ROWE — After spending the past few weeks educating themselves about the history and culture of Native American tribes in New England, students at Rowe Elementary School culminated their learning by participating in a few traditional dances.

Last week, the school welcomed Annawon Weeden, whose heritage includes the Mashpee Wampanoag, Pequot and Narragansett tribes, to lead the dances. As director of the nonprofit First Light Foundation, Weeden aims to educate people about Wampanoag history and culture.

“We’ve had a couple different experts come and share with us,” Rowe Elementary School Principal Bill Knittle said. “The fifth and sixth grade classes helped construct an eastern conical wigwam, also known as a wetu, then each class got to visit in the course of an afternoon to learn a bit more about what Indigenous people have been doing, eating, hunting and growing here 300 years ago.”

With financial help from the Rowe Cultural Council, Knittle said the school was able to bring in a few Native American experts, including Weeden, who shared stories, songs and dances with the students. Weeden said he was happy to share his experience with the students as, in the past, Indigenous culture has been marginalized.

“I can’t thank all of you enough because we broke this cycle here tonight,” Weeden said. “A cycle that unfortunately many of us weren’t given an opportunity to break before. I’m not trying to hold it against anyone who was alive before us to make these kind of choices, but I can’t thank you enough to make this choice to allow me to come.”

Weeden led the students through a series of dances, such as the robin dance, mosquito dance and alligator dance, with breaks in between to tell stories and jokes, as well as answer questions. He said many of the dances are traditionally performed in circles, and they serve as reminders of the connections between humans and nature while also telling stories of the people who came before us.

“We are a part of something bigger than ourselves, and that is the universe and that makes us who we are,” Weeden said. “We have a lot of beliefs about our connection to this Earth and that’s because everything on this Earth is a relative of ours.”

He added that while the traditional dances and the regalia worn told stories of the people and the Earth, the songs and drumming that went along with the dances were less about carrying meaning and more about creating sounds that would get people excited.

“We hear songs and they make us feel good,” Weeden said. “No one really knows what fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la means, but we know at a certain time of year it makes us feel good.”

Students smiled and giggled throughout the event, particularly during the chicken and hunter dance, where some students posed as hunters and took on the role of “hunting” other students who were posing as chickens.

“I’m really proud of these kids,” Weeden said, “and how they brought these dances to life.”

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.