Transmogrify
To change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect (Merriam-Webster)
Consider the subject of the photograph above, identified as a 3” x 4 1/2” section of wood from the original 1724 construction of Fort Dummer …
Animism: A Wôbanaki Worldview - Allan Saulis
Following is a post shared on social media by Wolastoqiyi artist Allan Saulis from Tobique (NB). I am not sure if these words originated with Allan or if there in another source. (note a few edits for clarity)…
Disturbance at Wantastegok: the Union Block, Main Street in Brattleboro
In the Brandon (VT) newspaper “Vermont Record” dated August 12, 1864, we find the following report of an exhumation of an Old One from their final resting place on the west bank of the Kwenitekw. The period language used in the article makes clear the attitudes and understandings of the times, which have only resulted in further separation from our relationship with this Place today.
Powerlands Film and Hydro Extraction on the Kwenitekw
It is worth noting that the same challenges continue here in the mid-valley of Kwenitekw, with the impoundment and industrial generation facilities operated by FirstLight Hydro (a subsidiary of Montreal-based PSP Investments) and Great River Hydro (a subsidiary of provincially-owned HydroQuebec).
Nôwitagwôgo: Balance in the Autumn Equinox
On the Gregorian calendar, today is September 22, 2024 and at 8:44 this morning the Fall Equinox was noted in this part of the land, as a transition in the current solar cycle. This is the moment when - as the planet continues the cyclical tip away from the sun - the duration of day and night are equal. The English word “equinox” draws its roots from Old French and Latin for “equal-night.”
Kchi Pôntegok Akiôtloka: The Land Speaks Its Story
On June 5th, the Village of Bellows Falls hosted the annual (2024) statewide Downtown & Historic Preservation Conference. The conference was sponsored by the Preservation Trust of Vermont and the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development in partnership with the Town of Rockingham, the Bellows Falls Downtown Development Alliance and the Vermont Arts Council. One of the featured late morning presentations - held in the Rockingham Free Library - was entitled Kchi Pôntegok Akiôtloka: The Land Speaks Its Stories.
Unabridged
Here is a comprehensive, non-partisan, neutral statement of contemporary realities in the US - a non-divisive assessment of divisions, if you will…
In Response to W8banaki Inc’s Geneva Appearance at the 17th Annual UN EMRIP
Comments filed with Vermont Public reporter Elodie Reed, in response to a request for comment following the announcement of the visit by press release from the W8banaki Inc/GCNWA’s public relations firm Seize03, and her intended coverage of the spectacle… The full text is shared here, in the likelihood that very little of the commentary will make it into the final article expected to be released this week.
Alosada Wantastegok Mskodak: Let’s Walk in the Meadows
Who do we meet down in the river bottom meadows at the Hogle Wildlife Sanctuary on a midsummer morning visit, July 2nd, 2024? These are places of abundant gifts of sustenance and medicine, with constant activity and exchange among All of Our Relations.
Not All Abenaki
Until recently, it was believed that the only Eastern Abenaki to survive in their traditional territories was a remnant of the Penobscot.
Choosing Understanding Over Competition
Commentary appearing in VTDigger on June 18, 2024.
”The descendant Abenaki communities within what is now called the state of Vermont are not “less than” or “other,” much less nonexistent.”
Naming Conventions on the 1777 Lotter and Sauthier Map of NY & NJ
We’re taking a look at toponyms in the Kwenitekw valley through the eyes of late 18th-century British cartographers with the 1777 Lotter and Sauthier Map of New York and New Jersey.
Language of the Land: Abenaki Roots in the Monadnock Region
A feature article in Monadnock Table (March-April 2024 issue), a bimonthly publication of the Keene Sentinel. Article by Caroline Tremblay, with photos by Kelly Fletcher, published Mar 15, 2024 and updated Mar 20, 2024.
Mawooshen - Môwosan - Walking Together
Mawooshen is the name attributed at early European contact (late 1500s to early 1600s) to what is today's midcoast Maine - an area from the Saco River (Biddeford) east to the Union River (Ellsworth).
Continuing to Refute Misleading Statements: Correcting NBC5 Reporting
A letter written to Tyler Boronski, reporting for WPTZ NBC5 last night on the public presentation and accompanying protest held at UVM earlier that evening:
Press Conference Video: Vermont Abenaki Alliance Calls for Tolerance
The four Vermont state-recognized Abenaki tribes, together as the Vermont Abenaki Alliance, held a press conference on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, to call attention to our vibrant history, authenticity, and issue a call for tolerance and open exchange
Abenaki Alliance Press Release: April 23, 2024
Burlington, Vermont/Politon, Kdakinna (April 23, 2024) — The four Vermont state-recognized Abenaki tribes, together as the Vermont Abenaki Alliance, will hold a press conference on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 to call attention to our vibrant history, authenticity, and issue a call for tolerance and open exchange. Media representatives and fellow citizens are invited to join us at 9 am in the meeting room at Seventh Generation, 60 Lake St., Burlington, VT 05401.
Raised Fists in Times Square and Lifting Gratitude for Our Relatives
There are many ways of being in the Circle we call Life. The choices we make together will determine how that Circle continues.