Collection: Vermont Indigenous Heritage Center Publications

All of these pamphlets are e-books, and will download in .pdf format

Introduction

This is a series of Vermont Indigenous Heritage Center documents; many derived from the Wôbanakik Heritage Center's Haven Project, an extensive archive of unpublished data, images and scholarly inferences pertaining to the Vermont Abenakis and their Wabanaki neighbors.  It also includes summaries of some of the results of agronomic and ecological research conducted by the Seeds of Renewal Project since its inception in 2012.  Elements of research done for the four Vermont State Recognition petitions is also included.  Lastly, it includes new information gained from building and performing ancestral Abenaki and Wabanaki arts by the Alnôbaiwi cultural group at the Heritage Center.  It is an ongoing series, with over two dozen publications as of late March 2020.

Purposes of the series

The purpose of the series is several fold.  First, it is designed to organize and make available the last 30+ years of Prof. Frederick Wiseman's research into the culture history of the Vermont Abenakis and their neighbors in a series of relatively short and easy to understand booklets. 

Second, it stands as a clear, well documented record of ethically (and ethnically) legitimate ancestral cultural, ceremonial and artistic traditions that may be used by Abenakis and their neighbors in cultural revitalization programs.

Third, it provides a clear distinction between the abundant materials and customs with a documented Vermont origin; and those that have been freely given to the Vermont Abenakis specifically for their use by Wabanaki Tradition Keepers such as Joseph "Cozy" Nicholas, David Francis, Wayne Newell, Arnold Neptune, Donald Soctomah, Nicole and Denny Obomsawin. This historical information is critical for the Vermont Abenakis to have, so as to refute assertions claiming that there is no ancestral and current Vermont Abenaki culture, and that cultural practices have been taken without permission from other tribes.

Fourth, apparently, there is a current need for up-to-date information for Vermont K-12 teachers on "contemporary native people."  A teaching consultant who works with northern and central Vermont school districts put it this way:

Several of the teachers at different grade levels have identified units of study to revise that relate to native peoples pre European contact and they would like to shift the emphasis to contemporary native people. I am interested in finding curriculum resources for Elementary and Middle school teachers that relate to the Abenaki in Vermont currently as well as in the past.