The Black Heritage Trail of NH’s February 13, Tea Talk to Feature Native American Community in NH

Portsmouth, NH: The second in the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire’s hybrid Tea Talks Series : Absented Presence: “They All Died Off” and Other Myths About Native Americans, will take place on Sunday, February 13, from 2:00 – 3:30 pm, in person at the Portsmouth Public Library, as well as virtually online.

Many organizations across the state have been using “Land Acknowledgments” to raise awareness of the first nation status and original presence of Native Americans in our state. However, New Hampshire is one of only 15 states with no federally recognized tribes.

The focus of this program will be the examination of the numerous issues being debated in the Native American community and the lack of a process in NH for recognizing Native American tribes despite persistent efforts by Native American leaders to draw attention to the original presence and history of Indigenous peoples in NH. Presenters will explore various concerns in New Hampshire’s Native American community including inadequate representation, invisibility, access to education, and tribal non-recognition.

The distinguished leaders who make up the panel bring diverse life experience and years of advocacy to this discussion. Anne Jennison, a traditional storyteller with European and Abenaki heritage, currently serves as Chair of the NH Commission on Native American Affairs. Paul and Denise Pouliot are Chief Speakers for the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook and Abenaki People. Kathleen Blake is a retired educator and spiritual leader of the Koasek Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation. James Edgell Jr. is Mi’kmaq Wabanaki and Kanienkehaka Haudenosaunee (Mohawk Iroquois) as well as Squamscott Wabanaki from the Chick side of his family in Newmarket NH and former Chief of the NH Intertribal Council, and a former Advisor to UNH’s Native American Cultural Association. SvetLana Peshkova, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Co-founding member of Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective, will act as session moderator.

The Winter Tea Talk Series, presented by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is a series of participatory panel presentations and discussions related to New Hampshire’s Black history and African American culture. The 2022 series: Courageous Conversations: Leaning in for Change creates a safe space for meaningful interchanges, grounded in history and lived experience between different segments of the BIPOC community, and investigates current issues that continue to create tension in the community.

All programs are free and open to the public thanks to support from New Hampshire Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities (learn more at www.nhhumanities.org), and the Exeter Hospital. For more information on this program and the others in the series, or to register for any of the programs, go to https://blackheritagetrailnh.org/tea-talks-2022/, call (603) 570-8469, or send an email to info@blackheritagetrailnh.org.

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire promotes awareness and appreciation of African American history and life in order to build more inclusive communities today. We work to visibly honor and share a truer, more inclusive history through exhibits, educational programs, curriculum development and tours that can change the way our country understands human dignity when it is free of historical stereotypes.