Respect precedes understanding. The Wampanoag are not extinct. T he Wampanoag of the 17th century were not the same as their ancestors hundreds and thousands of years before. Their culture had evolved through time and continues to evolve. A void stereotypic portrayals of Native Peoples as fierce, hostile, warlike, stoic, stealthy, savage, etc.
Native People are human beings and have a variety of personal traits, good and bad.
D o not assume that a child of Native heritage knows anything about what happened in the past or is expert in his culture. D o not assume that the skills of Native adults in the past can be easily learned by children. This assumption makes Native life appear to be simple and childlike. It takes years for people to master adult level skills. The underlying assumption is that Native People just roamed across the land.