Linda Jeffers Coombs is an author and historian from the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).[1] Coombs is the former program director of the Aquinnah Cultural Center.[1]
Career
Coombs began a museum career in 1974, interning at the Boston Children's Museum as part of its Native American Program.[2] She and her peers, including Narragansett elder Paulla Dove Jennings, wrote children's books for the museum, illustrating Native American culture from a Native American perspective. Coombs later worked for nearly three decades with the Wampanoag Indigenous Program at Plimoth Plantation, including 15 years as the program's associate director.[3] In that capacity, she wrote a number of essays documenting colonial history from a Native American perspective, and often spoke publicly about the need for more accurate representations of colonial events including the first Thanksgiving[4][5][6][7][8] and Columbus Day.[9]
Coombs serves as program director of the Aquinnah Cultural Center, continuing to educate the public about Wampanoag history, culture, and other contributions.[10] Valued for her expertise in regional Native American history, Coombs is a frequent consultant on scholarly and educational projects.[11][12][13]
Born and raised in Martha's Vineyard, Coombs lives with her family in the Wampanoag Community in Mashpee on Cape Cod.[14]
Publications
- "A Wampanoag Perspective on Colonial House."Plimoth Life, v.3 no. 1, 2004: 24-28.
- "Hobbamock’s Homesite." Thanks, But No Thanks: Mirroring the Myth: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving. Plymouth, MA: Wampanoag Indian Program. September 9, 2000: 2-3.
- "Holistic History." Plimoth Life 1(2) 2002:12-15.
- "Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War by Nathaniel Philbrick [review]." [1]" Cultural Survival Quarterly, Spring 2007.
- "New Woodland Path Makes Inroads at Wampanoag Homesite." Plimoth Life, v. 5 no. 1, 2006: 20.
- Powwow. Modern Curriculum Press, 1992.
- "Wampanoag Foodways in the 17th Century." Plimoth Life 2005: 13-19
References
External links
- Art by Linda Coombs on exhibit at the University of New Hampshire
- Linda Coombs speaking about Thanksgiving in 2010 at Boston City Hall
- 2010 Documentary about King Philip's War, in which Linda Coombs appears