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Indigenous Expressions at ECHO

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Sunday, 15 February 2009

Indigenous Expressions at ECHO By Sally Pollak, Free Press Staff Writer • February 15, 2009 A new exhibit at ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center is an exploration of native people’s history, culture and connection to the land and water. “Indigenous Expressions,” which opened Saturday, is a museum-wide exhibit that was conceived as part of the region’s celebration of the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s exploration of the lake called Petenbowk by Abenakis, and the surrounding valley. ECHO chose to focus its attention on the people who lived here for 10,000 or so years before Champlain arrived — in particular how indigenous people interacted with the place now known as the Champlain Valley. The exhibit describes how indigenous people connected to, and made use of, the landscape. “We were looking at opportunities to tell very specific native stories throughout the building,” said Julie Silverman, ECHO’s director of new — which means she is responsible for new exhibits, new ideas, new projects. The exhibit comprises 12 components, each designed to describe or illuminate something about native people, their relationship to the land and their use of natural resources, Silverman said. The exhibit, which will become a permanent part of ECHO’s collection, was put together with local scholars and Abenakis. This collaboration made it a particularly meaningful project to work on, organizers said. “The part that’s been so exciting, besides all the beautiful artifacts and objects, is I have met the most wonderful people who live in Lake Champlain basin through this project,” Silverman said. “It has been such a labor of community support.” A great majority of the objects and artifacts in “Indigenous Expressions” come from the collection of Frederick Wiseman, a humanities professor at Johnson State College. Wiseman, 61, gave scores of pieces to ECHO as a permanent gift. Some objects are from his personal collection; others originated in a program at Johnson in which students make artifacts for donation to museums. “I’m getting to that stage in my life that I’ve collected a lot of these for my own research and now it’s time to let things go a little bit,” Wiseman said. “And let them help other people learn about the Abenakis.” Wiseman has learned about the rich native history of the region through years of collecting objects; he hopes the history will be shared and better understood through the ECHO exhibit. His travels around Vermont and the region, driving trips with his wife to look for native artifacts, have taught Wiseman about the prevalence and significance of the local native culture. “So many people say that there are no native people in Vermont and this region,” Wiseman said. “If that is so, why are there so many Native American artifacts that come out of people’s houses and antique shops? “Almost any good-sized antique shop that you got into in Vermont will have several Abenaki baskets. If you dig a little deeper you start finding tools and all kinds of other things.” One object from Wiseman’s personal collection is a fine example of an Abenaki artifact — and it speaks to the collaborative venture of the ECHO display. The piece is an eel trap, “adelahiganak” in Abenaki,that dates to the late 18th or early 19th century. It is made of strips of ash and it works like a lobster trap. The exhibit also includes a contemporary eel trap made by an Abenaki basketmaker, Jesse Larocque, 47, of West Danville. Larocque’s work is approximately the same size and of the same pattern as the centuries-old trap also on exhibit, he said. Larocque made his trap from ash wood he found in the swamps of the Northeast Kingdom, he said. “I learned to make baskets by asking questions and watching other people make them,” said Larocque, who has taught the craft to others. “I think the exhibit is wonderful because to tell a story, you need to be inclusive of the history,” Larocque said. The collection Objects that will help tell the story include: • The American eel: ECHO is adding live American eels to its animal collection as part of the “Indigenous Expressions” exhibit. Silverman called the fish a “heritage species.” Eels were a major food source for native people who lived in the Champlain basin, she said. And the eels’ skin, which tighten as it dries, were used to bind the points of spears and harpoons, and to make lacrosse balls and splints. Champlain writes in his journals about surviving on eels, Silverman said. • A snow snake: A sport played with a hand-carved wooden stick, tapered at the end, with a point made of melted pewter or lead. The stake, which varies in size, is hurled down a snow chute or track, which is made by dragging a log through snow. The winner of the game is the person who throws his snow snake farthest down the track. (There will be a snow snake competition next Feb. 22 in North Haverhill, N.H.) • A contemporary portrait gallery of black-and-white images shot by photographer Ned Castle. The museum issued an “all-out call,” in Silverman’s words, seeking those who identified themselves as native peoples of the Lake Champlain region. ECHO was looking for people who wanted to be included in a series of portraits that would reflect the contemporary native community. The result is “20 gorgeous large format photographs,” Silverman said. The subjects chose a place to be photographed that was meaningful to them; each wrote a statement about their choice of place. “These are our neighbors,” Silverman said. Contact Sally Pollak at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or 660-1859. http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090215/LIVING/90214036

 

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