Native Americans lived in New England thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. Archaeological evidence suggests human presence dating back 9,000 to 12,000 years, following the retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet. While little is known about these earliest inhabitants, artifacts discovered across the region—including in York—provide important clues.

Approximately 6,000 years ago, a culture known as the “Red Paint People” lived in the region. Their graves contained red or yellow ochre (a clay and iron oxide mixture), likely used for ceremonial purposes. A yellow ochre burial site was discovered in York, demonstrating the deep Indigenous history of the area. These people are also known to have hunted swordfish, indicating advanced seafaring skills.

By the time Europeans arrived, the land that includes present-day York was home to the Wabanaki—meaning “People of the Dawn.” These Algonquian-speaking nations included the Penacook, Abenaki, Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi’kmaq. Their homelands stretched across what is now Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and large portions of Canada, including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland.

It is estimated that over 100,000 Native Americans lived in New England prior to European contact. Their communities were typically located along rivers and coastlines, relying on fishing, hunting, gathering, and agriculture while maintaining a deep relationship with the natural world.

Long before permanent English settlement, European fishermen traded seasonally with the Wabanaki. While this exchange introduced new materials and tools to the tribes, it also brought devastating diseases. Between 1616 and 1619, an epidemic known as the “Great Dying” swept through the region, killing an estimated 90–95% of Native Americans in New England.

Many Europeans misinterpreted this tragedy as a divine sign that they were intended to occupy the land, accelerating colonial settlement.

When the first settlers arrived in what would become York, they reported no Native Americans living in the immediate area. It remains unclear whether local Wabanaki families had relocated or were lost to disease. However, signs of their occupation endured—cleared fields suitable for agriculture and stone tools and artifacts discovered over time attest to their long-standing presence on this land.