Presentation Abstract

Faculty's Name: Robert Goodby, Ph.D.

Co-registrant Names:

Type of Presentation: Faculty Research Lightning Round

Presentation Title: "The Struggle to See Native People in the Monadnock Region"

Abstract:

The Monadnock region is situated in the southern part of Ndakinna, the traditional homeland of the Western Abenaki people, and archaeological excavations have demonstrated the unbroken presence of Native Americans since the end of the Pleistocene, approximately 13,000 years before present. Town histories in the Monadnock region, however, have typically downplayed or denied the presence and history of Native Americans. In this presentation, recently discovered primary documents, including census records, photographs, and personal recollections provide clear evidence that Abenaki people remained in the area while other official records were used to erase their identity as Native people by labeling them as White. Evidence is presented showing the Abenaki people sold ash splint baskets in Peterborough, Keene, Walpole, and other places across the region in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and vital records and census data for the Sadoques family in Keene show the struggle of one Abenaki family to be seen and accepted as Native.

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