[Stones] Some stones in Vermont, USA

Tue Nov 28 00:15:02 GMT 2006

It was the photo of a small formation of standing stones that initially
startled me.

I had several reasons for looking into the Abenakis, but one of them was
because my son, who is also a journalist, had just reported on a couple of
storytellers that came to Connecticut. The husband is of Scottish descent
and the wife is Abenaki. They came to tell traditional stories and also to
speak for the tribes represented at the first Thanksgiving, which was
nothing like the depiction that has been given to American students for many
decades in their history books.

I will extract the story below. It illustrates Nancy’s point that some are
preserving their traditions quietly. I was able to listen to a few audio
files of the session and the stories were delightful.

--Dave Shugarts

========================================
Waterbury Republican-American
Sunday, November 26, 2006

Oral tradition kept alive through storytelling
40 turn out to hear tales from Indian couple

BY JONATHAN SHUGARTS
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

  WASHINGTON, Conn. ― Sometimes the message is not in the story, but in how
it is told.

  For Marge Bruchac, an Abenaki American Indian, storytelling has been a way
to convey the tales of her people’s past and the direction of their future
to a variety of audiences. About 40 people listened to Bruchac and her
husband, Justin Kennick, on Saturday at the Institute for American Indian
Studies.

  “Some of the best stories are told when there is a little frost on the
ground,” Bruchac said to the audience. “The reason for this is that some of
these stories are so powerful that if they are told in the summer time, in
the spring, in the early autumn, the fish might forget to swim up river, the
plants might forget to grow.”

  The couple told of creationism, ice ages, the first settlers landing in
the country and American Indians who traveled across the oceans. Part of why
people pay attention to the her, Bruchac said, is that she has an ability to
modulate the tone of her voice, and assess an audience to see what way would
be best to communicate a story. Kennick, calls his wife the “velvet hammer”
because of the way she can alter the story telling to fit the personality of
the audience, varying from soft murmurs to loud singing, all in one story.
She uses pauses effectively, and accompanies her talks with the banging of a
drum or a melody played on a hand-carved wooden pipe.

  The couple dresses in the traditional clothing of the 1600s ― a blend of
dyed cloth from Europe and native animal skins, such as deer. This is the
result of trading that went on between American Indians and Europeans. This
blending of cultures even makes its way into musical instruments. The
“rattle” sound in a traditional native rattle, is actually lead shot,
Bruchac said.

  “I would much rather hear lead shot in a rattle, than coming out of a
gun,” she said.

  Tribal elders of the Abenaki, as well as other tribes, are selective about
who they share their stories with, Bruchac said. Largely, paper trails
proving heritage don’t exist, so members of the tribe have a reliance on
oral traditions.

  Not only is Bruchac a skilled weaver of words, but she is also a Ph.D
candidate at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has worked as a
museum consultant. The couple has told tales at Mystic Seaport and
Sturbridge Village, as well as festivals in the region.

  Lori Crosby listened to Bruchac with her husband, Dan Crosby, and their
9-yearold daughter, Rachel. She was impressed by the interaction Bruchac
and her husband had with the audience, especially in the way she kept the
audience’s attention. “As I was listening to her, I thought, is this what is
missing in our culture, the passing down of stories through generations?”
Lori Crosby said.

  For Bruchac, it’s about keeping tradition alive by not forgetting the
stories of the past.

  “None of us would survive without stories and without family,” Bruchac
said. “And the truth is, it’s the stories of family that hold us together.
They remind us who we are, where we come from and then hopefully guide us,
so we have some idea of where we are going.

On 11/27/06 6:04 PM, "The Wissers" <wissers3 at enter.net> wrote:

> ric,
> 
> Most still have not emerged from their long secrecy, but descendants of
> eastern woodlands peoples have been reared in the old ways, surreptitiously
> performing rituals and teaching what remains of the old knowledge. The
> opposite of the numerous 'wannabes' one now meets with, these people try not
> to seem like Indians outside their groups and don't brag about their
> knowledge. I met a few during a brief period when one Lenape group was toying
> with going public completely, and happened to be present when the chief of
> that group sat down with Paul Nevin, the man who studies and has helped
> preserve the Susquehanna petroglyphs. I heard him say to Paul, "Do you want to
> know what they mean?" and they sat together off to the side of the group for
> some time.?
> 
> While much has been forgotten, some knowledge has been retained. Whether it
> will be passed on to youth increasingly disenchanted with the very idea of
> being Indian I can't say. I don't think many of the hidden groups will come
> forth to share that knowledge widely unless society makes large gestures
> toward improving our relationship with the earth and living things, The
> chances of that on this side of the ocean are slim to none.
> 
> It seems a shame but my impression was that many would rather let the
> knowledge die than let? those who don't understand their ways of seeing have
> any advantage from it.
> 
> Nancy
> 
> On Nov 27, 2006, at 5:23 PM, Ric wrote:
> 
>> hi,
>>   
>> ?
>>   
>> yes, Abenaki or 'Easterners', name borne by several NE Woodlands tribes but
>> has stuck with the Abenaki's. There?are also, potentially, Lenape (Delaware)
>> petroglyphs - recorded in Kraft p 171, 1986, 'The Lenape'. Unfortunately, the
>> initial-contact Europeans took little interest in the established cultures
>> they encountered, so not a great deal is known about this rock art -??the
>> same is true for a great deal of prehistory in America?
>>   
>> ?
>>   
>> general list?note: if you want to know what NE Woodlands tribes looked like -
>> see?erroneously titled?'Last of the Mohicans' film - a very accurate period
>> piece!
>>   
>> ?
>>   
>> http://www.mohicanpress.com/mo06063.html
>>   
>> ?
>>   
>> ric
>>   
> 
> 
> 
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