On May 19th, Stafford County Historical Society will host Dr. Lauren McMillan to present “Shell Masks and Anthropomorphic Objects among the Patawomecks”:

The word Patawomeck loosely translates as “trading center,” underscoring the importance of trade to the people and region. Through an examination of shell masks, which traveled from the Gulf Coast to eastern Tennessee, before arriving at the ancestral village of the Patawomeck people on Indian Point in Stafford County, Virginia, I will focus on the time period right before and during European contact to discuss the cultural importance of trade to the Patawomeck people.

Dr. Lauren McMillan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington where she teaches North American archaeology and general preservation courses. Her main research interest focuses on Native-Anglo interactions during the early 17th century and the interpretation of Native Virginian history in the present. She is an honorary member of the Patawomeck Tribe.

Special thanks to the Patawomeck Heritage Foundation for sponsoring this presentation!