Bearnstow pays respect to the peoples of the Wabanaki, a Confederacy of five principal Eastern Algonquian nations: the Abenaki, Mi’kmaq, Maleceet, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot peoples., whose name for themselves, Pαnawάhpskewi, means “the people of where the white rocks extend out”. The Confederacy, formed in the 17th century of the European calendar, covered roughly most of present-day state of Maine. Bearnstow, from an old Anglo-Saxon term which translates as “children’s place,” is located on the shores of Parker Pond in central Maine, at the headwaters of the west branch of the Thirty Mile River, part of the Androscoggin watershed, home of the Ammoscongon. We pay our respect to the Abenaki and Wabanaki land, waters and ancestors past, present and future.
Some local indigenous organizations and people for deeper learning and to support*
- Geo Soctomah Neptune, a Passamaquoddy Two-Spirit Master Basketmaker, activist, historian, and artist: https://www.instagram.com/niskapisuwin/?hl=en
Donation Link: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/X6D0KN4Z52ZYW/checkout/LC2WRLLEVVZGFV343R72RFQD?src=sheet - Link to “Naming the Dawnland” by Geo Soctomah Neptune: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56a8c7b05a5668f743c485b2/t/5a6a27f7ec212d80f2957ff1/1516906492461/Naming+the+Dawnland+George+Neptune_web.pdf
- Wabanaki Collection: The Wabanaki Collection connects postsecondary educators, grade school teachers, and the general public with a variety of resources that support enhanced relationships between all the peoples of Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. The project is named for the first peoples of this territory—Wabanaki or People of the Dawn—which include Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Abenaki, Penobscot and Passamaquoddy. All content found in this collection will relate to Wabanaki worldviews, including history, culture, language and education.
- Abbe Museum: People of the First Light Languages and Landscapes
- Wabanaki Confederacy (native-land.ca) links
- Passamaquoddy Histories and Stories
- Passamaquoddy Tribal Gifts and Donations Page
Thank you to Kiera Bono who shared some of these resources with us, If you know or discover more resources please share them to add to this list!