Indigenous Stories at the Library
Winter – Spring 2020

The city of Portsmouth is on the homelands of the Abenaki people, who have ongoing cultural and spiritual connections to this area. According to Tribal oral tradition, Abenaki people have lived in the place now called New Hampshire for more than 12,000 years—since before Tribal memory. The Abenaki are part of a larger group of Indigenous people who called themselves Wabanaki or “People of the Dawn,” and form one of many communities connected by a common Algonquian language family. To honor this history, in 2020 Portsmouth Public Library will begin hosting a monthly series of Indigenous Stories, featuring speakers on Indigenous culture, history and perspectives. This series is cosponsored by Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth 400 and the Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective, and is free and open to all!

The Abenaki: What, Who, When, Where and some Whys
Paul & Denise Pouliot, Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki People
Tuesday January 14 | 6 PM
In this presentation, Paul and Denise Pouliot, of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People, will address many questions, including what is an Abenaki? Who is an Abenaki? And some “whys” about the Abenaki that remain largely unknown today. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Paul Pouliot is the Sag8mo (head male speaker), THPO (Tribal Historical Preservation Officer), and religious elder of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People, as well as an Indigenous “Maven,” and lecturer; Denise Pouliot is the Sag8moskwa (head female speaker) of the Cowasuck Band, lecturer and Indigenous basketry and clothing artist. Through their ongoing presentations, educational programs, and role as Indigenous consultants within the UNH Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective (INHCC) the Cowasuck Band seeks to serve their people while informing the broader public about accurate Indigenous history, culture, and lifeways.

See other events in this series at www.cityofportsmouth.com/library/indigenous.