Native Americans - Ocean City, MD - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The plaque says, "Assateaque's first visitors were small bands of nomadic Indians who had permanent settlements on the mainland. These hunters and gatherers came seasonally to the island to enjoy the rich harvest of waterfowl, fish, oysters, clams, and plant foods.

Little is known about the life of these early people. Local tribes such as the Pocomoke, Nanticoke, Gingoteaue, and Assateaque were loosely part of the Algonquin-speaking Indian family, but each had its own unique culture.

Life Along the Shore
Though not much is known about the customs, dwellings, or even dress of the different Indian groups, many scientists think they had a "good" life-abundant food, few diseases, and enough natural resources to meet their needs. Shellfish were preserved by smoking and plant foods were dried.

Deer and bear provided skins for clothing. Even the quahog clamshell was useful; the inner purple coloring was valued as barter.

It is probable that life along these shores remained relatively unchanged for almost 12,000 years. Within 200 years of European contact, most Indians had left the area."

Group that erected the marker: Unknown Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Ocean City, MD, USA URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   12/26/2022 Searcher28 visited it