The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Celebrating a Native American village
Rebuilding took 2 years, included local materials
WASHINGTON — It took more than a mile of cordage.
But when all was completed, those ties used to knit structures together, and nearly all the other materials used to rebuild the Institute for American Indian Studies 16th century Algonquin village replica came from local sources.
The IAIS recently celebrated the rebuilding, a process that has been planned and executed over about two years.
The institute, situated on 15 acres and containing a museum with permanent and temporary exhibits and a Native American village, was established in 1975 as part of an effort to rediscover New England’s indigenous history. IAIS provides engaging experiences for visitors as they learn what Native American life was like preEuropean settlement.
The most recent iteration of the village was built in 2010. It consists of a longhouse and several wigwams among other shelters and gardens, and was constructed with local, natural materials using traditional tools and techniques.
But over the past nine years, the various structures had deteriorated and were in need of attention.
“The biggest problem was that the ground on which the structures were built was shifting in the winter due to constant freezing and thawing,” said Director Chris Combs.
“Back in the time of the Native Americans, wigwams, longhouse and other buildings lasted much longer because people lived in them daytoday. Some one would notice a leak or a rotting piece of wood and fix it immediately,” Combs said. “No one lives in our structures, so small problems can compound quickly.”
Jeff Kalin, owner a company called Primitive Technologies, was hired to help with the rebuilding of the longhouse and wigwams. Kalin has been working with IAIS since the 1980s and specializes in recreating the material culture of Native American life. Along with his son, Griffin Kalin, the two began planning, gathering and preparing materials for construction about two years ago.
“This time, we wanted to use Red Cedar for the frames of the structures,” Griffin Kalin said .
“Red Cedar doesn’t break down in the soil, it lasts a lot longer and it bend easily,” he said.
When searching for local Red Cedar trees to harvest for the project, Eversource stepped forward and offered 60 prime trees on land the company owns near Bull’s Bridge in Kent.
For the bark to cover the structures with, several people offered material from downed trees that fell during the strong storms that struck the area in May 2018. “It was actually perfect timing because the ideal time to gather bark is between May and July when the sap is flowing and the bark is easy to peel off,” the younger Kalin said.
The cordage, made from Hickory trees, to tie the structures together is also time consuming to prepare. “All said and done, we used over a mile of cordage for the whole project,” Griffin Kalin said.
Reconstruction of the village structures began earlier this year and is now compete. To celebrate the completion of the project, Darlene Kascak of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, performed a Smudging Ceremony. During a Smudging Ceremony, dried white sage is burned and the smoke is wafted around the space while prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude are offered.
“This fascinating ceremony will cleanse the new longhouse and chase away evil spirits in the village,” explained Combs.
After the ceremony, the Thunderbird Dancers, the oldest Native American Dance Company in New York, performed traditional dances to celebrate the reconstructed village.
The Native American village and IAIS museum is located at 38 Curtis Road in Washington. For more information, visit www.iaismuseum.org/.