Kchi psahakw (Western Abenaki) – great/big smell(ing) plant, from “kchi” = great/big, plus “psah-” = to smell, plus “-akw” = a plant
American wild mint (Mentha canadensis)
American wild mint is the only native Mentha of the half-dozen species found in New England. This one has a very strong mint smell and enjoys wet, rich soil. People seek it as medicine for stomach upset, insomnia, and to relieve anxiety – similar to contemporary uses for peppermint.
“The Elnu Abenaki Tribe have partnered with Mount Grace since the early planning of the Gunnery Sergeant Jeff Ames Wheelchair Accessible Trail, which now guides visitors through a series of interpretive signs emphasizing the Abenaki’s continued connection to the lands that make up Squakheag/Northfield.
Elnu representatives worked with Mount Grace, and with the Wampanoag Aquinnah and Narragansett Nations, to describe the cultural importance of the Alderbrook Meadows site and helped design the educational signs for the trail.
This August, Mount Grace was invited to Vermont by the Elnu to witness the reclamation of Wantastegok–”at the river where something is lost”–the original name of the confluence of the West River with the Connecticut in Brattleboro.”
Read the full article in the 9/8/20 Mount Grace newsletter.
Apenak or penak – also skibô (Western Abenaki) – “[edible] root” from “pen-” = downward
Groundnut (Apios americana)
Wlipogwatol wajapkol ta adbakwasisal. Ta wlinôgwatol pskwasawônal!
Tasty roots and little beans. And beautiful flowers!
Pakwaaskw (Western Abenaki) – “arrow plant”
Cattail (Typha latifolia)
N’wlitobnal pakwal ta n’mijibnal wajapkol.
The stems used to make blunt arrow shafts and the roots eaten as a starch.
So, this happened: observations and extrapolations.
About two weeks ago, on August 13, 2020 – building upon a multi-faceted exchange that had already been underway for about four years – Abenaki community members, in collaboration with the Retreat Farm, dedicated a marker near the water’s edge. The site chosen was and is not coincidental. It is a place where worlds come together – sky, land, and water – a place that has cared for many and has been cared for in return, for thousands of summers. The marker is a recognition of the enduring relationship between People and Land – the duality embodied by indigeneity. Through the deliberate action of “Reclaiming Wantastegok” – restoring the space within which both this place and its occupants are singularly identified – a process of remembrance and reconnection has been recognized and enabled. See here and here for local media reports on the day’s celebration.
The event hosted its maximum allowable number of guests: 150 at an outdoor venue, according to the state’s Covid-19 guidelines. Sadly, a few had to be turned away. But, by all reports, the experience was as well-received as it was attended. Many folks traveled home having happily added to their understanding of being an integral part of one’s surroundings. The word “Wantastegok”, spoken aloud, reaffirmed the Place where it had first been voiced, so many rivers ago. A fresh dialogue between People, Land, and Water was convened, mixing old words with new, and Original Peoples with more recent arrivals. An opportunity for a community to learn together what it means to be in relationship: hard truths, healing connections, humbling realizations, affirming values.
A little over a week later, someone decided to chalk the Abenaki words “Wantastegok” and “Ndakinna” on the “Welcome to Brattleboro” sign just 300 feet further south. Both sign posts were tagged, and the words Brattleboro, Vermont overwritten as well. It was a little jarring, and dismaying, to witness. What was the point of this?
I posted the discovery on Facebook for reactions, thinking that perhaps most of the respondents – in common with the proponent of this action – would have known that this dialogue for change was already well underway in the community, a shared effort, and forefronted by Indigenous voices. I didn’t count on Facebook’s randomized algorithm; consequently, many of the commenters were not aware of the previous week’s events, much less the lead-up during the previous years. No doubt the chalk-wielder, however, was well-aware because they knew the significance of these two words and of their proximity.
Some of the post comments, though, were right on the mark. This, from Amber Arnold of the SUSU Collective, expresses it succinctly:
“In my opinion….which doesn’t matter much as I am not Abenaki, but I would say it matters more so who wrote it and if it was a collective decision I guess? If someone outside of the Abenaki community wrote on the sign it seems it could be harmful because then it just puts you in a position to seem responsible or take the blame or scrutiny I guess or negativity from others. If it was a collective decision made in your community and you all feel that it is needed and important than I believe it is a good decision…but in my opinion really depends on who wrote it. It always sucks when well intentioned outsiders do these things because it puts lots of labor on the actual people who experience attempted erasure.”
Wliwni – thank you, Amber.
And, to everyone: we can do better, together. And we will.
The Brattleboro Words Project commissioned this appealing, succinct video by filmmaker Donna Blackney, as part of its NEH-funded documentation of the intersection of people, places ,and words in this region. The event was well-attended and well-received, and signals the beginning of an inclusive and mindful collaboration between the Elnu Abenaki, other members of the Native community, and Retreat Farm, in Wantastegok/Brattleboro.
This video will be shared several times through programming at Brattleboro Community Television (listing here).
Visitors to the Retreat Meadows on Route 30 across from the Retreat Farm have a new opportunity to experience the confluence of the West and Connecticut rivers from a perspective that celebrates and honors the region as the homeland of the Abenaki people.
After a brief ceremony on Aug. 13, leaders of the Elnu Abenaki and the Retreat Farm joined Native Americans and others in the community in unveiling an interpretive sign for Wantastegok, the original Abenaki word for the area.
“It refers to the confluence of the West and the Connecticut rivers, a place where things come together, a place where things are lost, a place where things are found,” said Rich Holschuh, a spokesperson for the Elnu Abenaki and author of the text on the sign at the edge of the Retreat Meadows.
Read the full report from Olga Peters in The Commons (issue #576, 08.26.20), photography courtesy of Josh Steele.
The entrance at Retreat Meadows on Route 30 now has a sign bearing the original name of the area, Wantastegok, which Sokoki Abenaki called home for 12,000 years.
“That is the original name of this place — it refers to the confluence of the West and the Connecticut rivers, a place where things come together, a place where things are lost, a place where things are found,” said Rich Holschuh of Brattleboro, a proponent of initiatives aimed at recognizing Abenaki history. “This is the occasion of launching a journey.”
The sign will be part of a trail system around the water, Holschuh said. Other markers are anticipated to tell native stories and share local history.
The ceremony began with Chief Roger Longtoe Sheehan of the Elnu Abenaki Tribe singing a traditional Abenaki greeting song. He lives in Jamaica. “Hello and welcome to the land of the Abenaki,” he said.
Read the full story by Chris Mays in the Brattleboro Reformer (08.14.20), with photography by Kristopher Radder.
Kchipenak (Western Abenaki) – “great edible root”
Canada Lily (Lilium canadense)
Pitta kwenakwezid, kwinatta wakapwal wji mijwôgan ta wlinôgwatol peskwatawal.
A “very tall one”, with a really large root for food and beautiful flowers.
Mazôn (Western Abenaki)
Hemp Dogbane or Indian Hemp (Apocynum cannabinum)
N’walihabna pihanis – better form: Kd’elihôbna pihaniz, awakahôkw mazôn.
We make cordage, using dogbane.
Sokoki Sojourn 