Here is some scans of an article posted in the Valley News about the White Pine Association.
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Snow Snakes
The deep snow and cold temperatures didn't stop the Koasek Traditional Band of Abenaki from reviving the ancient Snow Snake games in Randolph,Vemont on February 16 th. Nancy Millette, past Chief of the Koasek Band and President of the White Pine Association of the Koasek Traditional Band of Abenaki welcomed the idea of hosting the games for the first time in hundreds of years when Chief Brian Chenevert of the Koasek Band and Roger Longtoe Sheehan of the El Nu Tribe approached her to help preserve this ancient sport. The Snow Snake is carved from a flatten piece of wood with the front curved up some with the back of the stick being notched for an easy throw. In ancient times this game was performed after that winter hunts. The hunters from several villages would get together for competitions. After spending many hours making a snow snake everyone would hope theirs would be the one that would travel the furthest as the looser had to give over his snow snake to the winner!
Our Corn
 (Sarah Calley Gifts Corn to Chief Nancy Millette By Jacob L. Grant, Staff Writer The Caledonian Record - Wells River,VT- They've been called the "original Vermonters." They are a tribe that was here well before the first settlers. And in the next few generations the last vestiges of their nation could become extinct. There are some within the nation who have been working to preserve their ways and traditions and on Wednesday, a little more hope was granted. At the Old School House in Wells River, the Koasek Abenaki nation accepted the return of the corn seeds of their ancestors and took another step toward acquiring the schoolhouse for their planned White Pine Cultural Center. Plans for the center - which comes under their nonprofit White Pine Association - include cultural exchange programs, historic preservation and language preservation. "We only have a few left who can speak the original language," said Chief Nancy Millette. "I expect it will be extinct in the next generation, maybe two, if we don't start preserving it now." Lyons is leading the way to secure money through grants, donations and fund-raisers to buy the building from Charlie and Sarah Calley of Newbury, who said the building is being used for office space and apartments. Negotiations are taking place now, the Calleys said. "We can't imagine better stewards for this building," said Sarah Calley during a short ceremony in front of the schoolhouse Wednesday afternoon. The big focus of the day though was the return of the Abenaki corn seeds, which have been out of the hands of the original people for about 300 years. Though it may seem like a small gesture on behalf of the Calleys, it meant a lot to the nations citizens who gathered at the school to receive the gift. "This is the first time in 300 years our corn has come home to us," Millette said. As customary after receiving a gift, Millette said, the Abenaki would give a gift in return. She then presented the Calleys with an Indian sage - an item used for prayer - a small Abenaki basket and a T-shirt bearing the name of the Koasek Abenaki. A Cherished Tradition Centuries before the arrival of English settlers in the 1760s, the native Abenaki people grew corn on the fields of the oxbows of the Connecticut River in Newbury, Vt., and Haverhill, N.H., according to historical information gathered by Charlie and Sarah Calley. When the settlers arrived, they obtained corn seeds from the Indians and continued growing it, always saving enough seed for next year's planting. The process of planting this corn, which only grows about waist high and produces one four-inch ear per stalk, was passed down through the generations of the settlers and eventually came to the family of the late Carroll Greene. The Calleys met Greene in 1973. Greene, who had grown up in Newbury, grew the corn exclusively. He eventually gave the Calleys several ears of dried seed corn and asked them to keep the process going. Every spring since 1973, the Calleys said, they have planted the seed, thinning and weeding the rows and enjoying the corn, which comes early, usually in July. The Calleys said the corn withstands drought very well, thrives in a wet summer and never gets diseased. The Koasek Abenaki plan to redistribute the seeds and start replenishing the corn. Millette said there are even a few members in their tribe interested in growing the corn themselves. Something New The location of the Old School House for the nation's White Pine Cultural Center is ideal because it's the location of what was, historically, the center of commerce for the Abenaki nation, according to Millette. She said the center will have many aspects to it, not just for the preservation of Abenaki history, but also for the community. Plans include a health and healing center that will offer licensed clinical and social workers who are schooled in alcohol, drug and HIV prevention. There are plans for a traditional arts and crafts workshop where Abenaki citizens and others can learn traditional crafts from master craftsmen of the Abenaki Nation and elsewhere. Programs for citizens of the Abenaki community are planned where people can share oral family history, research the Abenaki nation and genealogies and restore old ceremonies and traditions. Through the academy's Language Immersion Program, people will be able to relearn authentic Abenaki language from fluent speakers who travel in from other regions. Millette even talked about an "on property" recording studio where Abenaki, and other nations, can preserve their language and oral histories. In line with the language preservation, there are also plans to work with various government agencies to help preserve the historically sacred sites of the Koasek Abenaki territory in New Hampshire and Vermont. Plans for the Center also consider a community outreach program that will include a food shelf for people in crisis. Next June, the White Pine Cultural Center will host an annual Native American festival and fund-raiser called Nawihla, which is an Abenaki word meaning, "I am returning home." Nawihla is scheduled to be held in Woodsville, N.H., and will include traditional dancing, song, arts, crafts, a living historical village and contemporary Native American performers. The event will be open to everyone. The return of their corn and the process of preserving their tribe marks some very important steps in the history of the Abenaki since they achieved official state recognition last May. For 30 years the Abenaki have fought for a bill recognizing the tribe's existence in Vermont. They finally won state recognition in 1977, but the recognition was later rescinded. The law makesthe nations citizens eligible for college scholarships, grants and the right to sell crafts labeled as "Native American." |
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Aztec Dancers Added 
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