Bibliography on Abenaki History and Culture

Teacher Resources

Abenaki in Vermont: A History Kit for Students and Their Teachers, Sarah Rooker, ed, (Vermont Historical Society, 1988). Artifact kit and Teachers Guide, available through the Vermont Historical Society.

The Abenaki of Vermont: A Living Culture: Teacher’s Guide, Gregory Sharrow. ed. (Vermont Folklife Center, 2002). Designed to accompany the Vermont Folklife Center’s video of the same title, the book is a valuable tool for teachers. The Abenaki of Vermont: A Living Culture

1609: Quadricentennial Curriculum (Lake Champlain Maritime Museum). An up-to-date curriculum for Vermont schools, with a good focus on the Native American experience. Good for all grade levels.
Champlain: The Lake Between (Vermont Public Television, 2009). This video about the history of the lake region from Champlain’s visit through the French and Indian War features Abenakis and Iroquois. The accompanying curriculum guide has good content and lessons.

History

Calloway, Colin G., The Abenaki (Chelsea House, 1989). Calloway is the premier non-native scholar of the Abenaki. This is a good first book for grades 4-8, and a resource for 9-12 and teachers. For a more comprehensive history, read Calloway’s The Western Abenakis of Vermont, 1600-1800 (University of Oklahoma Press, 1990).

———, ed., North Country Captives (University Press of New England, 1992). These captivity narratives are interesting primary sources that reveal much about the Abenaki during the eras of contact and early European settlement.

Cherry, Lynne. A River Ran Wild (Harcourt, Brace, 1992). This excellent picture book portrays the historical evolution of the Nashua River from Native American use up to present-day clean-up; timeline included.

Gallagher, Nancy, Breeding Better Vermonters: The Eugenics Project in the Green Mountain State (University Press of New England, 1999). The stunning story of the eugenics movement in Vermont from the 1920s to 1940s reveals the ways that Abenaki people were targeted for persecution and sterilization. It’s critical to understanding recent Abenaki history.

Haviland, William, and Marjory Power, The Original Vermonters (University Press of New England, 1994). This is the standard anthropological/archaeological work on the Western Abenaki area; makes a strong case for the presence and persistence of the people. It’s a good resource for upper grade teachers and could be used with high school students.

Wiseman, Frederick M., The Voice of the Dawn, an Autohistory of the Abenaki Nation (University Press of New England, 2001). Designed as a resource book for teachers (middle school and up) and professionals, this book combines personal experience and philosophy with historical data, and discusses the important political events of the 1990s.

Stories and Tales

Bruchac, Jesse, Mosbas and the Magic Flute (Bowman Books, 2010). This wonderful book includes an Abenaki dictionary and pronunciation guide along with a great story.

Bruchac, Joseph, The Wind Eagle (Bowman Books, 1985); The Faithful Hunter (1988). Excellent collections of Abenaki stories.

Joseph Bruchac has written several young adult novels about Abenaki history and experience, covering various time periods. Ones especially recommended by teachers include The Winter People (Puffin, 2002), about Rogers’ Raid of 1759; The Arrow Over the Door (Puffin, 2002), which takes place during the American Revolution; and Hidden Roots (Scholastic, 2004), about a teenage boy who struggles with his Abenaki identity as his family copes with the aftermath of the eugenics project in Vermont.

Bruchac, Marge, Malian’s Song (Vermont Folklife Center, 2005). Based on oral history, this wonderful picture book tells the Abenaki side of the story of Rogers Raid, which destroyed the village of Odanak in 1759, during the French and Indian/Seven Years War.

Caduto, Michael, and Joseph Bruchac, Keepers of the Earth (1988). Native American stories with environmental lessons; contains Abenaki stories as well as those of other tribes. Excellent resource for teachers wishing to integrate science, literature, and social studies.

Speare, Elizabeth George, Calico Captive (Sandpiper, 2001). A well-regarded young adult novel inspired by Susannah Johnson’s famous narrative about her capture at Fort Number Four in 1754 and subsequent three years living with the Abenaki.

Online Resources

Flow of History: The Gathering and Interactions of Peoples, Cultures, and Ideas
This section of the website includes background essays and timelines focused on early settlement in the Connecticut River Valley.

Freedom and Unity
This exhibit provides good contextual information.

Native Americans of New Hampshire (New Hampshire Historical Society)
Information, lesson plans, and activities inform students about life among the Woodland Indians who lived in this area and prepare them for the museum traveling program On the Abenaki Trail.