EVENTS CALENDAR
Centering Indigenous Peoples & Nations in Land Protection & Conservation with Dr. Darren Ranco
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 at 4 PM - 5:30 PM
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, ME
In this year’s free Ina and Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture, Dr. Darren Ranco will explore the opportunities for Wabanaki-led conservation in what is now Maine. He will share contemporary scholarship about Indigenous conservation practices, define the terminology used by Indigenous people for conservation work, and identify best practices for partnerships with environmental organizations and Indigenous peoples. Dr. Ranco will describe his efforts to develop a proactive, coordinated response to save the culturally and artistically essential brown ash tree from the invasive emerald ash borer, and how this collaborative work is leading to new strategies for informing public policy and establishing effective methods of bringing together diverse groups to address environmental threats.
Please note that the day after this event, registration will open for access to an online recording of the program.
Click here for more event details and to register for the event.
Stories of Nanrantsouak/Norridgewock Village: Understanding Legacies of Shared Histories of Violence with Ashley Smith
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 AT 7 PM - 8 PM
Tewksbury Hall, Skowhegan, ME & Online
On Thursday April 25th from 7pm to 8pm, Ashley Smith will lead a talk, entitled, “Stories of Nanrantsouak/Norridgewock Village: Understanding the Legacies of our Shared Histories of Violence.” This event is free and takes place at Tewksbury Hall on Weston Avenue in Skowhegan and will also be broadcast via Zoom. Masks are required for in-person attendance. Click here to register for the Zoom link.
Ashley Smith was born and raised in Madison, Maine where some members of her family have been for multiple generations. As a child, her grandfather regularly took her to gather water at the site of the Wabanaki village Nanrantsouak or Norridgewock, known locally as “the Pines” in Madison. She grew up hearing stories of this place and the horrible violence that the English had brought to Wabanaki people here. For a high school project, she decided to research the history of this place and learned, to her surprise, that much of what she found in published books contradicted what she had grown up knowing and what her family had taught her about this place. Since then, she has since spent much of her adult life learning about this place and its stories and memories from multiple perspectives, both book research and interviews with Indigenous descendants and non-Indigenous locals.
Evening with Morgan Talty, author of Night of the Living Rez
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 AT 6 PM – 7:30 PM
Mockingbird Bookshop, Bath, ME
Join us for an evening with Morgan Talty and his debut novel, Night of the Living Rez. Enjoy a reading, Q & A and book signing. Set in a Native community in Maine, Night of the Living Rez is a riveting debut collection about what it means to be Penobscot in the twenty-first century and what it means to live, to survive, and to persevere after tragedy. In a collection that examines the consequences and merits of inheritance, Night of the Living Rez is an unforgettable portrayal of community and marks the arrival of a standout talent in contemporary fiction.
Morgan Talty is a citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation where he grew up. Named one of Narrative’s “30 Below 30,” Talty’s work has appeared in The Georgia Review, Shenandoah, TriQuarterly, Narrative Magazine, LitHub, and elsewhere. He lives in Levant, Maine.
Dawnland Live Online Film Screening and Q&A
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 AT 7 PM – 9 PM
Online
For decades, child welfare authorities have been removing Native American children from their homes to save them from being Indian. In Maine, the first official “truth and reconciliation commission” in the United States begins a historic investigation. National News & Documentary Emmy® award winning film DAWNLAND goes behind-the-scenes as this historic body grapples with difficult truths, redefines reconciliation, and charts a new course for state and tribal relations.
Join TRC commissioner Sandy White Hawk (Sicangu Lakota), TRC commissioner gkisedtanamoogk (Mashpee Wampanoag), and film participant Esther Anne of Wabanaki REACH for a live conversation and Q&A after the film. This event will take place on the International Day for Peace. Click here for more info
Global Matriarchs Gathering at Wicuhkemtultine Kinship Community
FRIDAY to SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23-25, 2022 AT 7 PM – 9 PM
Wicuhkemtultine Kinship Community, Monroe, ME (Specific address and directions emailed to registrants)
Join the Land Peace Foundation for three days of learning, sharing, and healing. We will gather with matriarchs from around the world to talk about where we have been, where we are now, and where we’d like to be in the future. Our talks will be centered on the role of matriarchs in creating a liveable future for those who will follow.
We will have featured talks from leading voices on: the maternal gifting economy, climate change and climate justice, trauma and lateral violence, decolonization, rematriation, reclaiming sisterhood, and more. There will also be time for connection and deepening conversations around the fire and in the red tent.
Lodging is available in nearby towns of Bangor, Belfast and Newport. No camping or lodging is available at the venue. There will be no separate programming for children at this year’s gathering. This event is adult themed. We will be discussing a number of issues that are not suitable for small children.
Click here for more event details and to purchase admission.
Wabanaki Stories
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2023 AT 3 PM
Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
WORLD PREMIERE
Commissioned Maine Artist by Portland Ovations
The land and waters known as Maine have been home to Wabanaki people for over 12,000 years. This vibrant exploration of Wabanaki histories and cultures spotlights three Wabanaki storytellers coming from three different nations and storytelling traditions. Jennifer Pictou (Mi’kmaq) regales with spirit stories told in the company of large puppets; Dwayne Tomah (Passamaquoddy), the youngest fluent speaker of Passamaquoddy, shares stories that showcase his native language; and John Bear Mitchell (Penobscot) captures the imagination with tales of Espun, a trickster. Artist and author Chris Newell (Passamaquoddy) intersperses each story with music and narration.
Click here for more event details and to purchase tickets.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 at 4 PM - 5:30 PM
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, ME
In this year’s free Ina and Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture, Dr. Darren Ranco will explore the opportunities for Wabanaki-led conservation in what is now Maine. He will share contemporary scholarship about Indigenous conservation practices, define the terminology used by Indigenous people for conservation work, and identify best practices for partnerships with environmental organizations and Indigenous peoples. Dr. Ranco will describe his efforts to develop a proactive, coordinated response to save the culturally and artistically essential brown ash tree from the invasive emerald ash borer, and how this collaborative work is leading to new strategies for informing public policy and establishing effective methods of bringing together diverse groups to address environmental threats.
Please note that the day after this event, registration will open for access to an online recording of the program.
Click here for more event details and to register for the event.
Stories of Nanrantsouak/Norridgewock Village: Understanding Legacies of Shared Histories of Violence with Ashley Smith
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 AT 7 PM - 8 PM
Tewksbury Hall, Skowhegan, ME & Online
On Thursday April 25th from 7pm to 8pm, Ashley Smith will lead a talk, entitled, “Stories of Nanrantsouak/Norridgewock Village: Understanding the Legacies of our Shared Histories of Violence.” This event is free and takes place at Tewksbury Hall on Weston Avenue in Skowhegan and will also be broadcast via Zoom. Masks are required for in-person attendance. Click here to register for the Zoom link.
Ashley Smith was born and raised in Madison, Maine where some members of her family have been for multiple generations. As a child, her grandfather regularly took her to gather water at the site of the Wabanaki village Nanrantsouak or Norridgewock, known locally as “the Pines” in Madison. She grew up hearing stories of this place and the horrible violence that the English had brought to Wabanaki people here. For a high school project, she decided to research the history of this place and learned, to her surprise, that much of what she found in published books contradicted what she had grown up knowing and what her family had taught her about this place. Since then, she has since spent much of her adult life learning about this place and its stories and memories from multiple perspectives, both book research and interviews with Indigenous descendants and non-Indigenous locals.
Evening with Morgan Talty, author of Night of the Living Rez
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 AT 6 PM – 7:30 PM
Mockingbird Bookshop, Bath, ME
Join us for an evening with Morgan Talty and his debut novel, Night of the Living Rez. Enjoy a reading, Q & A and book signing. Set in a Native community in Maine, Night of the Living Rez is a riveting debut collection about what it means to be Penobscot in the twenty-first century and what it means to live, to survive, and to persevere after tragedy. In a collection that examines the consequences and merits of inheritance, Night of the Living Rez is an unforgettable portrayal of community and marks the arrival of a standout talent in contemporary fiction.
Morgan Talty is a citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation where he grew up. Named one of Narrative’s “30 Below 30,” Talty’s work has appeared in The Georgia Review, Shenandoah, TriQuarterly, Narrative Magazine, LitHub, and elsewhere. He lives in Levant, Maine.
Dawnland Live Online Film Screening and Q&A
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 AT 7 PM – 9 PM
Online
For decades, child welfare authorities have been removing Native American children from their homes to save them from being Indian. In Maine, the first official “truth and reconciliation commission” in the United States begins a historic investigation. National News & Documentary Emmy® award winning film DAWNLAND goes behind-the-scenes as this historic body grapples with difficult truths, redefines reconciliation, and charts a new course for state and tribal relations.
Join TRC commissioner Sandy White Hawk (Sicangu Lakota), TRC commissioner gkisedtanamoogk (Mashpee Wampanoag), and film participant Esther Anne of Wabanaki REACH for a live conversation and Q&A after the film. This event will take place on the International Day for Peace. Click here for more info
Global Matriarchs Gathering at Wicuhkemtultine Kinship Community
FRIDAY to SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23-25, 2022 AT 7 PM – 9 PM
Wicuhkemtultine Kinship Community, Monroe, ME (Specific address and directions emailed to registrants)
Join the Land Peace Foundation for three days of learning, sharing, and healing. We will gather with matriarchs from around the world to talk about where we have been, where we are now, and where we’d like to be in the future. Our talks will be centered on the role of matriarchs in creating a liveable future for those who will follow.
We will have featured talks from leading voices on: the maternal gifting economy, climate change and climate justice, trauma and lateral violence, decolonization, rematriation, reclaiming sisterhood, and more. There will also be time for connection and deepening conversations around the fire and in the red tent.
Lodging is available in nearby towns of Bangor, Belfast and Newport. No camping or lodging is available at the venue. There will be no separate programming for children at this year’s gathering. This event is adult themed. We will be discussing a number of issues that are not suitable for small children.
Click here for more event details and to purchase admission.
Wabanaki Stories
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2023 AT 3 PM
Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
WORLD PREMIERE
Commissioned Maine Artist by Portland Ovations
The land and waters known as Maine have been home to Wabanaki people for over 12,000 years. This vibrant exploration of Wabanaki histories and cultures spotlights three Wabanaki storytellers coming from three different nations and storytelling traditions. Jennifer Pictou (Mi’kmaq) regales with spirit stories told in the company of large puppets; Dwayne Tomah (Passamaquoddy), the youngest fluent speaker of Passamaquoddy, shares stories that showcase his native language; and John Bear Mitchell (Penobscot) captures the imagination with tales of Espun, a trickster. Artist and author Chris Newell (Passamaquoddy) intersperses each story with music and narration.
Click here for more event details and to purchase tickets.
