By Paul W. Pouliot, Denise K. Pouliot
As leaders of the Cowasuck Band and the Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective, we urge NH lawmakers to defend the Commission on Native American Affairs, which is threatened by a legislative proposal currently under consideration in the NH House of Representatives.
The Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People is a tribal community that is headquartered in Alton, NH. Our traditional tribal homeland, called N’dakinna, is one of the largest historically documented tribal territories in the Northeastern US.
Since the late 1980’s, we have worked hard to build an inclusive community. We research and bring accurate history into focus, and decolonize and correct many misconceptions about the Indigenous Peoples of our region.
The federal and state governments of the US have divided tribes between those they acknowledge versus those they do not. This polarizes Indigenous Peoples and fosters competition rather than cooperation. That is not our traditional way. However, we recognize the reality of the system that is in place and therefore, in 1994, our tribe began the process of seeking federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. We were given the petition number of 151 and remain an active petitioner today.
To help with our community work, the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People incorporated a nonprofit social and cultural services 501(c)3 organization (FEID# 22-3229024) called COWASS North America, Inc. We fund the tribe and our community projects such as the work completed by our Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective (INHCC), an interdisciplinary community work group that is decolonializing and uplifting Indigenous history and knowledge. INHCC has developed interactive maps, as well as creating and vetting Indigenous educational curriculum. We also provide a multitude of additional resources that are available for free at www.indigenousnh.com.
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) has generously provided the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki with a tribal consultation office located in Morse Hall. We gave the UNH ravine trails Abenaki names and installed signs with QR codes so that people can hear the names spoken in the Abenaki language. We are proud of our UNH campus work and for the many programs, courses and research projects that we are involved with through the university. The Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki was foundational in the establishment of the UNH Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor program in 2019. In 2022, our work expanded to include two additional programs beyond the minor.
Our work can be seen and experienced throughout the region. For example, enjoy the all person’s trail at the Manchester Cedar Swamp in Manchester, where we collaborated with the Nature Conservancy to share Indigenous knowledge, activities and informational signs throughout the park. Visit the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord to experience an Abenaki planetarium film telling the story on how the great bear and little bear, also known as the big and little dipper constellations, got into the sky.
For decades, our leaders have been active in NH politics and education. Many of you have seen our leaders opening private and state events, in the classroom at your local school, or have attended our presentations. Some have seen our traveling museum at town celebrations, historical societies, churches, and other public venues.
The community development services and work that the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki People performs is a demonstration of our commitment to our NH community. In our society, we are judged not by what wealth we accumulate but by what wealth we can give to others. In 2010, the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People worked with Winchester Representative Dan Carr to create the NH Commission (NHCNAA) on Native American Affairs. As a tribe, we already had a government-to-government relationship with the state of New Hampshire, so we specifically wrote a bill that honored our inclusive views and developed commission requirements that included the diversity of indigenous peoples that are now NH residents.
This inclusive Native commission is now in jeopardy. HB 390 was introduced this session to completely eliminate the current NHCNAA. The proposed bill would remove the voices of most of the indigenous peoples of New Hampshire and place Vermont recognized tribes in the majority. The bill also removes the state positions, oversight and the governor’s ability to appoint commission members. HB 390 ultimately erases NH tribal involvement and relinquishes NH state sovereignty over its own native commission. This kind of precedent is harmful to every resident in New Hampshire. It is urgent that you contact your representatives and ask them to kill HB 390.
For more information on projects and upcoming events, visit our website at www.cowsuck.org and follow our Facebook page – Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki People, and our INHCC website at indigenousnh.com.
Sincerely,
Paul W. Pouliot, Sag8mo
Denise K. Pouliot, Sag8moskwa
Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook – Abenaki People
The opinions expressed here belong solely to the authors.