Beginning with a greeting and historic overview of democracy in N’dakinna (Abenaki for Homeland), this panel of Abenaki voices considers the threads of place, home, belonging, and representation in a time of great social change.

The panel was led by Vera Longtoe Sheehan the director of the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association, and features Abenaki leaders, mentors, and community members.

Educator Resources

• Elnu Abenaki Tribe
  Jamaica, VT
• Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation
  Barton, VT
• Vermont Abenaki Artists Association
• Ndakinna Education Center
  Greenfield Center, NY
• Decolonizing the History that is Taught in Schools Across the Abenaki Homeland by Vera Longtoe Sheehan
  Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum
• What Is The Status Of The Abenaki Native Americans In Vermont Today?
  Vermont Public Radio, November 4, 2016
• Abenaki Indian Fact Sheet
  Native American Facts for Kids
• Native Americans/ Native Vermonters (PDF)
  The Vermont Movie

For more than 30 years, Joseph Bruchac has been creating poetry, short stories, novels, anthologies, and music that reflect his Abenaki Indian heritage and Native American traditions. He is the author of more than 120 books for children and adults. The best selling Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children and others of his “Keepers” series, with its remarkable integration of science and folklore, continue to receive critical acclaim and to be used in classrooms throughout the country.

Our Fall Conference Democracy 20/20 is sponsored by the Vermont Country Store.