CCTV Honors Indigenous Peoples' Day 2023

October 09, 2023
Indigenous Peoples’ Day became an official holiday replacing Columbus Day in the state of Vermont in 2019. Today, it serves as a reminder of the strength of indigenous communities throughout the country.
 
CCTV has recorded events, discussions, celebrations, and protests that center indigenous culture, heritage, and voices. These programs bring together indigenous and non-indigenous community members to share stories and celebrate the resilience of the Abenaki people.
 
We offer you some of this programming below with respect and appreciation for the Abenaki people who have an enduring presence in the unceded Abenaki territory that Vermont now occupies. Programs are listed in reverse chronological order by year.
 
Media in the United States has played a key role in shaping the cultural and political conditions affecting people of color. Since the publication of the very first newspaper, the Publick Occurrence in the late 1600s, Black people, indigenous communities and other communities of color have struggled to shape our own media representation. Join us to learn about the history of media resistance led by people of color, from the free press to free TV, that has shaped the Media Justice movement we know today. Courtesy of Media Justice, part 2 here.
 
Rally calling on the Biden administration to cancel construction of Line 3 just as it revoked the permit for the KXL Pipeline, and major banks like Chase and TD Bank to stop funding the project.
 
In this discussion of why Dorothy Canfield Fisher's name should be removed from the Vermont Book Award, evidence is presented that the author had a direct connection with the Vermont Eugenics Survey. Judy Dow, Franco American/ Abenaki educator, artist, and writer, presents a compelling power point on the history of eugenics and documentation on the reasons to change the Dorothy Canfield Fisher book award name.
 
Nationally recognized Abenaki activist, teacher, and historian, Judy Dow will educate about the past, present, and future of the indigenous people of Vermont.
 
Vermont Senator Debbie Ingram is joined by Charles Delaney, Abenaki Nation, to discuss the efforts to pass Indigenous Peoples' Day into law, which is replacing Columbus Day in Vermont for the first time this year.
 
Senate Committee on Government Operations. S.68 - Indigenous People's Day. Recorded February 28, 2019. Courtesy of ORCA Media.
 
Vermont is nationally known for its strong food and farm heritage, dating back thousands of years. In this Dish discussion, we’ll explore the ways that our production of dairy products, maple syrup, and fruits and vegetables are similar to earlier times, as well as some recent innovations that are quite different. This program dives into Vermont’s culinary traditions to learn about the way people cooked and ate over the centuries, from indigenous Abenaki to European settlers. The program also explores what Vermonters are doing today to keep that culinary history alive, and how they are forging new traditions. 
 
Community producer James Gero visits with the artists of Alnobak: Wearing Our Heritage Traveling Exhibition, a special exhibition developed through a partnership of the Vermont Abenaki Arts Association and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
 
This program features an event at Burlington's Fletcher Free Library with short stories and music from three indigenous cultures shared beside a Native American tipi and a Bedouin tent.
 
Long before the first European settler arrived, Vermont was home to a diverse community with a distinct culture and language. George Larrabee is a Tribal Council Member of the Abenaki Clan of the Hawk. living in Woodbury, VT. He has impersonated Chief Grey Lock at various festivals. George has written extensively about the Abenaki culture. Using hand-crafted items, he will explain and demonstrate the Abenaki culture and language tracing the origin of some Abenaki words.
 
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is a longtime feminist, native rights, antiwar, and antiracist activist. She is a teacher and the author of five books, including "An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States." This is part of the Will Miller Social Justice Lecture Series.
 
The Canadian Tar Sands Project threatens the land and lives of communities across the continent. Clayton Thomas-Muller, member of the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation of Northern Manitoba and Co-Director of the Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign, Organizer for Defenders of the Land and Idle No More, shares the potential to protect the people and the environment and resist big oil and corporate power. Part of the Will Miller Social Justice Lecture Series.
 
Tom Goldtooth, Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) speaks at St. Michael's College on the vast destruction of the air, water and land (including many indigenous lands), taking place all over the world and what his organization and other native communities and organizations are doing to stop it. He shares stories and his perspective as a Native American and sings a traditional song.
 
WABANAAGIG, Land of the Rising Sun goes beyond words to encapsulate the strong emotions of the Wabanaki, a people who have emerged from centuries of oppression, occupation of their lands, and obliteration of their languages. Through these episodic stories, the series celebrates the strength and resiliency of a proud people. In Episode 9, Abenaki of Vermont - A Struggle for Recognition' years of struggle finally ends with the state recognition of the Abenaki nations at Vermont. For Information on the complete series, visit: http://wabanaagigtv.com/episodes/.
 
Tim Brookes discusses his Endangered Alphabets project and current effort to preserve indigenous alphabets in Bangladesh.
 
Columbian indigenous leader Ligna Pulido is welcomed by members of the Abenaki and women's communities, followed by a discussion. Ms. Pulido is a member of the Nasa tribe and works with the Cauca Regional Indigenous Council of southwest Colombia and the University of Valle Center for Gender Studies.  She has had direct personal experience of the impact of militarization on women in her community.  The event is sponsored by Witness for Peace New England, the Winter Center for Indigenous Traditions, and the Burlington branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).
 
Delegation of Innu First Nations organizers visits Burlington from Northern Quebec. The press conference is on indigenous rights and resistance to HydroQuebec construction and Plan Nord inductrial development project on Innu First Nations land.
 
Panel discussion.
 
Features presentations to the Abenaki Chiefs, Elders, and local guests. Interview with Burton DeCarr 'Spotted Eagle', Abenaki Spiritual Leader. Circle of Courage, Abenaki Youth Dancers - From the Swanton-Highgate area young Abenakis keep traditions alive with teacher/mentor Brenda Gagne. This program is part of the Lake Champlain quadricentennial celebration.
 
Traditional Wabanaki Story of the Lake creation as told by Roger Longtoe Sheehan. Interview with ELNU Chief Roger Longtoe Sheehan on culture, history and future of Abenaki's. Traditional Songs - Ed Johnston sings accompanied by a hand drum and rattle. This program is part of the Lake Champlain quadricentennial celebration.
 
Abenaki Singers - Traditional Wabanaki chants and songs accompanied by hand drum. Interview with Walker and Melody Brook - Dressed in 1609 period costume, Walker and Melody share their insights into being an Abenaki. Abenaki Dancers - Award winning Takara Matthews and Josh Hunt demonstrate some of the dances of a New England Pow-wow. This program is part of the Lake Champlain quadricentennial celebration.
 
Sponsored by the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs (VCNAA) in collaboration with the UVM Anthropology Department. Opening presentations will cover the mission, scope of responsibilities, and current projects of the Native American Affairs Commission; recent archaeology for the Champlain Bridge project; and contemporary Native identity. Natives and non-Natives are invited to participate and share their thoughts during the extensive question, answer, and suggestion period. Co-presenters for the event are UVM’s Native American & Indigenous Peoples club (NAIP) and the UVM Consulting Archaeology Program. 
 
Frederick Wiseman, tribal historian, professor at Johnson State College, and author of The Voice of the Dawn, an Autohistory of the Abenaki Nation, leads the discussion of Abenaki Perspectives on Love and Forgiveness in Vermont.