Citizens of the New England Abenaki community will gather at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum to celebrate their history and heritage on Saturday and Sunday, June 17th and 18th.
Activities throughout the weekend will include drumming by the Nulhegan Drum; storytelling by Abenaki author and historian Joseph Bruchac, and songs for children with Francine Poitras Jones.
Attendees will be able to visit the Native Arts Marketplace of the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association, where they can talk to artists, watch craft demonstrations, and purchase beadwork, paintings, jewelry, wampum, woodwork, leatherwork, drums, and other items.
Artists in the Arts Marketplace include Michael Descoteaux demonstrating the making of hand drums; Elnu Abenaki Elder Jim Taylor making wampum beads from whelk and quahog shells; and Linda Longtoe Sheehan weaving wampum, an intricate process using the shell beads. On Saturday, meet basketmaker Kerry Wood. On Sunday, visit the “Make and Take” table, where children can make a gift to bring home for Father’s Day.
A new special exhibit, “Beyond the Curve: The American Abenaki Covid Experience” will open during Heritage Weekend in the Schoolhouse Gallery, and will be on view all season. Artwork and stories by 20 American Abenaki artists illustrate the impact of the pandemic in the Abenaki homeland and the resilience of Abenaki people during troubled times.
This event is free and open to the public, and will take place from 11 am to 4 pm each day. The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is located at 4472 Basin Harbor Road, in Vergennes, Vermont.
For more information on Abenaki Heritage Weekend, click here.
Photo of basket making at Abenaki Heritage Weekend.
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