Medical Center Info: Jamestown Settlement

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Jamestown Settlement

This picture pretty much summarizes the Powhatan village section of the Jamestown Settlement. Other than the hundreds of animal skins, the visit was fantastic!

I peaked my head into these little dwellings only to be exposed to any animal-loving vegan’s worst nightmare: carcasses (technically just the skin and fur, but same thing to me!) everywhere!! All kinds of animals hung on the walls, dangling from the ceilings and lying over the benches. Most furs I see are just the bodies, but these had the heads and eye holes still intact!

I understand this was a very efficient and necessary part of life for people during that time; still, for a modern day vegan in an organic cotton sweatshirt, it seems outrageous. I did my best to understand how they lived with a hands-off approach :) It was interesting how they used almost all parts of the animal. The bones and teeth made fish hooks, utensils and tools. The meat provided sustenance. The skins and fur protected the hunters from the harsh winter cold. They would even rub the odorless bear fat on their skins for protection from the sun and insects.

We were told one little bone from a deer could make four tools!

This is essentially my little brother wearing a dog. It has a face. Thank God I didn’t live in those times!!

I realized I haven’t shown you a photo of my mom, the 4th member of our road-tripping crew!

The colonists’ fort was much more my style ;)

Learning about how the early colonists lived was so interesting. The outdoor exhibits were mostly hands-on, which is my favorite way to learn! The kids learned how to change the hay in a “mattress.”

I met a friend in this area- a live chicken I named Lilly. Years ago we had a farm and I’d snuggle with my chickens all the time. I’ve missed it! I held Lilly for about 10 minutes. She seemed to love it and even fell asleep with me petting her :)

We stopped at the on-site cafe before heading indoors for the museum part of the settlement. I was planning on having either very slim or no vegan options. Surprisingly they had a delicious vegan chili with crackers! The chili had a nice kick to it and was full of veggies, beans and potatoes. Very impressive, Jamestown Settlement!