Parley & Protocol, War and Peace

Parley & Protocol, War and Peace

In 2026, communities around the United States celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which spoke stirringly of human equality yet referred to Native Americans as “merciless Indian savages.” By that time of the American Revolution, Abenaki and other Indigenous peoples of the region had survived seventeen decades of alternating war and peace, dislocations and negotiations.

This exhibition, by the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association, brings together historical documents, maps, and art with work by present-day American Abenaki artists, sharing Indigenous perspectives on the founding of the United States. This project is supported in part by a grant from Vermont Humanities, in partnership with the Vermont 250th Commission.