Join us at the Dover Public Library on Monday, November 28 @ 6:30pm for a lecture on Indigenous Land Stewardship. This event is made possible by a grant from New Hampshire Humanities.
Around 12,000 years ago Indigenous tribes began to make their home along the Cochecho River. Collectively these tribes were known as the Abenaki or “People of the Dawnland.” Throughout the month of November we recognize and celebrate those who came before us, including those tribes that tended the land that is now called Dover
This presentation will be in-person, with the option to view virtually. Speakers include Paul Pouliot, Denise Pouliot and Kathleen Blake, affiliate faculty of the UNH Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor as well as members of the Indigenous New Hampshire Collective Collaborative.
The lecture will feature a short history of Indigenous foodways, and the traditional use of waterways and land along the Cochecho. The presentation will also focus on
contemporary efforts being made by Indigenous groups to care for the ancestral homelands, and how attendees can support these programs.
Attendees are invited to meet before the lecture at 6 PM for a special ceremony as the library unveils a new Land Acknowledgement plaque, a city-wide initiative funded by a generous grant through the NH Humanities in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Paul and Denise Pouliot are the Sag8mo and Sag8moskwa (Male and Female Head Speakers) of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki People. Paul is an Indigenous historian, lecturer, and a founding member of the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs where Denise currently serves as Vice Chair. In her spare time Denise creates coil, bark or woven baskets and produces traditional ceremonial clothing. Together they serve as Federal Religious Advisors and are recipients of the UNH Platinum Sustainability Award for community building. They were also named as one of The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) 60 individuals and organizations that have positively impacted the natural world in honor of TNC’s 60 years of conservation in New Hampshire.
Kathleen Blake is a retired teach of biology, ecology and earth science. She spent several years as a science curriculum and assessment specialist. She is of mixed heritage, whose indigenous descendancy is from the Wendat (Huron), Algonquin, Anishinabe, and Mi’kmaq peoples. Kathleen served as Chair for the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs for several years. She is currently serving as a board member of the Racial Unity Team, a member of the Dover Racial Equity and Inclusion Committee, and the Dover School Department Vision Keepers. She is dedicated to supporting and serving the first peoples of this land.
The program is free and open to the public. Sign up is needed to get a link to view the program virtually. For more information or to register, visit the library’s website at library.dover.nh.gov or call (603) 516-6050. Library hours are Monday-Thursday 9 AM-8:30 PM, Friday and Saturday 9 AM-5 PM, and Sundays 1 PM-5 PM.
Original source can be found here.
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