It is enlightening to look back at the words of Canadian Studies Professor David Massell from the podium that day, who more recently has been speaking from a very different place, the aegis of which is still under discussion. Such an about-face begs many questions, especially given his comments not very long ago.

The town of Rockingham, which includes the village of Bellows Falls, in collaboration with the Elnu Abenaki, received a nearly $37,000 underrepresented communities grant from the National Park Service to support two years of research around the site, beginning this fall.

Roger Longtoe Sheehan, Chief of the Elnu Abenaki, said he hopes the project will increase awareness about the Abenaki and the landscape they traditionally inhabited.

The hope and focus of the group is now the establishment of a Kchi Pôntegok Cultural Center. They state that the purpose of the center is, “To teach the community about a culture through use of events, festivals, and workshops.” Jones says the exact shape, size, and location of the center itself is still in the visionary and planning stages, but some funding sources have been identified.

Given the central role the University of Vermont played in the eugenics movement of the last century, one would think they might be wise to be very, very cautious when wading into international tribal politics. Apparently, that wisdom was lost on them when they decided to host a group of people claiming Indigenous legitimacy to denounce Vermont Native Americans without offering the tribes here an opportunity to speak up at the same event.

Research into the history of a petroglyph site along the Connecticut River in Bellows Falls will be getting underway thanks to a grant from the National Park Service. The hope is to share a story of Indigenous people that has not yet been told.

The island in Bellows Falls is sacred Abenaki land. It was a fishing spot for native Americans thousands of years ago and soon that history will be told from a new perspective. “There has not been a native voice informing this and that is the source, it’s why it’s here,” [Elnu] Abenaki Cultural Relations Officer Rich Holschuh said.

The town of Rockingham and the Elnu Tribe have been awarded a national grant for underrepresented communities to expand and correct the official record about the Indigenous petroglyphs at The Great Falls, considered a sacred site to the Abenaki.

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced that Swanton Public Library (SPL) in Swanton, VT is the recipient of the 2022 ALSC/Candlewick Press "Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved" Grant. As recipient of the grant, the library will receive $3,000 to engage and uplift the voices of their Native American community, which accounts for approximately 1.5% of the Swanton, Vermont population.

With this grant, the Swanton Public Library will highlight and support local Native American populations through a multidisciplinary mix of programming and activities focused on breaking down long-standing racial prejudice.

Some very good news today: The US National Park Service has awarded an Underrepresented Communities Grant (from the Historic Preservation Fund) to the Town of Rockingham, VT (Village of Bellows Falls) for a proposal entitled "Kchi Pôntegok - Revisiting the Historic Landscape of the Bellows Falls Petroglyphs".

The Vermont House voted Wednesday in favor of establishing a state commission to study the history of racism, discrimination and eugenics in Vermont statutes.

H.96, which was approved 109-30 in an initial vote, builds on last year’s Joint House Resolution 2 — a four-page, unanimously supported apology for a 1931 law that legalized eugenics via sterilization in Vermont.

In 2021, the Vermont Legislature issued a long overdue apology for Vermont’s early 20th century state-sanctioned eugenics movement, which targeted Indigenous people and other groups…The apology left unspoken how to undo the harm. Now, a bill in the Vermont House, H.96, proposes that Vermont establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to examine what happened and possible reparations. This interview catches up with where that process is in the Vermont legislature right now.

Now posted online: the video recording for archaeologist Gail Golec's informative presentation of last Wednesday (02-16-22) entitled "Interpreting Historical Landscapes in the Upper Connecticut River Valley", sponsored by Rockingham Free Public Library and the Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission.

A preview of the soon-to-be-released tribute for the River from Quinetucket LLC. Filmmaker Vince Hogan has crafted a gorgeous hymn to the liquid heart of this landscape.

At the southern end of the Long Trail lies the tallest peak in Massachusetts, Mount Greylock. This mountain was once referred to as Grand Hoosuc or Saddleback by Abenaki people, Elnu Abenaki Tribe public liaison Rich Holschuh writes on the Green Mountain Club website.

The demolition of the former Meeting Waters YMCA building took yet another turn Tuesday night. Representatives from the local Abenaki tribe asked the Rockingham Select Board that no additional excavation be done during the upcoming demolition of the town-owned dilapidated building.

Bellows Falls has several ancient Abenaki burial sites, said Gail Golec, an archaeologist from Walpole, N.H., who appeared before the board with local resident Diana Jones, who said she is an Abenaki descendant.

Original episode aired November 8, 2021 - Filmed on location in Wantastegok with producer Sangita Chandra and videographer Bob Oliver; final cut with Shayna Seymour.

A program from Boston’s WCVB - ABC affiliate, part of the Chronicle Main Streets and Back Roads series.

Another piece of Abenaki history has been reclaimed with the creation of the Sibosen Trail. Pronounced SEE-boo-sehn, which is Abenaki for “river stone,” the trail runs along the West River in what’s known as the Riverstone Preserve, 21 acres of land owned by the Friends of the West River Trail that also includes 2,240 feet of shoreline.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott has re-affirmed the statutory establishment and observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day statewide by Act 18 of 2019, with an Executive Proclamation. The document also cites Act R-114 of 2021 which offers a legislative apology for the state’s complicity in historic eugenics policies, and assures ongoing commitment to equity for Indigenous peoples in the state of Vermont.

Indigenous Peoples Day has been recognized in Brattleboro for years, and a celebration at Retreat Farm holds even more meaning. “This makes it real,” said Rich Holschuh, director of the Atowi Project based at the farm. “People are face to face learning from each other. It’s more than symbolic. It’s lived.”

On Sunday afternoons during September 2021, the Friends of the [Justin] Morrill Homestead in Strafford, VT hosted “The Abenaki Experience: Prehistory to Present,” a speakers’ series designed to foster an understanding of the long and complicated history of the indigenous people of this area.

The Connecticut River Museum will be hosting a day of stories and songs with the Nehantic Native Nation and the Elnu Abenaki Tribe next month. The outdoor event is planned for Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the waterfront lawn at the foot of Main Street.