CALAIS, MAINE -The National Park Service at Saint Croix Island International Historic Site invites the public to the official opening of a new permanent exhibit titled, Amalhuwikhasutik-a Passamaquoddy word that means, The Place of Picture Rocks.
The trilingual exhibit features four replicas of Passamaquoddy petroglyphs designed to be touched. “Visitors can learn what a petroglyph is, how and why the Passamaquoddy made them, and how the Passamaquoddy interpret the petroglyphs that are displayed in the visitor center," said Meg Scheid, Site Manager at the historic site and exhibit coordinator. “The exhibit helps us as National Park Service interpretive rangers to communicate the Passamaquoddy people's enduring history and cultural connection to Saint Croix Island as one place in their traditional homeland."
The exhibit is a partnership between the National Park Service, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, and the Abbe Museum. Donald Soctomah, the Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer who chose the replicas for the visitor center exhibit said, “Sharing these petroglyphs is important because they present our history through our stories and our interpretation. The ones we selected for the visitor center share a story related to the arrival of the Europeans. They tell us that the story of Saint Croix Island began thousands of years before the French arrived on the island in 1604."
The exhibit will open at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 7. Light refreshments will be served.
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site is located at 84 St. Croix Drive, eight miles south of downtown Calais on Route 1. The visitor center is open 9-5:30 daily through Aug. 31, and Wednesday through Sunday starting September 1 to October 14. Park entry is free.
For more information about Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, please visit www.nps.gov/sacr or call 207-454-3871.
To learn more about national parks in Maine and how the NPS works with communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, please visit www.nps.gov/maine.
Tags: maine passamaquoddy petroglyph
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
