February 19, 1997
Native American Festival moving to Twin Mountain [New Hampshire] By Edith Tucker of the Coos County Democrat Newspaper, Lancaster, Coos County, New Hampshire. “There will be drums along the Ammonoosuc [river] this summer when the highly successful Native American Cultural Weekend, held for the last four years in Littleton [N.H.], will be hosted on the weekend of July 12 and 13 by the Twin Mountain Chamber of Commerce. According to Nancy Cruger, formerly the promotional coordinator for the Town of Littleton who has since established her own consulting firm, when Littleton withdrew its financial backing from the cultural weekend, Ms. Cruger suggested to the Twin Mountain Chamber that it consider sponsoring the event. Held in a congested area of Remick Park, the event had inadequate parking facilities and the associated costs of policing were thought by many in Littleton to have become problems, she said (hey, wait a minute...I recall in another newspaper article in the Coos County Democrat wherein she stated quote, "Nancy Kruger was formerly the Town Promoter for Littleton, a job which was not funded this year due to tax cuts"). The prime location of the Native American event in Twin Mountain will be the town’s Recreational Field, located near the “Four Corners,” with Town Hall as a secondary location. An umbrella committee has been set up to assume responsibility for the event. This includes Selectman Michael Lavelle, Fire Chief Gary Whitcomb, and several Chamber of Commerce members. Numerous smaller working committees are being organized to do the many “hands-on” tasks necessary to prepare the towns’ recreational area for a crowd. In Littleton [N.H.], nearly 10,000 tourists were attracted to the event, clogging the streets, Ms. Cruger said. In Town Mountain, the baseball field will be used for events such as dancing, singing, and the display and making of arts and crafts. Wiring and lights will be installed and showers will be added to the toilet facilities. Ms. Cruger said. The other field will be reserved exclusively for parking. Sponsoring the event costs some $18,000 to $20,000. Costs will be defrayed by grants, sponsorships and local fundraising, she [Nancy Cruger] said. A host of personalities will be on hand for the festive weekend. Awards will be given out with recipients being Roland Harris, the chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Nation, Tantoo Cardinal, the only Native American to receive a “Best Actress” Academy Award for her performance in “Where the River Flows North”, and Nelson Tsosie, a Navaho artist.
Newton Washburn was Chief of the White Bison Council at the time of February 1997, and those who were in attendence at these White Bison Council meetings Steven Hurbert, Nancy Cruger, Mary Warren, and Richard "Rick" Hunt.
Photograph #1 is of myself in a Mohawk made Ribbon Shirt while visiting the Twin Mountain Event in 1997. A related Woodward descendant family from Pittsfield, Vermont came to visit that weekend at this event with me. Newton Washburn was there as well for a short visit to the Pow-wow event in 1997 at Twin Mountain, New Hampshire.
Native American Festival moving to Twin Mountain [New Hampshire] By Edith Tucker of the Coos County Democrat Newspaper, Lancaster, Coos County, New Hampshire. “There will be drums along the Ammonoosuc [river] this summer when the highly successful Native American Cultural Weekend, held for the last four years in Littleton [N.H.], will be hosted on the weekend of July 12 and 13 by the Twin Mountain Chamber of Commerce. According to Nancy Cruger, formerly the promotional coordinator for the Town of Littleton who has since established her own consulting firm, when Littleton withdrew its financial backing from the cultural weekend, Ms. Cruger suggested to the Twin Mountain Chamber that it consider sponsoring the event. Held in a congested area of Remick Park, the event had inadequate parking facilities and the associated costs of policing were thought by many in Littleton to have become problems, she said (hey, wait a minute...I recall in another newspaper article in the Coos County Democrat wherein she stated quote, "Nancy Kruger was formerly the Town Promoter for Littleton, a job which was not funded this year due to tax cuts"). The prime location of the Native American event in Twin Mountain will be the town’s Recreational Field, located near the “Four Corners,” with Town Hall as a secondary location. An umbrella committee has been set up to assume responsibility for the event. This includes Selectman Michael Lavelle, Fire Chief Gary Whitcomb, and several Chamber of Commerce members. Numerous smaller working committees are being organized to do the many “hands-on” tasks necessary to prepare the towns’ recreational area for a crowd. In Littleton [N.H.], nearly 10,000 tourists were attracted to the event, clogging the streets, Ms. Cruger said. In Town Mountain, the baseball field will be used for events such as dancing, singing, and the display and making of arts and crafts. Wiring and lights will be installed and showers will be added to the toilet facilities. Ms. Cruger said. The other field will be reserved exclusively for parking. Sponsoring the event costs some $18,000 to $20,000. Costs will be defrayed by grants, sponsorships and local fundraising, she [Nancy Cruger] said. A host of personalities will be on hand for the festive weekend. Awards will be given out with recipients being Roland Harris, the chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Nation, Tantoo Cardinal, the only Native American to receive a “Best Actress” Academy Award for her performance in “Where the River Flows North”, and Nelson Tsosie, a Navaho artist.
Newton Washburn was Chief of the White Bison Council at the time of February 1997, and those who were in attendence at these White Bison Council meetings Steven Hurbert, Nancy Cruger, Mary Warren, and Richard "Rick" Hunt.
Photograph #1 is of myself in a Mohawk made Ribbon Shirt while visiting the Twin Mountain Event in 1997. A related Woodward descendant family from Pittsfield, Vermont came to visit that weekend at this event with me. Newton Washburn was there as well for a short visit to the Pow-wow event in 1997 at Twin Mountain, New Hampshire.
Photograph #2 is of Rickie "Wolfsong" Douglas Provencher, a Native American storyteller born on April 25th, 1953 in Middlebury, Vermont and passed away November 24th, 2000.
Photograph #3 is of Margaret "Marge" Bruchac, scholar, performer, and artist. She is also a storyteller and singer. Her brother is Joseph Bruchac, a storyteller and Native American Book author. Her nephew (standing at the mic holding the guitar, is Jesse Bowman Bruchac, who studied extensively with Cecile Wawanolett. Please see http://www.westernabenaki.com/ and also Elie Joubert's website http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~abenaki/Wobanaki/
there are other website links on Jesse Bowman Bruchac's website that will be informative as to the Abenaki Language revitalization efforts by Elie Joubert, Jesse Bowman Bruchac, Brent Reader, etc., etc.
there are other website links on Jesse Bowman Bruchac's website that will be informative as to the Abenaki Language revitalization efforts by Elie Joubert, Jesse Bowman Bruchac, Brent Reader, etc., etc.
Retrospectively-speaking there was a person who recieved a "Certificate Of Indian Status & Citizenship Sovereign Abenaki Nation, Republic Of Missisquoi Membership Card" (since this person's card is a slightly higher numerical Band No. #....which I have redacted at their request....it appears that likely this was "issued" about July 1994 right about the same time Nancy Millette-Cruger was issued one of these "Membership Cards" as well), when they'd spoken with Mr. John Moody, etc. This person applied for and recieved a "Membership Card" from "Chief" Homer St. Francis, signed by "Tribal Judge" Michael Delaney. They had been told they were a "Desrosier" or "Des-rosh-er" by their adoptive mother. Which this person only later found out was totally incorrect information. Mr. John Moody stated to this person at this Pow-wow of July 1994 that, "oh yes, this surname was/ is Abenaki." To my thinking, Mr. John Moody must not have done any genealogical research into this person's genealogical background at all, because this person had been given the incorrect surname by their adoptive mother. Since at least the mid-to-late 1990's this person's mother's surname has been confirmed and their birth father's name is unknown. So, John Moody, "Abenaki Ethnohistorian" and "Abenaki Genealogical Researcher" for "Chief" Homer St. Francis must not have done ANY truthfully valid, clear and convincing genealogical research pertaining to this persons ancestry; and yet "Chief" Homer St. Francis and his "Tribal Judge" Michael Delaney, this person (whose information I have redacted/ removed per their request) was given (through no fault of this person whatsoever) a "Abenaki Membership Card" signed by Michael Delaney. Again, this situation points to the truthful reality, that these so-called "membership cards" are meaningless, (they were like a "token" in a Cracker Jack Box!) and it makes one wonder how many other people recieved these "cards", without the proper definitve genealogical research being done, with merely an "o.k." or a head-nod from "Chief" Homer St. Francis, "Tribal Judge" Michael Delaney, or from their "Abenaki Genealogist and Ethno-historian John Moody"? . These "membership cards" just mean one is a member of an "incorporation", a club, a social circle of people who "claim" to be Missisquoi Abenaki......and yet may not be Missisquoi Abenaki at all, because the "genealogical foundation" wasn't there to be provided and shown by the applicant nor was such evidence shown to that applicant by the "group" nor their "genealogical researcher John Moody" to validate them granting or recieving such a "Membership Card" in the first place! I wonder how much definitive researching genealogically was done regarding my own Woodward and Sawyer Ancestry, when I got my "Membership Card". From my thinking now retrospectively speaking, probably not any validating research or the confirming thereof was done by anyone, except for what I provided the Abenaki Research Project archives at the time of July 1993 myself.
