Wabanaki Confederacy Report
By Charlie True (1940-2016)
We were privileged to attend the Wabanaki Confederacy gathering at Odanak June 20-27, 1998. Because it was hosted by the Abenaki people, and involved spending a week at the historic village of Odanak, the gathering held very special significance to us this year…
It seems that the Wabanaki Confederacy is commonly perceived as a political organization. This problem has been recognized by the elders, and there has been discussion about a name change to more accurately reflect its purpose. It is primarily intended to promote cultural/spiritual interaction between the five tribes of related Wabanaki peoples: Abenaki, Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot. Having attended two such gatherings, I would summarize what I’ve seen in four general categories:
We did, of course, have considerable interaction with the people of Odanak.
This is what an elder there told me: “We frequently have people come here with briefcases full of genealogies, who tell us that they’ve discovered that they’re Abenaki. I don’t judge them by their facial features, how they’re dressed, how many books they’ve read or whether there are familiar Abenaki names in their genealogies. I listen to how they speak, and watch their behavior. If they behave like Native people, then I accept them as Native people.”
Since the people at Odanak know little or nothing about our tribal family, Philip, Jen and I were conscious of the fact that we, through our behavior, would be providing some first impressions. As soon as we arrived, we approached several people responsible for planning and implementation and offered our help. We ended up sharing some of the work that typically gets few volunteers, such as raking and removing hay from the gathering areas, helping to build a general gathering lodge (a longhouse type shelter), the Star Lodge, and sweat lodges. Philip, not surprisingly, assumed a firekeeper responsibility along with many other tasks. We hope that our seeking out and carrying out of these responsibilities left the desired impression with the elder quoted above, as well as the Odanak community as a whole.
This year’s gathering hosted by Abenakis represented the end of a Wabanaki Confederacy cycle, and a new cycle begins next year with the Penobscots at Old Town, Maine. The date hasn’t been announced but the last two gatherings have taken place the last full weeks in June. I gave a Penobscot elder, Grandfather Arnie Neptune, our phone number with a general offer of help. Any specific requests for our assistance will be brought to the tribal Council. I strongly urge all of you who are able to set aside the time to attend next year’s gathering along with your families. Camping space, necessary facilities, and most meals are provided by the host community. What you experience there will stay with you for a long, long time.
By Charlie True (1940-2016)
We were privileged to attend the Wabanaki Confederacy gathering at Odanak June 20-27, 1998. Because it was hosted by the Abenaki people, and involved spending a week at the historic village of Odanak, the gathering held very special significance to us this year…
It seems that the Wabanaki Confederacy is commonly perceived as a political organization. This problem has been recognized by the elders, and there has been discussion about a name change to more accurately reflect its purpose. It is primarily intended to promote cultural/spiritual interaction between the five tribes of related Wabanaki peoples: Abenaki, Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot. Having attended two such gatherings, I would summarize what I’ve seen in four general categories:
- Spiritual elders of the five nations working together in the performance of ceremonies, guiding the general conduct of the gathering, and in various other ways sharing their traditional knowledge. I believe that at the center of these activities there is a pervading theme of healing for the Wabanaki peoples (and by extension all the tribes of the earth).
- Formal cultural presentations. These are not limited to the five member tribes; this year there were presentations by Wampanoag, Eastern Metis and Cree representatives.
- Groups of people gathered informally in circles, preferable around a fire, and often late into the might. In addition to the usual drumming and singing, there is considerable sharing of cultural knowledge. For example, I heard several interesting comparisons of languages, where both the similarities and the differences between them were identified. Our inherent sense of humor, which has been so vital to native survival, is always present.
- A sharing of responsibilities in support of the gathering. Among the ceremonies we were present at the shake tent, sweat lodges and a pipe ceremony which, as I understand it, was brought to us by the Mesquakie (Fox) people along with the ceremonial pipe, and had not been performed at Odanak for about two hundred years. I was told that the Shake Tent is the most powerful of our ceremonies. It was “brought back home” to the Micmacs from western Canada by David Gahoe, who conducted it for us at Odanak. He is teaching others among the Confederacy tribes, including a person at Odanak. There was a wampum belt reading by elders at the shake tent, just prior to dawn. There was a Star Lodge ceremony planned, but I have no firsthand information about it. I believe another wampum belt reading took place in it probably attended only by elders. It should be noted that the belts used are copies of original Wabanaki spiritual belts, which were for different purposes than the political (treaty) belts which developed from the European invasion. We have a fascinating and very informative 49 page booklet about these belts prepared under the direction of Claude Aubin of the Wampumpeag Project. We are free to make unlimited copies and will try to get them out to all of you in due time.
We did, of course, have considerable interaction with the people of Odanak.
This is what an elder there told me: “We frequently have people come here with briefcases full of genealogies, who tell us that they’ve discovered that they’re Abenaki. I don’t judge them by their facial features, how they’re dressed, how many books they’ve read or whether there are familiar Abenaki names in their genealogies. I listen to how they speak, and watch their behavior. If they behave like Native people, then I accept them as Native people.”
Since the people at Odanak know little or nothing about our tribal family, Philip, Jen and I were conscious of the fact that we, through our behavior, would be providing some first impressions. As soon as we arrived, we approached several people responsible for planning and implementation and offered our help. We ended up sharing some of the work that typically gets few volunteers, such as raking and removing hay from the gathering areas, helping to build a general gathering lodge (a longhouse type shelter), the Star Lodge, and sweat lodges. Philip, not surprisingly, assumed a firekeeper responsibility along with many other tasks. We hope that our seeking out and carrying out of these responsibilities left the desired impression with the elder quoted above, as well as the Odanak community as a whole.
This year’s gathering hosted by Abenakis represented the end of a Wabanaki Confederacy cycle, and a new cycle begins next year with the Penobscots at Old Town, Maine. The date hasn’t been announced but the last two gatherings have taken place the last full weeks in June. I gave a Penobscot elder, Grandfather Arnie Neptune, our phone number with a general offer of help. Any specific requests for our assistance will be brought to the tribal Council. I strongly urge all of you who are able to set aside the time to attend next year’s gathering along with your families. Camping space, necessary facilities, and most meals are provided by the host community. What you experience there will stay with you for a long, long time.
