A Year of Coming Together in Celebration
Last year at this time we were celebrating and giving thanks for the opportunities we had to gather as we came out from the full weight of the pandemic. We were moving slowly, still practicing caution to make sure we were caring for ourselves and each other. Our gatherings were small and occasionally we had to change course to keep each other safe. This year we are grateful for the opportunities we had to come together as Wabanaki people, reconnecting to our communities after being separated for so long.
The arrival of spring marked the beginning of a busy year. Our dedicated team of staff and volunteers tapped 200 maple trees on the land. Carrying 640 gallons of sugar maple water to our humble sugar shack, they worked together for one of the first foods we are gifted as Mother Earth starts to stir. The maple syrup we harvest feeds guests at Nibezun throughout the year, making an appearance in many of the dishes we serve at our gatherings.
We gifted some of the maple syrup we lovingly harvested to our Abenaki relatives as a reminder of the time we spent together at the first Wabanaki Cultural Exchange. This gathering of our relatives was especially important because the imaginary border that divides what are colonially known as the United States and Canada also divides Wabanaki homelands. In 1724 after colonial settlers attacked and killed 160 sleeping Abenaki people in what is known today as the Norridgewock Massacre, the survivors fled to Odanak, W8linak, and other Wabanaki communities. The time we spent together this summer was a time of healing for us all. Sixty Abenaki relatives traveled from their communities to Nibezun and over the course of a weekend upwards of 100 Wabanaki people came together to embrace our shared traditions. Our time together was filled with art, songs, dances, traditional food, storytelling, and – most importantly – family. We were reminded of who we are as People of the Dawnland, our responsibilities to one another, and the strengths we share across our nations. The Wabanaki Cultural Exchange will continue to take place every one to two years with different Wabanaki communities taking the lead in bringing us all together again.
Jasmine Thompson-Tintor (Penobscot) holds a traditional foods workshop at the Wabanaki Cultural Exchange
Wild game, berries, and hand-harvested edible plants from the land at Nibezun made up a healthy snack for all participants
The easing of restrictions from the pandemic also allowed us to cultivate renewed energy in the preservation of Wabanaki languages with the revitalization of our Wabanaki language immersion gatherings. We gathered for the first time in three years in March at Nibezun. The quiet of winter was greeted with laughter, songs, and stories from our people and the snow happily cradled our snow snakes as they raced through their tracks. The tears we shared in gratitude for the teachings our languages carry and our time together carried us forward into the following seasons for our gatherings at Skutik (Schoodic Institute) and Kapskuk (Cobscook Institute). In the Passamaquoddy language, Skutik means “the great burned over place” and Kapskuk means the “boiling rock under water place” relating to the way the rocks look beneath the waterfall. The memories we share harvesting sweetgrass, learning through play, and passing on teachings around our evening fires at each gathering are ones we cherish. We are looking forward to creating even more memories and teachings in the new year.
Community members play snow snakes, a traditional Wabanaki game, at the language immersion gathering in March
Language learners harvested sweetgrass at our gathering in Skutik this summer
To our non-Wabanaki friends we thank you for joining us at our sunrise ceremonies during the solstice and equinoxes, for helping us harvest our maple syrup, for caring for our fruit orchard, for tending our gardens, for participating in our weekly online Passamaquoddy language classes, and visiting with us on the land. We hope to see you at Nibezun again in 2024.
As we enter the time of reflection and new beginnings, please consider making a donation to Nibezun before the end of the year to support us in our mission to provide space for healing for all people and future generations. We look forward to healing together.