Lunch & Learn: Traditional Wedding Customs

Join Danielle Alonso, Curator of Indigenous Material Culture & Research, and Malka Benjamin, Director of Colonial Interpretation & Training, as they explore Wampanoag and 17th-century English wedding traditions. They'll discuss everything from courtship and wedding preparations to the big day itself.

About the Speakers:

Danielle Alonso-Wynne is the Curator of Indigenous Material Culture & Research at Plimoth Patuxet Museums. A third-generation Mexican American, she earned her B.A. in Anthropology with a concentration in Native American Studies from the University of Illinois Chicago and later studied historical archaeology through the Plymouth Colony Archaeological Field School at UMass Boston. Danielle joined Plimoth Patuxet in 2017 as a Native History Educator in the Wampanoag Indigenous Program and now helps lead the Museum’s interpretation of Wampanoag history and culture while supporting meaningful guest experiences.

Malka Benjamin has over 30 years of experience working in public history and is the Director of Colonial Interpretation & Training at Plimoth Patuxet Museums. In this role, she is responsible for training and mentoring the Museum’s public-facing staff and working with the Education & Public Engagement team to develop fun and educational guest experiences across the Museum’s living history sites. She loves using stories, crafted from primary sources, along with the Museum’s dynamic recreated historic environments, to bring the world of the 17th Century to life, and loves helping other staff learn to do the same. Prior to coming to Plimoth Patuxet, Ms. Benjamin worked for the National Park Service and at Touro Synagogue National Historic Site in Newport, RI. She holds a B.A. from Cornell University in archaeology, anthropology, and American Indian studies.

In-person and online tickets available. Admission to this event is Free. 

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Plymouth Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.