BIDDEFORD — Native Americans were the earliest inhabitants of Biddeford and were guided by a philosophy of “walking lightly upon the Earth and living in balance and harmony.”

To recognize their contributions and give the public a greater understanding of what life was life in the area centruies ago, members of the Biddeford Historical Society will conduct a special Fireside Chat with guest speaker Professor Paul F. McDonough at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7 at the Second Congregational Church, 19 Crescent St. in Biddeford.    

The fireside chat is free and the public is welcome to particpate.

Biddfeord’s first residents were known by many names, but the term Abenaki, or “People of the Dawn” is what many Native Americans living here called themselves. They originated in a village  upriver at Pequawket (now Fryeburg) and found bountiful hunting and fishing in the area.

The French knew them as “Armouchiquois,” and the tribes associated with the Saco River valley were the Pequawkets or Pigwackets or the Sokoki or Saco and they lived along and on the southern part of the Saco River in Cumberland and York counties.

The Sokokis/Saco main village is believed to be Sowocatuck and was located about where modern day downtown Biddeford and Saco now stand, in the areas around the great falls.

They lived here for thousands of years, fishing local waters, while canoeing to the tribal headwaters each summer, and living in villages farther up the river every winter.

Along with fishing, the Sokois/Saco Indians planted beans, corn, and squash and hunted deer and other wild game, frequently migrating between villages throughout the region.

The Abenaki often built dome-shaped, bark-covered wigwams for homes and a few preferred oval-shaped long houses and uring the winter, they lined the inside of their wigwams with skins of bear and deer for warmth.

For generations, storytelling was an essential part of life for Native Americans in Biddeford and was used not only as entertainment, but also as a way of teaching and for child discipline. Some stories were meant to teach chidlren proper behavior instead of punishment.

Decimated by disease from contact with Europeans, the Native American population began to decline in the 16th century and tribes left area to migrate north to Quebec. Those who remained behind became embroiled in wars and subjected to colonial law and mistreatment.  

“There has been a mystical connection by the people who have inhabited the coastal area of Biddfeord from the time of the Armouchiquois to this very day,” McDonough said. “Nature’s presentation of the sea and sky has grasped the attention of people in various, yet similar patterns for centuries.”

He said modern-day similarities with original Native American residents in terms of what we value continues to bind us together with them for future generations as long as there is the sea, the tide and the wind.

“In the Fireside Chat with the focus on our Native American ancestors, you might gather a new appreciation of what may be considered novel and when in reality, the sene is replayed over and over again.”

For more information about the Biddeford Historical Society or the Fireside Chat Series, call Denis Letellier at 468-9305 or visit biddefordhistoricalsociety.org.