The Connecticut River Museum (CRM) will host a celebration of Indigenous history in the Connecticut River Valley on Saturday, Sept. 17. The program, a collaborative event between the Nehantic Native Nation, Elnu Abenaki, the Nolumbeka Project, the Essex Historical Society, and the museum, is centered around honoring the cultural traditions in the arts, storytelling, and language of the many native tribes of the River Valley region.

According to Essex Historical Society Director Melissa Josefiak, this is the second time these groups have collaborated for this celebration with the intention to enlighten residents in the Connecticut River Valley on the history and present cultures of the native tribes of the region, from the Pequots to the Mohegans and Nehantics, among several others. Representatives of the Nehantic and Abenaki tribes will share personal stories on the history of the native groups in the area, while the Humble Spirits drum group and Schaghticoke dancers will demonstrate examples of Indigeneous performing arts. Arts and crafts based in Indigenous traditions will be a part of the program particularly directed towards children.

Josefiak says that she hopes the program will help to broaden the current understanding of Connecticut’s Native American tribal history, particularly in the River Valley.

“This is all to demonstrate that the Indigenous cultures are not a thing of the past, but they are present in today’s society,” said Josefiak. That’s what our two local history museums, in working with the tribal communities, are here to celebrate. And open that up to the public and increase that understanding.”

One of the presentations of Indigenous culture will be an explanation of a conical wigwam house owned by Jennifer Lee of the Abenaki tribe. Lee will erect the mobile home before spectators and discuss the cultural elements to the home, including animal fur for warmth, handmade baskets, and relative stone-made objects, according to Josefiak.

David Bruele, chair of the Nolumbeka Project and a member of the Nehantic Tribal Council, is one of the collaborators responsible for bringing the program to the CRM. Bruele will be bringing together multiple Connecticut nations as part of the program’s artistic and historical opportunities. With the Nolumbeka Project, Bruele leads the statewide celebration of the life and persistence of interconnected Indigenous nations in the Northeastern United States and along with efforts further recognition of atrocities committed upon native peoples in the region, culminating in the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims founding of the Plymouth colony.

“In 2020, what we in Western Massachusetts wanted to do was counterbalance the huge preparations of the huge 1620/2020 festivities in Plymouth,” said Bruele. “We wanted to stress the fact that from 1620 onward, that was the beginning of a lot of problems for River Valley Indians.”

The organization had planned to bring their messaging to the CRM in Essex in 2020, but were thwarted by the coronavirus pandemic. Their mission resumed in 2021 for the first holding of the collaborative program, and will continue this year. Bruele has seen first-hand the excitement surrounding the history and cultural practices of Northeastern tribal communities at the program’s first holding last year, and at similar events.

“We had almost 200 people come, listening to the stories. Schoolchildren and their parents, and elders who had lived in the vicinity who had no idea,” he said. “I know from doing this kind of outreach work in an inter-tribal way up in central Northern Massachusetts that there’s a tremendous hunger for information and the desire to learn about people that have been invisible for so long.”

Scholars and academics of the Indigenous tribes will be part of the program to share personal stories of their backgrounds and experiences as part of the represented communities, including Rich Holschuh and Chief Roger Longtoe of the Abenaki Nation. Speakers coming to the program will also include John Pfeiffer of the Old Lyme Historical Society and an honorary member of the Nehantic Tribe, and author Jim Powers, who, as the keynote speaker of the event, will discuss the history of the Quinnipiac Nation, its diaspora, and plans for the new Dawnland Museum in Guilford to honor the tribe.

Josefiak expressed hope that given the intimacy of engaging in the history and cultural elements of the River Valley tribes, both historians and attendees at the program can come away with a greater understanding of the importance of Native history and culture to the region.

“We as historians and the general public can better understand the Native use of this area for over 10,000 years,” said Josefiak. “Tribal communites, of course, are saying ‘we’re still here, we didn’t disappear after the Europeans came and created the Colonies and the state of Connecticut.’”

Bruele raised a similar view considering the event’s presentations and historical significance.

“We’re all dealing with not only with connected cultures but with political history that has kind of erased many of our tribes. We’re really trying to counteract the narratives of erasure. I’m hoping that people who come will learn, be able to ask questions in a relaxed atmosphere. The stage we are at is reminding people that we’re still here, we’re willing to share the information we have.”