- In 1637, the British colonies of Connecticut and Massachusetts attacked the Pequot fort at Mystic, killing approximately 600 Pequot natives. The Witness, a 30-minute, 70-mm film, graphically dramatizes the events surrounding the Pequot War. In this giant screen film, experience the tragedy of the Pequot War through the eyes of Wampishe, a Pequot elder who survived the burning of the Mystic fort as a young boy. Wampishe recounts the tragic events of war to his grandson and urges him to keep the story alive by telling it to his own children and grandchildren.
- "The Witness" is shown in two 110 seat immersive cinemas on 45 x 25 feet curved screens in the The Pequot War section of the permanent exhibits at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center (the world's largest Native American museum) in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
"The Witness" was commissioned as a destination film by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation specifically for the Museum.
The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center, part of the government of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, is a non-profit educational institution that seeks to further knowledge and understanding of the richness and diversity of the indigenous cultures and societies of the United States and Canada.
To accomplish this mission, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center conducts and supports research and the development of ethnographic, archival, library, and archaeological collections and provide programs and exhibits that encourage interaction with and among indigenous peoples, the general public, and the scholarly community.
Museum History: Tribally owned-and-operated since it opened on August 11, 1998, the Museum brings to life the story of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. It serves as a major resource on the histories and cultures of Native Americans in the northeast and on the region's rich natural history.
The Museum is a 308,000-square-foot complex, consisting of permanent exhibits, the Mashantucket Gallery (temporary exhibits), classrooms, a 320-seat auditorium, a restaurant, a museum shop and administrative offices. The Research Center houses collections, archives, and archaeology and conservation laboratories where ongoing work from the field is evaluated and studied.
Multi-sensory dioramas and exhibits introduce visitors to the history of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and the natural and cultural history of the eastern woodlands. Films and videos, interactive programs, archival materials, ethnographic and archaeological collections, commissioned art, and traditional crafts by Native artisans are featured in the exhibits.
The building is designed to interact with its surrounding environment while maintaining the ecological integrity of the area. It embraces the tree line and is nestled into the landscape; two of the five levels of the facility are below ground. A 185-foot, stone-and-glass tower provides visitors with sweeping views of the swamp and region. A large, circular, glass-and-steel Gathering Space serves as an arrival area. The restaurant features a variety of Native American cuisines, and the museum shop specializes in contemporary Native American arts and crafts.
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