For the first time in at least 200 years, a traditional Wampanoag canoe, or mishoon, is being made in Sakonnet, now more commonly known as Little Compton.

Jonathan James-Perry, an Aquinnah Wampanoag artisan, is creating the canoe during his artist’s residency at the Little Compton Historical Society. Jonathan and his team, which includes his cousins, brothers Andrew and Michael DeVito, also Aquinnah Wampanoags, are using a combination of traditional and contemporary techniques to complete the mishoon in time for its September 28 launch and paddle on the Sakonnet River. 

A 16-foot white pine log from Guerney’s Saw Mill in Freetown arrived at the Historical Society early Saturday morning, delivered by a long-time friend of Jonathan’s, Greg Masiello of Masiello Construction. Jonathan estimates that the Sakonnet Mishoon is his 50th dug-out canoe. It is Andrew’s ninth project and Michael’s first. Michael was given the honor of lighting the first fire.

Learning from elders and teaching the next generation is an integral part this and other mishoon making projects, as are family connections and friendships. Marlene Lopez, a Mashpee Wampanpoag elder, drove from the Cape Saturday morning to bless the log before its transformation began. Jonathan’s wife Leah Hopkins, Narragansett, is the manager of Museum Education and Programs at the Haffenreffer Museum, and has been active in the planning and preparations for the Sakonnet Mishoon project. The couple was joined by their three children throughout the first weekend of the mishoon burning. They were also joined by a constant stream of family and friends who mingled with Historical Society Board members, staff and members, as well as Little Compton residents and members of other local tribal communities.

It is an honor for me to repay my predecessors, teachers and elders by representing our people accurately,” James-Perry said. “Showing the complexity o Wampanoag society and its scientific advancement to the greater public is one small way to ensure respect, inclusion and space for indigenous youth, and the future generations of our people in our lands and in modern society. It is also important for me as a holder of traditional knowledge to ensure younger members of our nations learn and become the teachers of the future. I am very grateful to Andrew DeVito and Michael DeVito and Jared James for assisting on this wholesome endeavor.”

The mishoon making will continue this coming Saturday and Sunday, and the public is invited to come by and take part from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Also, there will also be a special ‘night burn’ Saturday evening from 7 to 10 p.m., with songs provided by “Kingfisher.”

On Sunday there will be an Autumnal Equinox celebration and guests of all ages will make traditional crafts including a wampum pendant, corn husk dolls, and painted deerskin bracelets with a team of Wampanoag educators led by Darius Coombs, a Mashpee Wampanoag. There will also be a game of Wampanoag football. At 2:30 p.m., Linda Coombs, Aquinnah Wampanoag, will discuss her new book, “Colonization and the Wampanoag Story” at a signing and author’s talk. Copies of the book are available, and all events are free to attend and open to the public.

Weather permitting, Jonathan and a team of experienced paddlers will launch the new mishoon from Squant Rock on Lloyd’s Beach at Sakonnet Point at approximately 10 a.m. Saturday, September 28. Squant Rock is a sacred place for the Wampanoag people, and it is a tradition to offer Squant gifts before a journey. The launch will include a Reconnecting Ceremony and a paddle into Sakonnet Harbor. The public is welcome. Ample parking is available at the Historical Society (548 West Main Road) and two shuttles will provide constant service to Lloyd’s Beach beginning at 8:45 a.m. Handicapped and elder parking information and advice on good viewing points is available on the Historical Society’s website at www.littlecompton.org. 

Jonathan’s artist’s residency and each of the related events is made possible through the generosity of St. Andrew’s Lodge, Rhode Island Humanities, and the supporters of the Little Compton Historical Society.

“The project is an important bridge between this year’s transportation exhibit and next year’s exhibit on the Sakonnet people,” the historical society’s executive director, Marjory O’Toole, said.

“Next year’s Sakonnet History Project corresponds with the 350th anniversary of King Philip’s War as well as the earliest English settlement of Sakonnet. The Sakonnet History Project is our effort to fully and accurately share the history of the Sakonnet people with the public, and we are committed to doing that work in partnership with Native scholars and culture keepers, like Jonathan.”

Saturday the 28th will not only be the launch date of the mishoon, it will be the public launch of the Sakonnet History Project. The community will celebrate both occasions at 4 p.m. with a traditional Wampanoag Feast catered by Chef Sherry Pocknett, Mashpee Wampanoag, winner of the 2023 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northeast. Tickets to the feast are available at www.littlecompton.org. The feast will be followed by a concert by award-winning Native American vocalist Jennifer Kreisberg, Tuscacora, on the lawn of the Little Compton Community Center on the Commons. The concert is free and open to the public.  Concertgoers should bring a chair.