Ceremonial Stonework: The Enduring Native American Presence on the Land

203B Arcadia Road,Hopkinton RI 02832

11 May, 2022

Description

Is that a stone serpent?! This photo presentation and outdoor weekend walk will intrigue your curiosity about ceremonial stonework. This slideshow takes the audience on an extended walk through the woods to see the ceremonial stonework left behind by the indigenous population that occupied New England for 12,000 years. Native Americans built nearly two dozen distinct types of stone structures in our area, ranging from cairns to stone serpent effigies, and these spiritual offerings remain standing in now long abandoned woods. While Native American stonework is widely recognized out west and to the south, New England’s stonework remains obscure, having blended back into the woods. This slideshow, from the book by the same name, comes from photographs of over 8000 objects and ceremonial sites in North Stonington, CT. Presenter Mark Starr "is a documentary photographer and author of a dozen books on topics ranging from North Stonington dairy farms to commercial fishing to building a Greenland kayak, including his most recent volume, “Ceremonial Stonework: The Enduring Native American Presence on the Land.” He has made stone wall research a hobby — make that obsession — spending countless hours poring over maps, hiking hundreds of miles to remote locations throughout the region, and taking thousands of photographs." -The Day Published December 23. 2021 12:01AM | Updated December 23. 2021 7:50AM, By Steve Fagin "Off to a rocky start in North Stonington" Registration is required, space is limited for this free event. The slideshow presentation will be Wednesday, 6:30pm, May 11th at WPWA in Hope Valley, RI. The outdoor walk to see ceremonial stonework will be 9 -11am on Saturday May 14th (rain date Sunday the 15th) in North Stonington, CT. Location to be announced with registration confirmation email. Terrain is moderately hilly. We will be walking both on and off trails and a walking stick is advised. This event is part of a series hosted by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council to promote the outstandingly remarkable values for which the watershed earned its prestigious national Wild and Scenic Rivers designation. The top photo is a serpent effigy... see the snake?! Image above is a stone cairn, and below is a stone enclosure. Let your imagination and curiosity escalate.