The Voice of the Dawn: An Autohistory of the Abenaki Nation - Softcover

Wiseman, Frederick Matthew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1584650591 ISBN 13: 9781584650591

Publisher: University Press of New England, 2001

Synopsis

"[My] story is a sash woven of many strands of language. The first strand is the remembered wisdom of the Abenaki community. The second strand is our history and that of our relatives, written down by European, Native American, and Euroamerican observers. The third strand is what our Mother the Earth has revealed to us through the studies and writings of those who delve in her, the archaeologists and paleoecologists. The fourth strand is my own family history and its stories. The fifth strand is, of course, that which has come to me alone, stories which I create with my own beliefs and visions." So begins the first book about Abenaki history and culture written from the inside. Frederick Matthew Wiseman's extensive research and personal engagement breathe life into Voice of the Dawn, making it truly unique. Colin Calloway, Chair of Native American Studies at Dartmouth College, writes, "Going beyond all previous works on the Abenakis, Wiseman draws on family and community knowledge in a way that none of those authors could, speaks from an avowedly Abenaki perspective, and addresses aspects and issues ignored in other works. Moreover, no one that I know of has done as much work in locating and regathering items of Western Abenaki material culture. The quality and quantity of illustrations alone make this an attractive book, as well as a valuable visual record of change and persistence over time. As someone personally and pivotally involved in the Abenaki renaissance, Wiseman brings the story up to date without closing it."

About this title

From the Publisher:

6 x 9 trim. 44 photos. 5 figs. LC 00-010361

From the Inside Flap:

"Many passages of the sun ago my grandfather took me to Wazowategok, the River, and said, 'Grandson, this is the Missisquoi, its waters flow in my veins and when I die, I will be buried where I can always see the River. The River is in your blood too, and you will come back to it.' I know now what he meant, after living in the deserts of the Tahono O'odam, the bayous of the land of the Chitimachas, and the bustle of the city built upon the ruined lodges of the Massachusetts. I now am back in Wôbanakik, the Land of the Dawn, where I can be at peace. I would like to tell you a story, one about my people and their land." -- from the book

About this edition

• Publisher: University Press of New England
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1584650591
• ISBN 13: 9781584650591
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 325