FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Abenaki Heritage Weekend 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 2, 2025

Media Contact:

Eloise Beil, Deputy Project Manager
[email protected]
Cell/Text 802 999-1798

Traditions Come to Life at Abenaki Heritage Weekend

June 14-15 at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

On June 14-15, citizens of the New England Abenaki community will gather at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum to celebrate their history and heritage, and the public is invited! Organized by the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association, this free event is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

One of the highlights is the Native Arts Marketplace, where visitors can talk to artists, watch craft demonstrations, and purchase outstanding beadwork, paintings, jewelry, wampum, woodwork, leatherwork, drums, and other items.

“That’s what I love about this event – Abenaki people get to speak for themselves,” said Vera Longtoe Sheehan, Executive Director of the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association. “Visitors get to have personal conversations with artists about unusual craft traditions, with scholars Frederick M. Wiseman and Margaret Bruchac, and other community members with deep knowledge of both new research and the lived experience of generations of Indigenous Vermonters.”

Throughout the weekend there will be activities of interest to everyone. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy singing and drumming by the Nulhegan Drum. Children and adults alike will enjoy storytelling by Nulhegan Chief Don Stevens. A Children’s Area will include hands-on projects where children can enjoy cultural learning or make a gift to bring home for Father’s Day.

For those who want to bring home some lasting memories, the variety and quality of work created by Abenaki artists is outstanding. In the Arts Marketplace you will find traditional arts handed down through generations, as well as contemporary art often inspired by tradition. Michael Descoteaux demonstrates the making of hand drums; Patrick and Morgan Lamphere showcase an abundance of carved wood and shaped stone; and Linda Longtoe Sheehan presents wampum jewelry, while Victoria Barry shares beadwork. Liz Charlebois creates designs with the little-known art of birchbark biting. Carol McGranaghan crafts jams and jellies from hand-picked wildflowers. On Saturday, basketmaker Kerry Wood demonstrates the traditional weaving of Ash splints, a centuries-old technique now threatened by the arrival of Emerald Ash Borer beetles.

For a deeper dive into Abenaki culture, browse book tables with works by Abenaki authors both scholarly and family friendly. Bring home the latest research or favorite classics.

A special exhibit, Deep Roots, Strong Branches will open during Heritage Weekend. Artwork and stories by a dozen American Abenaki artists reflect centuries of life in the Abenaki homeland and the resilience of Abenaki people during troubled times. Tour the exhibition with curator, Vera Longtoe Sheehan this weekend, and return to visit the exhibition all season.

Thanks to Vermont Humanities and Vermont Arts Council, for their sponsorship of the event. Vermont Abenaki Artists Association and the Abenaki Arts & Education Center are supported by New England Foundation for the Arts through the Cultural Sustainability program of the Wallace Foundation. For more information on Abenaki Heritage Weekend, visit: AbenakiArt.org/abenaki-heritage-weekend.

Abenaki Heritage Weekend

Abenaki Heritage Weekend 2025

When: June 14 – 15, 2025, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Where: Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, 4472 Basin Harbor Rd, Vergennes, VT 05491

Cost: FREE

Directions: Click here for Google Map

Click here to read about the 2024 weekend.

People holding hands and doing the Round Dance.

Join Vermont’s Native American community for Abenaki Heritage Weekend and Arts Marketplace June 14-15 at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Vergennes, VT. Admission FREE. Rain or shine.

Citizens of Vermont’s Elnu, Nulhegan, Koasek, and Missisquoi Tribes share perspectives on life in the Champlain Valley. Storytelling, craft demonstrations, drumming, singing, and children’s play area. Featured arts include jewelry, wampum, quillwork, stonework, woodworking, and more. Special presentations include new publications on Vermont Abenakis 1790-2020, Abenaki Beadwork, and gallery talk in new exhibition “Deep Roots, Strong Branches.”

Bring a picnic and enjoy the the day with us!

Presented by Vermont Abenaki Artists Association and Abenaki Arts & Education Center.


SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

SATURDAY – June 14th

Museum Hours: 11 am to 4 pm

Ongoing Activities until 4:00pm

  • Arts Marketplace (Boat Shed and on the Green)
  • Art demonstrations in the Arts Marketplace (Boat Shed and on the Green)
  • Children’s Activities: Abenaki Games, Make and Take (Boat Shed)
  • Storytelling (Key to Liberty)
  • Memory Art (Boat Shed)
  • Open Door Clinic – FREE health screenings [Diabetes and Blood Pressure check] (Pine Grove)

11:00 – Greeting Song and Opening Remarks (Key to Liberty)

12:00 – Lunch and Listen: Nulhegan Abenaki Drum Group (Key to Liberty)

12:30 – Storytelling with Grandmother Willow Green (Key to Liberty) 

1:00 Something of Value: the Vermont Abenaki Community 1790 – 2020 (Book Talk), Frederick M. Wiseman, Ph.D.  (Auditorium)

2:30 – Nulhegan Abenaki Drum Group (Key to Liberty)

3:00 – Storytelling with Chief Don Stevens (Key to Liberty)

3:30Introducing the Abenaki Cultural Conservancy, Joanne Crawford

4:00 – Closing

In the event of rain outdoor programs will be held in the Auditorium.


SUNDAY – June 15th

Museum Hours: 11 am to 4 pm

Ongoing Activities until 4:00 pm

  • Arts Marketplace (Boat Shed and on the Green)
  • Art demonstrations in the Arts Marketplace (Boat Shed and on the Green)
  • Children’s Activities: Abenaki Games, Make and Take (Boat Shed
  • Storytelling (Key to Liberty)
  • Memory Art (Boat Shed)
  • Open Door Clinic – FREE health screenings [Diabetes and Blood Pressure check] (Pine Grove)

11:00 – Greeting Song and Opening Remarks (Pine Grove)

11:30 – Storytelling with Chief Don Stevens (Key to Liberty)

12:00 – Lunch and Listen: Nulhegan Abenaki Drum Group (Key to Liberty)

1:00 Earthshapers & Placemakers: Abenaki History in Deep Time, Margaret Bruchac, Ph.D. (Auditorium)

2:00 – Nulhegan Abenaki Drum Group (Key to Liberty)

2:30 – Storytelling with Grandmother Willow Green (Key to Liberty)

3:00 – Gallery Talk – Deep Roots, Strong Branches gallery talk with curator Vera Sheehan (Schoolhouse)

4:00 – Closing

In the event of rain outdoor programs will be held in the Auditorium.


Presentations

Ongoing Activities

  • Children’s Abenaki Play Area (Ongoing)
  • Arts Marketplace (see vendors/artists list below)
  • Special Exhibit: Deep Roots, Strong Branches
  • Nulhegan Drum

Cultural Tables

  • Abenaki Cultural Conservancy
  • Margaret Bruchac – Book Table
  • Vermont Abenaki Artists Association
  • Abenaki Arts & Education Center
  • Vermont Abenaki Artists Association
  • Abenaki Arts and Education Center
  • Abenaki Health and Heritage
  • Abenaki Play Group

Arts Marketplace

  • Linda Sheehan – jewelry made from wampum
  • Chief Roger Longtoe Sheehan (Saturday only)
  • Patrick and Morgan Lamphere – Wood work, stone work
  • Kerry Wood: Ash Splint Baskets (Saturday only)
  • Mike Descoteaux/Pat Leno: Drums, rattles, beadwork, jewelry
  • Chief Don Stevens, Nulhegan Tribe – cultural information
  • Liz Charlebois – Birchbark biting and jewelry
  • Willow Green – Jewelry, accessories, and rattles
  • Victoria Barry – Beaded jewelry, ribbon skirts
  • Carol McGranaghan – Wildflower Jams and Jellies

June 14 – 15, 2025, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Vergennes, VT.

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
Abenaki Alliance logo with mountains, water, and sun.
Abenaki Arts and Education Association logo with dark blue background and a white design with double curves and florets and words that say Sharing Abenaki Educational Resources with Classrooms Across N'dakinna.
New England Foundation for the Arts logo - NEFA
Vermont Arts Council logo.
Vermont Humanities logo.
Cabot logo.
Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op logo.

Kchi Wliwni (A Big Thank You) to our Supporters, Patrons, and Sponsors


Vermont Abenaki Artists Association is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ Cultural Sustainability program, made possible by the Wallace Foundation.

Welcome!

Vermont Abenaki Artists Association (VAAA) is a Native American arts organization that serves the public by connecting them to Abenaki educators, artists from the visual and performing arts as well as literary genres.

MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission is to promote awareness of state-recognized Abenaki artists and their art, to provide an organized central place to share creative ideas, and to have a method for the public to find and engage state-recognized Abenaki artists. We do this by presenting public programs, cultural events, and museum exhibitions that educate the public in understanding Abenaki art and culture.

Connect with us to stay up-to-date and be part of a dialogue that embraces the past, present, and future of Abenaki art.

Abenaki Heritage Weekend 2025 poster for event and welcome page.

Abenaki Heritage Weekend

When: June 14 – 15, 2025, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Where: Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

4472 Basin Harbor Rd, Vergennes, VT 05491

Cost: FREE

People holding hands and doing the Round Dance.

Abenaki Heritage Weekend Presentations

Learn More and See Schedule of Events
VAAA brochure.

Click on the brochure image to download a printable copy.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS, SUPPORTERS, & PARTNERS

Vermont Abenaki Artists Association is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ Cultural Sustainability program, made possible by the Wallace Foundation.

New England Foundation for the Arts logo - NEFA
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
Abenaki Arts & Education Center Logo.
Vermont Arts Council logo.
Vermont Humanities logo.
Vermont Folklife logo.
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