Ko'asek (Co'wasuck) Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation
Cowasuck/Coosuck/Ko’asek Co’wasuck | |
|---|---|
| File:KoasekAbenakiNationFlag.jpg | |
| Total population | |
| ~541[citation needed] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| New England, Canadian provinces (eastern) | |
| ~400(2021)[citation needed] | |
| Languages | |
| Abenaki, French, English | |
| Religion | |
| Wabanaki mythology, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Algonquian peoples Especially Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Wyandotte(Huron) |
The Ko’asek (Co’wasuck) Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation is a Native American/Abenaki cultural heritage group with a separate entity 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Koasek of Turtle Island Inc based in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, whose members identify as descendants of the Abenaki and Wabenaki peoples.[1][2] The band is one of 8 Abenaki organizations listed as a Native American organization with Geographical / Cultural Interests in New Hampshire, on the website of the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources.[3] On the membership section of the tribes website it claims enrollment mostly in New England but also including 41 states and four Canadian provinces.[4]
Abenaki New Hampshire history[edit]
Indigenous people lived near Keene, New Hampshire 12,000 years ago, according to 2009 archeological digs.[5] University of New Hampshire student Michael Harris has documented the Abenaki presence in New Hampshire in pre-colonial times.[6]
"Koasek" may be a corruption of the original word "Cowass", which may mean "people of the white pines".[7]
The Ko'asek (Co'wasuck) Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation say that Abenaki chiefs have had a continuous history for over 470 years.[8] Many Abenaki retreated from New England to Canada following war and encroachment of English settlement. Joseph Laurent moved from Canada, was an author and well known Abenaki chief in New Hampshire, who ran a trading post and served as a postmaster until his death in 1917. His trading post is a national historic site. According to Brittanica, the Abenaki location in New Hampshire is described.[9] The Western and Eastern Abenaki territories are well described, and New Hampshire is Western Abenaki bordering on Eastern.[10]
Native American human remains found in New Hampshire were inventoried with UNH, completed and recorded in The Federal Register in 2022.[11]
Present day[edit]
The Abenaki today are a post European contact tribe and much of the population is of mixed tribal unions and descent, hence the inclusion of multiple tribes in the Ko’asek lineages today. The traditional New Hampshire band recognizes individuals who are inclusive of Abenaki and Wyandotte (Huron) or Algonquin descent as an example. The Ko'asek (Co'wasuck) Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation is not recognized by the state of New Hampshire or the United States federal government. The State of New Hampshire is the only New England state to currently not recognize a native tribe, and lacks even a mechanism to do so.[12] NH as a state has a population of about 4000 native Americans, with estimates of hidden natives between 7000-10,000.[13] NH as a state has not yet done land acknowledgment and is still debating permanence of Abenaki precolonial settlement.[13]
The Ko'asek (Co'wasuck) Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation acquired and was gifted several parcels of land in Claremont, New Hampshire in 2021, near the river, for use in cultural ceremonies, nature preserves and education along with growing herbs and plants.[14] The tribe plans to build a cultural center on its Claremont land.[15] A New Hampshire based organization with ties to the Koasek, claims maple sugar harvesting from “unceded” Koasek land , “Ndakinna”, (our homeland) from the precolonial period.[16]
The Tribe holds an annual Pow Wow at Alstead, NH in June of each year, near the river. In 2023, it was held on the village green from June 10-11. The tribe claims attendance was up from 2022. The tribe’s website maintains updated photos and links of various tribal activities. The tribe held a fall equinox ceremony at Claremont on September 23, 2023, on its newly acquired land.[17] The tribal genealogist, Chief and Elder, Paul ‘Gwiwalto’ Bunnell, UE has completed thousands of Loyalist and Abenaki genealogies over a 30 year period.[18]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Board of Ko'asek Of Turtle Island, Inc". Ko'asek (Co'wasuck) Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ↑ "Ko'asek Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation on mission to share customs". WMUR. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ↑ "Native American Organizations With Geographical / Cultural Interests in New Hampshire". New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources.
- ↑ "Ko'asek (Co'wasuck) Traditional Band of Sovereign Abenaki Nation". koasekabenakination.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ "12,000 Years Ago in the Granite State". New Hampshire Humanities. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ Harris, Michael (2021). "N'dakinna: Our Homeland...Still – Additional Examples of Abenaki Presence in New Hampshire". Spectrum. 10 (1): 1. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ↑ ""The Cowass Indian Tribe"". native-languages.org. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ↑ "Chief History". Ko'asek (Co'wasuck) Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation. 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ "Abenaki". britannica.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ↑ "Abenaki". Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ↑ "Completion of Inventory, Federal Register". Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ↑ Whidden, Jenny (October 10, 2022). "'We have always been here' – NH recognition of Native American tribes unlikely". Concord Monitor. Archived from the original on 2023-10-05.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Despite misconceptions native Americans have long history in New Hampshire". 30 July 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ↑ Patrick, Adrian (2021-04-07). "Land donation plants seeds of possibility for Ko'asek community". The Eagle Times. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ "New Hampshire Tribe plans cultural center". 11 April 2021. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ↑ "The Mountain". MountCabotMaple.org. Retrieved 2023-10-06. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Koasek Band Celebrates Progress". Eagle Times. 2023-09-24.
- ↑ Burdick, Daniel (October 4, 2023). "Paul Bunnell recognized for genealogy work". Claremont Historical Society Necessary Newsletter. pp. Page 3.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- "Koasek education channel". Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- "NH Equity Collaborative". Retrieved October 8, 2023.
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