Spring Children's Camp at HSCC

The Abenaki are the indigenous people who inhabited northern New England. Prior to European contact, Abenaki people followed the natural cycles of the seasons that included hunting, gathering, fishing, and horticulture as it evolved and developed in eastern North America. Complex trade networks exchanged seeds, material for tools, technology, and information. Their seasonal movement and trade provided them with all the necessities, food, shelter, tools and clothing, needed for a full and healthy life. After European contact and white settlement, the Abenaki people in the Monadnock region dispersed in many directions, yet they did not fully vanish from the region as many town histories suggest. As they have for thousands of years, family groups evolved and in many cases assimilated into the dominant white culture to carry forward many of their traditions. These family groups and traditions remain alive and fruitful in the region today. Because of erroneous information, biases, and many myths, the history and culture of the Abenaki people in the Monadnock region is not well understood.

Abenaki Lifeways Camp is designed to expose children to the region's Native history and culture so each child may gain a better understand for this diverse cultural group and appreciation for their cultural differences. To accomplish this, each day of the camp will have a variety of activities that will follow the seasonal cycles of the year. These activities include making cordage, identifying and collecting spring plants, making toys, building models and life-size structures such as a wick-i-up, cooking traditional food, playing games, making baskets, creating and telling stories, and making tools. Interwoven into these activities will be pieces of history and culture that gives the activity greater depth and meaning, and follows in the Abenaki tradition of sharing and telling oral stories. These activities also provide participants an opportunity to developed hand to eye skills in constructing crafts, tools, and baskets and to design and create technology, which is an important part of the adapting nature of Abenaki people.

Laurel Powell, long time Chesterfield and Hinsdale teacher, will be teaching this week-long camp. It is open to all Cheshire County students in grades 3 to 8. Cost for this week long camp is $50 for HSCC members and $100 for non-members and is limited to 15 children. Each participant needs to bring their lunch, drink, and snack for each day.

Registration to the Abenaki Lifeways Camp is required. To register or for further information, please contact the Historical Society of Cheshire County at 352-1895 or dired@hsccnh.org. The Historical Society is located at 246 Main Street in Keene.