratives and archaeological evidence. Dr. Newsom will highlight the cultural and practical roles of birds in Wabanaki lifeways and discuss how the human/bird relationship can inform our understanding of past ecologies.

Dr. Bonnie Newsom is a member of the Penobscot Nation and an archaeologist interested in the pre-contact lifeways of Wabanaki peoples. She is an Associate 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 archaeologies, aboriginal ceramic technologies, climate change, and 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 former Chair of the Repatriation Review Committee for the National Museum of Natural History and as a former member of the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission. She and her husband Les are both military veterans and they live in Eddington, Maine. They have four children and three grandsons.