Person
Daniel Abbot
Daniel Firehawk Abbott is a Nanticoke tribal member and living history interpreter from Dorchester County who specializes in pre-contact Native American skills and culture. He designed and guided the construction of the Chicone Village replica at Handsell and later served as Coordinator of Native American Interpretation at Colonial Williamsburg.
Who Is Daniel Firehawk Abbott?
Daniel Firehawk Abbott is a Nanticoke tribal member and living history interpreter from Dorchester County, Maryland. He is known for his work in experimental archaeology and for demonstrating pre-contact Native American lifeways through hands-on presentations across the Mid-Atlantic region.
Roots in Dorchester County
Abbott was born in Dorchester County and counts himself as having Nanticoke heritage, with traditions and oral history passed down through his family. Following the dissolution of the Chicone Indian Reservation, most Native people in the area left or assimilated into European and African communities through marriage. Despite this, Nanticoke presence and ancestry persisted.
The Chicone Village Project at Handsell
As a board member of the Nanticoke Historic Preservation Alliance (NHPA), Abbott designed and guided the construction of the Chicone Village at the Handsell historic site near Vienna, Maryland. Completed in 2014, the village includes a replica single-family longhouse, a garden, and an open work shelter — all built using native materials and ancient methods. These are the only authentically constructed replica structures of their kind in Maryland.
Handsell sits on land that was once the Chicacone town of the Nanticoke People and was later set aside by the Maryland Colonies as the Chicone Indian Reservation, centered along Indiantown Road north of Vienna.
Living History and Interpretation
Abbott's presentations are immersive, day-long programs featuring demonstrations of shelter construction, traditional gardening, stone tool making, hide-working, cordage, clothing from hides, fire-starting, and hunting. He has been a regular presence at Handsell events including Chicone Village Day and Earth Mother Day, often joined by other Native groups such as the Pocomoke Indian Nation, the Lenni Lenape Manetu, and the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians.
Work at Colonial Williamsburg
In 2016, Abbott joined the staff of Colonial Williamsburg, Inc. as Coordinator of Native American Interpretation and relocated to Virginia. In this role, he has demonstrated Tidewater Algonquian and Powhatan material culture and lifeways at both Williamsburg and Historic Jamestowne. Despite his Virginia-based work, Abbott has continued to return to Handsell for special events and remains committed to Eastern Shore Indigenous heritage education.