DREAM
Land Acknowledgement
DREAM respectfully recognizes that Camp DREAM is located within the traditional territory of the Abenaki / Abénaquis People as part of the Wabanaki (Dawnland Confederacy).
This Land Acknowledgment is a work in progress, but please join us as we learn more about the Peoples' whose land we now enjoy and steward. This page is a collection of resources and information so that DREAMers and site visitors alike may learn more about the First People of our area.
The stories on this website belong to the Abenaki people, and these learning resources have been intentionally compiled to highlight Abenaki people telling their stories. We are grateful for the chance to learn more and gain deeper insight into the culture of people who have been oppressed by the local and federal government since white immigrants first appeared on these shores. Today only four Abenaki tribes are recognized by the state of Vermont, and land owned by tribes is extremely limited. The four recognized tribes are the:
To gain deeper insight on what a Land Acknowledgement is and how to serve as an Ally to Native People, please see this tool kit from Wilfred Laurier University in Canada.
Thanks to Jackson Smith, Cassandra Puckett, and Wendy Simon for this incredible resource!
Learning Resources
Native Land Map
Guided Discussion Questions:
Can you find the Traditional Territory of the Abenaki People?
Can you find landmarks you recognize on this map? Which Tribes' Traditional Territory are you sitting in right now?
Why do you think the Traditional Tribal lands often don't belong to the Tribes anymore? Why is it important for us to recognize, remember, and learn about the past?
Abenaki Creation Story
The Dawnland Singers
An Abenaki Family Sharing and Preserving Tradition
"THE DAWNLAND SINGERS ["Dawnland"] is a family-founded, native performance group that began in 1993 when they were featured at the Abenaki Cultural Heritage Days in VermontTheir presentations include new and traditional northeastern Native music mixed with Abenaki storytelling. During their first years of performing, they performed at many venues, including the Champlain Valley Festival, the Old Songs Festival, The Eight Step, Caffe Lena, Kanatsiohareke, and as the opening act for the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan concert in Highgate, Vermont, which resulted in a laudatory article about them in the Grateful Dead Newsletter. Their first recording, Alnobak, was released in 1994." From
Their most recent album was released was in 2009 and is titled, "Honor Songs Gwsintow8ganal."
The family members that make up The Dawnland Singers are Joseph, Margaret, James, and Jesse Bruchac. Read more about this incredible family below!
Dr. Margaret Bruchac is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at UPenn. Her research involves Abenaki restorative efforts in North American museums as tribal artifacts have been stolen and held in museum spaces. Click the image (left) to read more about her research!
Dr. Joseph Bruchac is an author with over a hundred books to his credit. He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. He is the present Executive Director of the Ndakinna Education Center.
James Bruchac is an author, storyteller, cultural and wilderness educator. As the Founder and Program Director of the Ndakinna Education Center, James shares Abenaki knowledge with hundreds of school children and sumer campers each year.
Jesse Bruchac is an Abenaki storyteller and linguist known for his work as a translator and cultural guide in a number of films that have portrayed the Abenaki people. He is currently the Youth Camp Assistant Director at the Ndakinna Education Center and additionally runs the website westernabenaki.com!
Nebi: Abenaki Ways of Knowing Water
Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises
This full-length feature documentary is the love song of Alanis Obomsawin to her Adenaki people. A power storyteller in her own right, this film follows Obomsawin as she returns to the porches and homes of her childhood and asks Abenaki community members to tell their tales and share their crafts.
Obomsawin herself was born in the Abenaki Territory of New Hampshire, although she spent much of her life in Canada. At an early age her mother moved the family to Odanak, an Adenaki reserve north east of Montreal. There, Obomsawin immersed herself in the songs and legends of her people and filled herself with memories. Although she would later grow up in Quebec and learn French away from her community, Obomsawin's love of her history sings out of every frame in this heartfelt documentrary.
Traditional Abenaki Sugaring and Stories
The Abenaki were some of the first people and first maple syrup producers in North America. In this virtual lecture from 2021, Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe tells the stories that surround maple syrup making. From sharing the tools and techniques used by his community, to taking questions from the crowd, this is an engaging and informative information session!
To learn more about the Abenaki and their maple syrup production, please check out the tribe's website here.
DREAM
The DREAM Program INC. is a 501(c)(3) service organization established in the winter of 1998 and developed as a nonprofit in 2001. Its goal is to bring high quality mentoring and activity programing to at-promise youth through summer enrichment, academic support, village mentoring, and unlimited adventures.
This Website is funded in part through a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this Website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).