When the state of Vermont recognized four Native American groups in 2011 and 2012, Sherry Gould discovered an opportunity to not only join a tribe, but to protect her art.
Born and raised in New Hampshire, Gould is an Abenaki basketmaker who lives in Bradford. At the time, federal law blocked her from marketing her work as Native-made, since only members of state and federally recognized tribes gain the right to do so under federal arts and crafts legislation.
Anne Jennison is constantly referred to as if she isn’t here anymore. An indigenous resident of New Hampshire, Jennison said people default to talking about the Abenaki in the past, a habit that speaks to a long, dark history.
“Except for indigenous people themselves, they are almost invariably referred to in the past tense — like a great big rubber eraser literally has taken the history,” she said.
The state Commission on Native American Affairs hasn't had enough members to officially vote for more than five months, in part because the group hasn’t had a new public member appointed by Gov. Chris Sununu in two years.
The Commission lost four members whose terms ended this year and who chose not to reapply. The body now has six people, and it needs nine to reach a quorum — the minimum number of people needed to vote. That means the body can’t make decisions, such as accepting draft language of legislation and sending letters to express the views of the Commission.
“We’re here as part of this Indigenous Day not to celebrate us, because we celebrate our people all the time, it’s to educate,” Stevens said. “It’s to be here for the public so they get to see us. People fear what they don’t understand, and when they don’t understand it, sometimes hate comes from that.”
After efforts to change the ‘Red Raider’ mascot at Spaulding High School were shot down by the Rochester School Board last September, Connor Lempke did not give up. Instead, the rising senior decided to take the issue all the way to the state legislature.
“I want our school to be an environment where everyone from every background can be accepted and not have to look at something that they see as a caricature of themselves,” Lempke said.
