Occasions for entertainment were usually activities aimed at purposes other than mere diversion. Songs, dances, and even public games had a ceremonial cast to them. A close tie-in with magic and the manipulation or propitiation of the supernatural is suggested in most cases.[378]
At various times of the year great public gatherings were held, in which the members of several local groups met for feasting, dancing, and playing games. At least two such public gatherings were held each year. One was in the spring, when large numbers of people had already congregated at certain fishing places.[379]
The other time of general public congregation was in the fall at harvest time. A dance house was built for the occasion. Dances were held at night, sometimes continuing for a week with the participants sleeping during the daytime. Both men and women gathered as spectators in the dance house; they sang accompaniment while the dancers performed one at a time. As he danced, the dancer would hand out money, knives, clothing, and the like to the needier members of the audience. When one dancer had given all he had, another would follow him, and so on.
Besides the great public gatherings, there were smaller private gatherings for various purposes.[380]One sort, to be discussed later, was to call for supernatural aid. Another was the Nikomo feast, held in the winter by members of a family for a select group of guests.[381]The host would give away as much of his wealth as he could to those who attended the feasting and dancing.[382]
Another favorite type of entertainment was story-telling and oratory. People listened with rapt attention to news and speeches. The discourse of one man might go on for an hour or two, while a large audience listened and smoked in silence; the manner of presentation was dramatic and accompanied by a great deal of gesture.[383]
The music which accompanied dances was provided mainly by singing.[384]Sometimes dances were accompanied by beating on the ground with sticks or hands along with muttering, humming and singing, but aside from these there were no musical instruments among the Wampanoags.[385]
The dances themselves are described as being “vehement in their motion”. At some dances a single dancer would perform; at others a few men and women would dance together.[386]Larger numbers of performers participated simultaneously in war dances.