Three hundred years ago in the SE corner of what is now called Brattleboro, a fortified wooden structure was built by order of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, considered the “first permanent” British presence in what is now Vermont. The evening’s discussion will explore “the view from the shore”, focusing upon Native-centric aspects of this lasting incursion into long-established place-based relationships here in Sokoki Abenaki homelands.

Elnu Chief Roger Longtoe Sheehan will be leading a discussion around the historic and contemporary use and significance of wampum and wampum belts in our community. Participants will have the opportunity to see examples of contemporary wampum belts and historical replicas. This event is free and open to the public.

The Atowi Project with Retreat Farm invites you to join a community celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday, October 14 from 1-4pm in Farmhouse Square at the Farm. Address: 45 Farmhouse Square, Brattleboro, VT, United States, Vermont 05301

The celebration will feature songs, storytelling, and demonstrations by Indigenous artists including soapstone pipe carving, Wampum bead making, spoon carving, and more. The gathering is free and the public is very welcome, by intention!

Join us at the Wantastegok Cultural Center (350 Putney Rd., Brattleboro, VT). To follow up our Green Corn gathering, Linda Longtoe Sheehan will be leading a corn-husk doll (known as kwalaskoniganakejokôn) making workshop

Join the Elnu Abenaki at the Wantastegok Cultural Center (350 Putney Rd., Brattleboro, VT). This gathering will be an opportunity to celebrate the Fall Equinox and Harvest.

Chief Roger Longtoe Sheehan will discuss the materials and process necessary to start a fire using flint and steel and teach participants how to do so themselves.

Join us for a short walk uphill to the Ice Pond, where we will explore the different relationships present and how they come together, with water, stone, earth and sky. By learning of ways to be present-in-place with all of our relations, and participate with them in the continuity of Creation, we may better find our own places in what we think of as an overly familiar landscape.

Gail Golec has been a professional archaeologist for over 20 years, working primarily in the Middle Connecticut River Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont. Some of her recent work includes the Recovering Black History of the Monadnock Region project and the Bellows Falls Petroglyph project for which she works closely with Elnu and other Abenaki citizens.

Atowi project and Elnu Abenaki, with project partners and the Town of Rockingham, will be participating in the 2024 Annual Downtown and Historic Preservation Conference. We will be a part of a morning session presentation as listed in the day’s event schedule:

Join us on Sunday, February 11th, to craft your very own wazôasisa (snow snake). Presented by the Atowi Project and Retreat Farm, the Snow Snake Workshop and Games will introduce you to a traditional winter game played by Abenaki and other Indigenous nations.
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Living Earth Action Group will be hosting a presentation by Brattleboro/Wantastegok resident and Atowi Project Co-Director Rich Holschuh (with other possible guests), on Sunday January 21, 2024, at 6:30 at the Congregational Church of Westminster West.

Join Atowi Project Director Rich Holschuh for a guided walk along the site of petroglyphs in Wantastegok (West River/Brattleboro). Rich will share the significance of the petroglyphs in Abenaki cosmology, both in history and their relevance today as a sacred site.

Take a horse-drawn wagon ride, try your hand at woodworking, or explore the forest on a guided nature walk. Witness the whole forest product cycle in action, from horse-logging, to board cutting with a portable sawmill, to woodcraft demonstrations. Visit activity hubs to meet members of the Abenaki community, local artisans, and outreach partners.

"Let's walk in the woods" - a conversation among ourselves and with All of Our Relations, exploring other ways of seeing and being in relationship with place led by Rich Holschuh. Our immersive guided walk will take us through the fields and forests of The Nature Museum grounds and the Grafton Village Park. Rich will focus on various facets of presence, relationships, connections, and past/present cultural views as we meander among natural wonders.

Join Elnu Abenaki Chief Roger Longtoe Sheehan and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Rich Holschuh for a presentation about the two noteworthy petroglyph sites in the mid-Connecticut River valley: one at Wantastegok (West River/Brattleboro, where we will meet) and the other at Kchi Pôntegok (Great Falls/Bellows Falls).

Come together for a day of stories and songs with the Nehantic Native Nation and the Elnu Abenaki Tribe. This free, one-day, outdoor event is planned for Saturday, September 17, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the Connecticut River Museum waterfront lawn.

The Vermont Law and Graduate School and the Friends of Morrill Homestead present a half-day seminar on the Morrill Land Grant/Grab Act of 1862 and its impacts upon indigenous People and their Homelands.

A Deep and Enduring Presence: Using Archaeology to Write Native American History
The science of archaeology has laid to rest the self-serving contention of some White historians that the Monadnock region was a sparsely inhabited wilderness before the arrival of European settlers. Situated in the southern part of Ndakinna, this land was the traditional homeland of the Western Abenaki people; the archaeological record shows their continuous, deep, and extensive presence.

All are welcome to a special celebration and curator talk for NEBIZUN: WATER IS LIFE multimedia exhibit that explores the Abenaki relationship to water. The exhibit is presented in partnership with the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association and the Abenaki Arts & Education Center.

The Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and the Elnu Abenaki Tribe invite you to join our kick-off gathering for the National Park Service-funded Underrepresented Communities Grant that was awarded to the HPC and Elnu in April 2022.

The Abenaki Circle of Courage teaches native and non native children about the Abenaki culture: dance, flute, crafts, jewelry, drumming, songs, and foods. For the last 20+ years they have had students come from Highgate, Swanton, St.Albans, and Alburgh Schools. Stacey Gould has grown from a volunteer at a young age to being the assistant coordinator to this program.

Kerry Wood, Abenaki, will discuss the impact of the Emerald Ash Borer on traditional basket-making and the efforts being made to curb the impact. Kerry will also discuss Ash Tree and general basketry as well as some of her journey of learning Alnôbaôdwa - the Western Abenaki language.

Join Rich Holschuh of the Atowi Project for a conversation around the significance of relationship with Place on Thursday, March 31 at 7pm over Rockingham Library zoom. He will focus on an Abenaki cultural worldview and its lasting implications while referencing a local site: Kchi Pôntekw, the Great Falls in present-day Bellows Falls.

Jim Taylor, Abenaki, will discuss indigenous identity in the 21st century. Identity informs all the decisions we make and how we walk in the world. Those decisions are based upon core values from the traditions that are passed down through generations and carried forward to our children. Recognition, blood quantum, and mixed heritage will be touched upon.

Join Epsilon Spires, Atowi Project, and Connecticut River Comservancy to take a cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and raw power of water. Aquarela is a visceral wake-up call depicting the sheer force and capricious will of Earth’s most precious element.

Local presenters, Stephen Dotson (Town of Brattleboro Sustainability Coordinator), Rich Holschuh (Atowi Project), Julia Cavicchi (Rich Earth Institute), and Kathy Urffer (Connecticut River Conservancy) will lead a dynamic conversation about our regional relationship to water.

Réjean OBomsawin, Abénaki, will speak about life at the Odanak Reserve in Quebec and the elders that inspired him to teach history and return to the old ways of ceremony. Réjean will also discuss perspectives on ceremonial life in the 21st century.

The Elnu Abenaki Band and the Atowi Project would like to invite all community members to participate in a snow snake competition at the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro from noon to 3 pm on February 27, 2022. Snow snake is a traditional game played during the winter months. Click the event title for more info!

Join the Atowi Project for one of two snow snake making workshops, in preparation for the upcoming snow snake competition at Retreat Farm on February 27, as part of the Brattleboro Winter Carnival 2022. Preregistration for workshops required (capacity limited).

Join the Atowi Project for one of two snow snake making workshops, in preparation for the upcoming snow snake competition at Retreat Farm on February 27, as part of the Brattleboro Winter Carnival 2022. Preregistration for workshops required (capacity limited).