The coin will be unveiled Wednesday at the Henry Hornblower II Visitor Center at Plimoth Plantation.
On the back of the coin is an image of the arm of Ousamequin Massasoit, the sachem, or leader, of the Wampanoag tribe, extending a peace pipe to the hand of John Carver, the first governor of Plymouth Colony.
The front of the coin has an image of Sacagawea, the woman who served as guide to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during their cross-continental trek. The coin is the third in a series of coins depicting American Indian historical moments. The U.S. Mint says Sacagawea will be on the front of all coins in the series.
The 1621 treaty was the first formal agreement between the Wampanoag tribe and the settlers at Plymouth Colony. The mint has released a sketch of the back of the Wampanoag coin, but not a photo.
The 10:30 a.m. unveiling of the coin is open to all. American Indians who attend will receive one of the coins, said Darius Coombs, associate director of the Wampanoag Program at Plimoth Plantation.
Tribal leaders from Aquinnah and Mashpee regions of the Wampanoag tribe will be at the ceremony, and Cedric Cromwell, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, will deliver the address, Coombs said.
An American Indian drum group from Mashpee will perform at the event, he said.
The Native American $1 Coin Law was enacted in 2009. It requires the mint to release coins “celebrating the important contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the history and development of the United States.”
“We are honored that the United States Mint has chosen to acknowledge our great sachem Ousamequin and the significance of the 1621 treaty to American and Wampanoag history,” Cromwell said in a statement.
“As the first tribe to meet the Pilgrims, the alliance our ancestors forged through this treaty ensured the European settlers’ survival during their first difficult years here,” he said.
Source: http://www.patriotledger.com/business/x1401026853/2011-Native-American-1-coin-to-be-unveiled-at-Plimoth-Plantation
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