17th Century | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century
Wabanaki Mother and Child
It is estimated that Native Americans lived in New England from 9,000 to 12,000 years before the first Europeans arrived. Prior to this time, New England was where the Laurentide ice sheet was slowly retreating. Little is known about these people other than artifacts that have been found. About 6,000 years ago, people known as the “Red Paint” people were in New England. They were called this because gravesites have been located where red ochre or yellow ochre (a mixture of clay and iron oxide) were included in the burial. Yellow ochre in a gravesite was found in York. The purpose of the red ochre is unknown but likely has ceremonial meaning. The practice of burial with red ochre has also been found in parts of Europe but it is unknown if these practices are connected to America. One thing known about these people is that they hunted swordfish.
The Native Americans present when the settlers arrived in New England were part of the Wabanaki Nations. Wabanaki meaning “People of the Dawn”. They were Algonquin speaking tribes that included the Penacook, Abenaki, Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Mi’kmaq. Their land stretched from Lake Champlain (Vermont Border with New York), all of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, part of Canada up to the St Lawrence River from Montreal to Quebec City, all of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. It is estimated that 100,000 Native Americans lived in New England prior to European arrival.
These groups were seasonal hunters, fishers, and gatherers who also practiced agriculture, with communities often located in large villages near rivers and the coast. Their way of life was well-established, relying on deep knowledge of the land and natural resources.
European fisherman traded with Native Americans for many decades before the first settlers. This trade brought unusual and unique goods to the Native Americans but they had no immunity to the variety of European diseases. The period of 1616 to 1619 was known as the “Great Dying” and it is estimated that 90-95% of the Native American population was lost. Europeans misinterpreted the Native Americans dying as a “Divine Sign” that they were meant to populate the new land.
Arrival of the first settlers to York did not report any Native Americans living here. It is unknown if they moved to a new location or were decimated by disease. However, there was evidence of their past presence in the form of cleared land for farming and the artifacts that have been found in York.