Shells

Object/Artifact

-

Pejepscot History Center

Name/Title

Shells

Entry/Object ID

OH.908.3-.9

Description

Six miscellaneous shell halves. .3, .4 and .5 are oyster shell halves, .6 is a clam half, and .8 and .9 are brownish fan-shaped shell halves. .3 has written on it, "from / Shell Heap / Coombs Isl / J.F." .7 is a Northern Moon Shell (Lunatia heros). Grey in color due to age, this shell has a single opening and an ever-decreasing whorl as it goes to the top.

Lexicon

Search Terms

Shell, Coomb's Island, Sea shell

Exhibitions

Exhibition

Adaptation and Resistance: Indigenous History of the Pejepscot Region

Notes

Abenaki people did not live in permanent settlements in the Pejepscot region. Instead, they traveled between locations seasonally to take advantage of food and materials that became available during different times of the year. Abenaki people most likely collected these shellfish from around Coombs Island, off the coast of Harpswell, Maine, during one of their seasonal trips to the coast. The miscellaneous shells shown here were found in a midden (shell heap) on Coombs Island, Maine. They include three oyster shell halves, a clam shell half, and two unknown fan-shaped shell halves.