The library event kit for the PBS television series We Shall Remain provides a list of questions that can be used to initiate discussion of each episode. To start with, you might ask:

  • What did you like best or appreciate most about the episode?
  • What were some of the emotions you felt as you watched?
  • What scene(s) made the biggest impression on you? Why?
  • Did anything surprise you? Explain.
  • What was the most important thing you learned?
  • What issues or questions does the episode raise? [page 14]

Your library patrons may also want further information about the events depicted in Episode One, “After the Mayflower,” which can be found in the following resources on the American Indian Experience database:

Episode One features largely the history of one tribe. For more information about the Wampanoag, start with the “Wampanoag” entry in the Encyclopedia of North American Indians by Frederick E. Hoxie. This brief article will give you an overview of the traditional lands of the Wampanoag, family life, some current issues, and efforts to revitalize language and other cultural expressions.

The Encyclopedia of North American Indians also has entries for other tribes discussed in Episode One, including the Pequot and Mohawk.

Northeastern tribes used the word “sachem” to refer to their leaders. Find out more about this term in the “sachem” entry found in The Encyclopedia of North American Indians.

Find out more about the individuals featured in Episode One with entries found in the Encyclopedia of Native American Biography found on the American Indian Experience site:

Massasoit
Metacom
Squanto

Background on other events featured in Episode One can be found in the following entries:

“Slavery” from the Encyclopedia of American Indians (1996)
“Tears of Repentance” from The Eliot Tracts (2003)
“Trade” from The Encyclopedia of Native American Economic History (1999)
“Thanksgiving” from the Encyclopedia of American Holidays and National Days (2006)

Finally, you can examine Primary Sources for Massachusetts Indians and Puritans:

John Eliot’s Indian Dialogues: A Study in Cultural Interaction (1980)
Enduring Legacies: Native American Treaties and Contemporary Controversies (2004)

Additional information covering the Wampanoag today on the American Indian Experience database:

“‘We’re Still Living on our Traditional Homeland’: The Wampanoag Legacy in New England” Strategies for Survival: American Indian in the Eastern United States (1986)

Watch a preview of Episode 2 of We Shall Remain: “Tecumseh’s Vision” and join the American Indian Experience blog next week for more resources and discussion.