The Dorchester County event features living history interpreters, hands-on activities, and more.
The 13th annual Chicone Village Day will take place Saturday, April 25 th at the Handsell Historic
Site (4837 Indiantown Road) in Vienna, MD. Sponsored by the Nanticoke Historic Preservation
Alliance (NHPA), the day-long celebration features demonstrations, workshops, talks, and
displays at Handsell’s Chicone Village, which includes a Native dwelling house and work
shelter. It’s a must-see, family-friendly event that brings history to life.
Chicone Village Day honors the culture of the Eastern Woodland Native People who inhabited
the eastern part of what is now the United States and includes the Delmarva peninsula.
Numerous tribes lived on the Eastern Shore prior to the arrival of Europeans. John Smith, during
his Chesapeake Bay voyage in the early 1600s, noted that one of the largest villages was located
in the area of Chicone Creek, just north of Vienna. Documentation suggests that the “Chicacoan”
(Chicone) site was the capital village of the Eastern Shore tribes and home of the paramount
chief.
This year’s participants will provide a multi-faceted look at Native culture. They include Daniel
Firehawk Abbott, a living history interpreter and designer of the Chicone Village dwelling, and
Drew Shuptar-Rayvis, interpreter of late 17 th century Native life. There will also be talks and
displays by members of the Pocomoke Indian Nation, the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians, the
Nanticoke Indian Nation, and the Lenni-Lenape of New Jersey. A variety of vendors will be
selling Native crafts, clothing, and jewelry.
Chicone Village Day runs from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission is $10 to defray costs and help
maintain the Village structures; children under 12 are admitted free. Food trucks will feature
tasty fare, including fry bread and a selection of seafood.
NHPA’s new Three Cultures Center and the historic Handsell House will be open for tours
throughout the day. Visitors can also learn about the site’s African-American history and view a
memorial dedicated to the enslaved people who lived at Handsell prior to emancipation.
For more information about Chicone Village Day, Handsell’s history, and NHPA, visit
http://www.restorehandsell.org.
To contact NHPA, email info@restorehandsell.org.
