Wabanaki: People of the Dawn

The first Shoalers did not arrive from Europe 400 years ago... they were already here. For well over 12,000 years The Wabanaki - “People of the Dawn” - have called N’dakinna, present-day New England and its waters, home.

It is their history, their culture, their stories, and songs where the real history of this land we now all call home actually begins.

The Wabanaki people have always kept their history alive through the oral tradition of storytelling. With the arrival of the Europeans on their shores and the resulting native population’s decline due to introduced disease and colonial warfare, the likelihood of their history surviving was tenuous at best - but it did.

The People of the Dawn are very much still here and so are their stories. The difference is that now 400 years later no matter what our ancestral heritage may be, we are finally listening.

Join us as we welcome Roger Paul as he shares the rich history of his people and their stories through words and storytelling during this very special weekend. Born on the Motahkomikuk Indian reservation near Princeton, Maine to a Passamaquoddy mother and a Maliseet father, Roger Paul grew up speaking both languages and began learning English around the age of five. Roger has realized the public’s lack of understanding and connection to the indigenous people of New England and so he works to educate anyone who would want to learn about the Wabanaki Peoples of Turtle Island and their vital role in the communities in which they are ever-present.

Register here.