Nolumbeka News

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Nolumbeka Project

Preserving New England's Tribal Heritage:
A 12,000 Year Legacy of

Connection and Sustainability.

∞ Honoring the Past ∞ Healing the Present
∞ Celebrating the Future ∞

••Historical Research••Cultural Gatherings••Sacred Site Preservation ••

•• Native American Gardening and Heritage Seed Preservation ••

••Land Stewardship •••• Public Advocacy ••

http://www.razoo.com/story/The-Nolumbeka-Project

Greetings from the Nolumbeka Project!
We come to you, seeking funding through Valley Gives!

We are inviting you to drop by a "Valley Gives! Open House", December 9 from 4-6PM. Stop by the Mohawk Mall, 91 Main Street, Greenfield, for a cup of cider, to visit our new little office and research library!

Your donation given before Wednesday December 10th helps make us eligible for Valley Gives prizes of $500 to $5000!

We are the regional Native American advocacy group...stewards of the rich heritage of the indigenous people of New England.

We seek..." to exemplify the Native American Indian people's respect for Mother Earth and all living beings, and to be mindful of our role as caretakers for future generations..."

In just our first three years, building on the great wealth of a 12,000 year old legacy, we have:

• created an annual calendar of events... from the "May Memorial to the Massacre of 1675" to the Pocumtuck Homelands and Beaver Moon Festivals;

• become stewards of the ancient, 60 acre Wissatinnewag Village, where, with the help of so many friends and allies, we are :

• preserving indigenous plants and clearing ancient trails,

• planting traditional "three sisters" (corn, beans & squash) circle gardens.

• growing sacred tobacco and sweet grass

• written and negotiated the passage of the new Greenfield Indian Burial Ordinance, a useful model for other towns seeking to respect ancient ancestral bones.

• In October, we opened a FIRST! Our office and research library at the Mohawk Mall which will enable us to coordinate all this and more.

Thank you for for becoming a part of this remarkable journey, by becoming a donor, and making a gift at

http://www.razoo.com/story/The-Nolumbeka-Project

The Board of Nolumbeka Project,
Joe Graveline, David Brule, Howard Clark, Diane Dix, Barbara Francis,

Strong Oak Lefevre, Pam Kelly, Pat Allen, Lisa McLoughlin, Skye Dix-Wellington

PS The Board of Nolumbeka is offering a $1000 challenge grant, to match the gift of NEW donors. Every new donor, $10.00 or more, makes us eligible for Valley Gives prizes!

Together we can Create and Celebrate

a World of Connection and Sustainability.

For more information: http://www.razoo.com/story/The-Nolumbeka-Project

http://nolumbekaproject.org/

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nolumbekaproject

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Nolumbeka Project

Preserving a 12,000 Year Legacy of

Connection and Sustainability.
∞ ∞ Honoring the Past ∞ ∞ ∞ Healing the Present ∞ ∞ ∞ Celebrating the Future ∞ ∞


Narragansett Medicine Man Lloyd "Running Wolf" Wilcox and Montague Town Administrator Frank Abbondonzio at Reconciliation Ceremony, Turners Falls, MA in 2004.

HELP US CELEBRATE A FUTURE OF CONNECTION AND SUSTAINABILITY

The Nolumbeka Project is dedicated to the preservation of the history and cultural heritage of the Native Americans of New England through historical research, sacred site and land stewardship, Native American gardening and heritage seed preservation, public advocacy, educational programs, and cultural events. We believe the Native American Legacy of Connection and Sustainability is crucial to the planet at this point in history.

YOU can help us make a difference!

SACRED SITE AND LAND STEWARDSHIP

"What part of Sacred don't you understand?" -- Klee Benally, Navajo activist

The Nolumbeka Project stewards the last undeveloped piece of an ancient Native American village, Wissatinnewag. Located on the banks of the Connecticut River at the Great Falls, "Shining Hill" was a peace village where Native Americans of the northeast gathered seasonally to share Nature’s bounty.

This year, with the help of dedicated volunteers, we enhanced the Wissatinnewag site by cultivating sweet grass, ceremonial tobacco, and three sisters gardens; clearing trails, making inventories of native plants and removing some invasive species. We also guided educational tours of the property.

In addition, we continue to seek support in our efforts to preserve a Native American re-burial site at White Ash Swamp in Greenfield, MA. Under the threat of big box development, Nolumbeka Project is working to ensure that these reburials are permanently protected.

At this time, we are also holding conversations about acquiring other significant properties in our region for preservation and protection.

HISTORICAL RESEARCH: NOLUMBEKA PROJECT ARCHIVES

"If we open our minds to this broader body of information, ... we come to see that the history taught to us in school presented a tragically distorted and incomplete account."
-- Howard Clark, Senior Researcher/Anthropologist, Nolumbeka Project

Moving into a new office in 2014, The Nolumbeka Project continues to build a unique archival research library to depict a more accurate picture of the history of our region. We continue the process of digitizing the information to make it more widely accessible

CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL EVENTS

"In the spirit of peace, healing and understanding we come together on this date of May 19, 2004, to acknowledge the tragic events that took place on the shores of this river on May 19, 1676, and
thereby begin to put the tragic echoes of the past to rest"
-- Reconciliation Ceremony, May 19, 2004

In addition to a variety of public talks, videos and other offerings, Nolumbeka Project presents three annual Gatherings at the Great Falls in Turners Falls, MA. Each provides an opportunity to honor, heal, and celebrate the contributions of New England's Native Americans through ceremonial, cultural and educational activities.

At the Great Falls Discovery Center in May, Nolumbeka Project continues its annual commemoration of the infamous massacre of May 19, 1676 with a respectful ceremony, music and other cultural offerings.

In August, with the assistance and co-sponsorship of Turners Falls RiverCulture, Nolumbeka Project presented the first Pocumtuck Homelands Festival drawing together Native American musicians, storytellers, artist and craftspersons for a day long clelebration at Unity Park, Turners Falls.

In November, Beaver Moon Gathering celebrates the Full Moon of this time of transition at the Great Falls Discovery Center. Talks and other educational events are the centerpiece of this event.

PUBLIC ADVOCACY AND OTHER ACTIVITIES

"Let’s lose the fear over this conversation and embrace a future
where all are welcomed and respected."
-- Nolumbeka Project President Joe Graveline My Turn, Greenfield Recorder

Through public talks, educational offerings and public advocacy, Nolumbeka Project members continue to bring both a greater awareness of our tragic past, and of the vital importance of the cultural and spiritual values of New England's Native Americans to the world today.

In 2014, Nolumbeka Project and its members initiated and successfully secured a Native American Burial Ordinance in Greenfield, MA and the awarding of a National Park Battlefield Preservation Grant to Montague, MA which will for the first time gather and present the Native American perspective on the tragic events that occurred in our region during the colonial expansion our region's history.

In addition Nolumbeka Project and its members continue to advocate for a respectful solution to the tragedy of White Ash Swamp, and are involved in other efforts to honor, heal, and celebrate the contributions of New England's Native Americans to this planet and all of its myriad beings.

TOGETHER WE CAN CREATE AND CELEBRATE

A WORLD OF CONNECTION AND SUSTAINABILITY

You Can Help Us Make It Happen.