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The Wampanoags in the seventeenth century

Chapter 20: ENERGY AND POWER
By Catherine Marten
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About This Book

This work provides an ethnographic overview of the Wampanoag people during the seventeenth century, focusing on their culture, social structure, and interactions with European settlers. It serves as a comprehensive guide for understanding the Wampanoags, particularly in the context of their historical significance in New England. The content is based on various scholarly sources and aims to fill a gap in the literature regarding the indigenous population of Plymouth. The paper was initially created for educational purposes and has since gained interest from both the public and academic communities.

ENERGY AND POWER

The principal source of light and heat for the Wampanoags was the same fire over which they cooked their meals. Additional light was sometimes provided by torches. One variety was made of birch bark and was used in night fishing.[324] Pine splints also served as torches, used for lighting the interiors of houses.[325]

Both percussion and friction methods of fire-making were used. For kindling fire by percussion the Indian carried with him a small pouch containing the proper materials for striking a light—a piece of spongy dry wood for tinder and stones for producing the spark. One stone was fastened onto the tinder stick to more surely catch the spark when it fell.[326]

Aside from fire for heat, light, and cooking, and occasional use of the sail, no naturally occurring sources of energy and power were controlled by the Wampanoags.