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ANNUAL NORRIDGEWOCK MEMORIAL SUNDAY AUGUST 23RD LOCATION: THE PINES (OFF OF FATHER RASLE DRIVE – MADISON, MAINE) MEMORIAL BEGINS AROUND 12:00 NOON Please take the time to join with us this August 23rd, beginning around mid-day, when we come together to honor and remember the ancestors, and strengthen our network of relations for the future. The annual memorial ceremony takes place at the site where the historical Abenaki village of Norridgewock once stood. Prior to an attack by the British army on August 23, 1724, this central community had existed in basically the same location for thousands of years. Many North American Indians from across the region can trace their heritage back to communities like Norridgewock, historical places where their ancestors had lived in relative peace and prosperity before the colonists changed the landscape of the region. The Norridgewock memorial represents more than the attack, massacre and forced relocation of one group of Abenaki or Wabanaki people. Norridgewock represents the combined experiences of all of our ancestors, who survived or who perished in the struggle to maintain their lands, their culture and their way of living.
Norridgewock is also representative of the vast network of relations that Abenaki and Wabanaki people are interwoven with and connected to. Today, for instance, several families from the Abenaki, Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribal nations trace their ancestral roots back to Norridgewock. Norridgewock is also important today, because it offers all of us an opportunity to come together, as allies, friends and extended family, to strengthen our network of relations and to build a future for all of our children and people. We acknowledge that there are many, many places like Norridgewock where Native people were displaced, and perished. We also acknowledge that many of the stories haven’t been told, and that in some cases, the ancestors haven’t been properly remembered or grieved for. Norridgewock is a beginning for this process. nik8nk8goagik (Our ancestors) 8da k'wanalm8winnawakba (We shall not forget them) After the memorial ceremony we will have a community corn roast. Please feel welcome to bring a dish to share. *Only ceremonies conducted or authorized by event coordinators will be allowed. This event is not a pow wow or commercial event. There will be no vendors. Please come unclouded by drugs and/or alcohol, and this is an alcohol and substance (drug) free event. We also ask that people refrain from any non-traditional use of tobacco (cigarettes, etc) on the grounds. For additional information please contact Gedakina at
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http:// www.gedakina.org "Gedakina is a multigenerational endeavor to strengthen the cultural identity and knowledge of Native American youth and families from across northern New England and to conserve our traditional homelands and sacred places." Our goal is to develop new ways of reaching native youth, rooted in traditional cultural teachings and values, which will provide our young people with the skills and resources to better navigate the challenges they face in a changing landscape. Gedakina is the only organization in northern New England that works within Native American rural, urban and reservation communities from across the region. Gedakina was officially founded in 2002, and is a 501c3 organization incorporated in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. |
