YORK COUNTY — The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown will host a Shawnee Encampment on Saturday and Sunday — Sept. 28 and 29 — commemorating the 250th anniversary of Lord Dunmore’s War and the Indigenous struggle for independence.
According to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, in the fall of 1774, Virginia’s Royal governor, Lord Dunmore, waged a war against the Shawnee, Seneca-Cayuga and Delaware nations on the borderlands of Virginia, signifying the last conflict of the colonial era.
This Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., cultural educators from the Shawnee and other federally recognized nations will present interactive programs in living-history encampments depicting life for a Shawnee family and Shawnee warriors.
A Shawnee family encampment will highlight seasonal cycles of living with demonstrations of finger-weaving, woodworking and traditional cooking, while a Shawnee warrior’s encampment will illustrate battle tactics, prisoner-taking, and captivity and adoption.
At 2 p.m. on both days, Jeremy Turner (Shawnee Tribe citizen) will present a Shawnee perspective on Dunmore’s War in the program, “You May Be Sure The Wasps And Yellowjackets Will Sting You Severely: Shawnee Participation in Dunmore’s War.”
The Shawnee Encampment is a program of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation’s Indigenous Peoples Initiative, in cooperation with Caesar’s Ford Theatre.
The special event is included with the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown admission of $20 for adults, $10 for ages 6-12. Residents of James City County, York County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, receive free admission with proof of residency.
Visit the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation webpage for more information.
