The Voice of the Dawn

by Wiseman, Frederick Matthew

• ISBN13: 9781584650591
• ISBN10: 1584650591
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-02-01
• Publisher: Univ Pr of New England

Summary

"[My] story is a sash woven of many strands of language. The first strand is the remembered wisdom of the Abenaki community. The second strand is our history and that of our relatives, written down by European, Native American, and Euroamerican observers. The third strand is what our Mother the Earth has revealed to us through the studies and writings of those who delve in her, the archaeologists and paleoecologists. The fourth strand is my own family history and its stories. The fifth strand is, of course, that which has come to me alone, stories which I create with my own beliefs and visions." So begins the first book about Abenaki history and culture written from the inside. Frederick Matthew Wiseman's extensive research and personal engagement breathe life into Voice of the Dawn, making it truly unique. Colin Calloway, Chair of Native American Studies at Dartmouth College, writes, "Going beyond all previous works on the Abenakis, Wiseman draws on family and community knowledge in a way that none of those authors could, speaks from an avowedly Abenaki perspective, and addresses aspects and issues ignored in other works. Moreover, no one that I know of has done as much work in locating and regathering items of Western Abenaki material culture. The quality and quantity of illustrations alone make this an attractive book, as well as a valuable visual record of change and persistence over time. As someone personally and pivotally involved in the Abenaki renaissance, Wiseman brings the story up to date without closing it."

Author Biography

Trained as an archaeologist/ecologist, FREDERICK MATTHEW WISEMAN was principal Research Scientist at MIT's Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology and author of scholarly publications on Maya and Paleo-Indian paleoethnobiology. Now devoted to Abenaki culture and history, he teaches at Johnson State College and is an Abenaki Tribal Council member and director of the Abenaki Tribal Museum and Cultural Center in Vermont.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	xiii
Preface	xv
Introduction and Methods of Research	1	(12)
Anglo Perceptions of the Abenaki	1	(1)
The Abenaki Family Tree and a Little Chauvinism	2	(1)
The Philosophy of Repatriation	3	(1)
Source Material	4	(9)
PART ONE: BEFORE THE DARKNESS
The Coming of the Great Animals: The Years of the Adebaskedon (13,000 to 10,000 Winters Ago)	13	(13)
The New Land and Its Life	16	(1)
The Coming of the Alnobak	17	(3)
Hunting the Ktsiawaasak	20	(4)
The Beginnings of Gathering	24	(1)
The Changing of Days	25	(1)
The Forest Closes In: The Years of the Moose (10,000 to 6,500 Winters Ago)	26	(7)
Life in the Uplands, Lakes, and Marshes	27	(3)
Life along the Coasts	30	(3)
The Land Becomes Warm: The Years of the Log Ships (6,500 to 1,000 Winters Ago)	33	(22)
Life in the Ancient Villages	33	(8)
Gathering the Bounty of the Land	41	(1)
Hunting the Uplands	42	(2)
Freshwater Fishing	44	(2)
Saltwater Fishing and Sea-Mammal Hunting	46	(2)
Changes	48	(3)
The Great Sea	51	(4)
The Coming of the Others: The Years of Corn (1,000 to 400 Years Ago)	55	(14)
The Coming of Agriculture	56	(3)
The Coming of the Ganienkeh and Nadoueks	59	(1)
The St. Lawrence Iroquoian Problem	60	(6)
New Connections with the Nadoueks	66	(3)
PART TWO: THE WAR FOR THE DAWNLAND
Darkness Falls: The Years of the Beaver (Christian years 1600 to 1820)	69	(45)
First Contact	69	(7)
Fur Trade and Conflict: A Small Case Study	76	(1)
The Coming of the Alliance	77	(4)
The Yearly Cycle: Spring	81	(7)
Summer's Bounty	88	(4)
Fall	92	(6)
Winter Comes	98	(6)
The War for the Dawnland	104	(9)
The End of the World---I	113	(1)
Against the Darkness: The Years of the Fox (Christian Years 1820 to 1970)	114	(37)
Exile, Canada, and Their Political Implications	118	(2)
People of the Forests and Woods	120	(1)
River Rats and Pirates	120	(12)
Indian Craftspeople	132	(6)
Gypsies	138	(1)
Farm and Village Life with the English	139	(6)
The End of the World---II: The Genocide Years	145	(6)
The Darkness Ends: The Years of the Bear (Christian Years 1970 to 1994)	151	(28)
Introduction	151	(1)
The Road to Recognition: 1965-1976	152	(5)
The Rise of Missisquoii 1976-1992	157	(12)
The Coming of Factionalism: 1992-1995	169	(10)
The Modern Abenaki (Christian Years 1995-)	179	(16)
The Modern Abenaki World	183	(8)
The Last Best Hope for Peace	191	(4)
Appendix 1. The Place-Names of Wobanakik	195	(5)
Appendix 2. The Herbal Medicine of Wobanakik	200	(14)
Appendix 3. Educational Resources	214	(27)
Bibliographic Notes	241	(12)
Notes to the Illustrations	253	(8)
Bibliography	261	(36)
Index	297