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AGAINST THE DARKNESS Multimedia Educational System
Written, produced and directed by Frederick Matthew Wiseman, Ph.D.
Directed by Anna Marie Roy
Computer postproduction by Frederick William Wiseman
(According to Assistant Attorney General Bill Griffin1…) There is no concrete evidence that this group (The Missisquoi Abenakis) comprised a distinct community from historical times to the present. The St. Francis band has not maintained a political influence or authority over its members from historical times. The family history of these members cannot be traced back through history to this Indian tribe.
Burlington Free Press ØØØØ | ×××× SOMETHING OF VALUE: AN HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE AGAINST THE DARKNESS SYSTEM By Frederick M. Wiseman The attack against Vermont native identity In their sophisticated dismantling of Vermont Indigenous identity2, the Vermont Attorneys General determined that existing teaching materials fail to describe an indigenous Vermont Indian community. For example, the beliefs and activities illustrated in the Vermont Folklife Center’s The Abenakis: A living culture to exemplify Vermont Abenaki culture, were actually ethnically equivocal (i.e. shared with the Franco-Vermont or even Anglo-Vermont communities), or derivative of Canadian (specifically Odanak/Wôlinak Abenakis of Quebec) or Midwestern (Oklahoma/Great Lakes “Pan Indian”) Native sources3. This problem is much broader. Except for three semi-scholarly works, almost all Abenaki post contact culture history, language, spirituality, performing and decorative arts as taught in Vermont are derivative of Canadian, Maine, and Midwestern sources,4 and there is little recent interest in generating Vermont (or even American)-based Abenaki studies.
Are the critics right—is there little of worth in Vermont Abenaki cultural history?
The Wôbanakik Heritage Center and the defense of Vermont Abenaki identity
In 1999 the Wôbanakik Heritage Center5 was asked by the late Grand Chief Homer St. Francis and the Abenaki Tribal Council (St. Francis/Sokoki Band) to organize its material culture, archival imagery, and newly discovered primary documents, to supplement the outdated Abenaki Research Project’s work on the recognition petition before the federal government. It was also called upon to refute specific anti-Missisquoi allegations by the Vermont Attorney General in 2002 and the Odanak Band Council in 2003. In response, the Center collections were re-evaluated, researched and photographed for 20+ written reports to the state and federal governments and to the Odanak Band Council. By late 2003, Vermont Indigenous politics; in relations with the State, and relations among Abenaki factions, made it obvious that mere written defense was inadequate. This political reality led to the decision to convert the assembled data and imagery into a multi media6 presentation. In 2004, the Center began to purchase the necessary cameras, computers, software, sound, lighting and projection systems, and recruit the technical expertise necessary to effectively carry out the data conversion.
Against the Darkness The Against the Darkness project title was chosen 1.) to imply a conflict theme; with the Euroamerican and Native forces of ethnocide against Missisquoi, and also 2.) to refer to the universal “dawn” imagery used by the Abenakis and their neighbors. The concept was first presented with live actors as an “Abenaki Heritage Celebration” pageant at the Missisquoi Valley Union High School (Highgate, VT) in May of 2004. In the fall of that year, the video screenplay was developed from the Heritage Celebration script. The growing and evolving video gathered together a coordinated array of live action by American Abenaki performers, genealogical information, historic objects, documents and photographs to directly refute the ongoing cleansing of American Abenaki indigenous history. At the request and encouragement of VT Senator Vince Illuzzi in early 2005, the Against the Darkness video’s message of documenting aboriginal Vermont Abenaki cultural endurance was refined and converted into a focused forensic tool used in Vermont Senate hearings regarding S.117 (the VT state recognition bill). With recognition assured by the passage of S.117 in the Senate, the production team began to translate the materials into a broad-based account of historic and modern Vermont indigenous culture and community. Since the State of Vermont recognized the Abenaki people on May 3, 2006 (perhaps in part due to screenings of this video for VT legislators in the Springs of 2005 and 2006), Against the Darkness was enhanced by the addition of images, tables, timelines and papers concerning the culture of the Abenakis and their neighbors, and ultimately transformed it into a conflict-themed pedagogical tool. The Against the Darkness System (ADS) was specifically refined to help teachers understand the late historic Vermont Abenaki experience and some of the reasons for the Vermont’s data war against its indigenous people. Frederick M. Wiseman, Ph.D. (Voice of the Dawn and Reclaiming the Ancestors), wrote Against the Darkness using well documented, but heretofore unreleased historical information. All along the way, many dedicated Missisquoi Abenaki high school and college students ably assisted in conceptualization, filming and postproduction. Using live action and voiceover by these young Abenaki actors and native-inspired music by Peter Buffett, this digital video inspires as well as informs. The ADS© historic objects and graphics, mostly seen here for the first time, come from the Wôbanakik Heritage Center collections. They were carefully selected and researched to best illustrate a persistent a 1790-2005 indigenous Vermont Abenaki continuity, distinct from that of their native and non-native neighbors. The CD portion of the ADS© includes materials that are from non-Vermont sources that refer to widespread practices that were almost certainly shared by indigenous Vermonters7.
Notes: - The “according to” refers to an earlier citation of Griffin in the text of the Free Press editorial.
- i.e. State of Vermont’s Response to Petition for Federal Acknowledgement of the St. Francis Sokoki Band of the Abenaki Nation of Vermont. W. Sorrell and Eve Carnahan, Vermont Attorney General’s Office, Montpelier, December 18, 2002, available from the VT Attorney General’s Office or from most libraries, as well as press releases, broadcast interviews etc. on file at the Wôbanakik Heritage Center. In this document and in interviews and testimony, the Attorneys General also portrayed Vermont scholars who dealt with post 1790 Vermont Abenaki culture as intellectual lightweights who relied on dubious data provided by Abenaki advocates.
- The particular reference to the Vermont Folklife Center video surfaced in debates with the Attorneys General and is referred to in a manuscript submitted to the Vermont Historical Society (Wôbanakik Heritage Center archives).
- In the fall of 2003 the Odanak Abenaki Chief and Tribal Council reinforced this idea in a series of letters and band resolutions (in Wôbanakik Heritage Center archives) rescinding their recognition of the Missisquoi Abenakis, also claiming (in part) that their culture was derivative. In testimony to the VT Senate in the spring of 2005, VT Assistant Attorney Bill Griffin made this point as well (field notes in the Wôbanakik Heritage Center archives).
- The privately funded Wôbanakik Heritage Center was established in Swanton, VT after the closing of the Laboratory for Traditional Technology at Johnson State College in 1995. In 1998, some of its materials were relocated in the Abenaki Tribal Museum, and 2001 it became the archive and ceremonial repository of the Seven Fires Alliance. In addition to Wabanaki and Laurentian Mohawk materials, it houses an extensive collection of well-documented American Abenaki objects (ca. 150 artifacts w/provenance) and archival imagery (ca. 60 original maps, prints, documents and photographs) collected from the 1970’s until today.
- This process was successful, the current media include video, still photography, music, oratory/interview, and text,
7. Exclusively non-Vermont Native sources are cited as such (i.e. “Micmac” or “Innu”), widespread practices are also noted (i.e. “Abenakis and their neighbors”) so that the teacher and student can know what is local and what is regional.
ØØØØ | ×××× DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
The ADS© is entirely based on digital technology, except for archival analog VHS tape converted for one segment. Digital video and stills were shot with Sony DCR-PC-101 and DCR HC-1000 mini-DV video cameras, aided by the Glidecam motion stabilizer and Røde Videomic. Footage, sound, imagery and music were edited on a Sony Viao multi-media computer using the Vegas 6 professional non-linear video editor. Music1, voiceover and sound was filtered and enhanced with Cool-Edit Pro, (now Adobe Audition) Sony Acid and Sony Sound Forge audio systems. Vegas 6, Magic Bullet Movielook, Laughingbird Logo Creator, Boris Graffiti, Boris Red and Boris FX CGI software created the special effects in the video. DVD Architect 3 produced the ADS DVD menu systems and converted the final footage to the Dual-layer DVD format. The data in the CD were composed with Dreamweaver, which also designed the menu structure. Screenings were aided by an Infocus digital projector/Optimus sound system. The Internet domain name againstthedarkness.org has been registered and parked by GoDaddy in preparation for website development.
- Emmy Award-winning film composer and recording artist Peter Buffett (500 Nations, Dances with Wolves; his website is “bisonhead.com”) gave the production team permission to use digital music files (©2002, 2004) for educational purposes.
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NATIVE, SCHOLAR, AND EDUCATOR INVOLVEMENT A project dealing with comprehensive community identity is inherently controversial, and cannot be the vision of a single person. The production team attempted, from the beginning, to involve Missisquoi Abenaki community leaders and scholars specializing in the historic Abenaki experience. This involvement was later expanded, through public and private screenings to include hundreds of First Nations people, educators, and public servants. A sense of the breadth of collaboration may be seen below.
1. Native involvement To assure a representative view of the Abenakis’ experience, advice was sought from culturally active Abenakis. Video “drafts” were screened at all stages of development for approval by the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Native American Affairs, Missisquoi Abenaki Tribal Council, Missisquoi Abenaki General Meeting, Title VII Indian Education Parent Advisory Committee, the Abenaki/UVM “Summer Happening,” the Circle of Courage Youth Group, the Randolph, VT Abenaki Unity Meeting, and 2006 Abenaki Heritage Days Celebration. Private screenings were also held for Abenakis who requested to see and approve it. The ADS production team screened the video for neighboring Native nations in order to gain an external perspective by comparison to other tribal educational initiatives, and to insure that broader issues, such as respectful presentation of potentially controversial materials, were attended to. Thus the video was screened at the Museé des Abénakis (Odanak, QC), the Akwesasne Historical and Genealogical Society, the Mashentucket Pequot Museum (CT) the Seven Fires International Meeting at Akwesasne, Indian Township Passamaquoddy Reserve (ME), an inter-tribal gathering at UMASS Boston Harbor, and to Kahnawake Mohawk and Penobscot elders visiting the Wôbanakik Heritage Center. Technical advice from Native filmmakers Irene Miracle (Osage) and Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki) was particularly valuable. Sage advice from all of these sources has been incorporated into the Against the Darkness System©. Franklin Northwest Supervisory Union Title VII Indian Education, and the Governor’s Commission on Native American Affairs secured funding to support the digital editing, and final printing/”burning” of the CD/DVD combination pack.
2. Scholarly and professional involvement Advice was sought from the Vermont scholarly community concerning the science and forensics in the video, and proper referencing of materials. This was accomplished through venues such as the Vermont Archaeological Society, and the University of Vermont’s “New Directions in Ethnic Studies” Symposium as well as screenings for state and federal anthropologists, political scientists, attorneys and archaeologists at the Heritage Center. The continual and broad based professional assistance of the late Prof. Jim Petersen of the Anthropology Department, UVM, Dr. Jeff Benay of Title VII Indian Education and Ted Timreck of Timreck Productions (NYC) was especially valuable. Gyan Baird graphics designer and editor extraordinaire of Stowe, VT, produced the teachers’ guide and the DVD case graphics. Sigrid Lumbra, Social Studies Coordinator, Vermont Department of Education, has been an important partner in developing teaching materials and teacher training venues.
3. Student and teacher involvement This system of 40-minute video and hours of auxiliary materials is designed as an interactive “DVD/CD combo” for Vermont educational institutions, complete with extensive teachers’ resources including bibliographies, resources contact data, essays, genealogies and special materials developed for students and teachers. The Against the Darkness System is unlike any current resource available to Vermont educators. Although best introduced in grade 4, it is not designed for any specific grade. It is multi-and interdisciplinary, designed for use across the curriculum, from history to anthropology to industrial and domestic science, to music and dance, to recreation, to biology and geography. The extensive auxiliary CD bibliographies and databases contain a suite of local and regional data sets for teachers and students at the upper primary school, middle school, high school and undergraduate college levels. Adult researchers or interested laypeople may also find something of value there. In order to assure a quality educational product, the video portion of the System was screened in 2005 and early 2006 for at least fourteen elementary-school classes in Newport, Enosburg and Swanton, Vermont, specifically as part of their Native American curricula. The video was also screened for Missisquoi Valley Union High School students. Their teachers unanimously approved it (often with valuable suggested modifications) as being appropriate for use from second semester third grade to twelfth grades. College students and their professors at the Community College of Vermont, the University of Vermont and Johnson State College and UMASS Boston Harbor were equally enthusiastic. It has been eagerly accepted for use in cultural competency training and domestic violence workshops. Targeted public screenings included historical society members, adult education students, senior “lifelong learning” and Elderhostel groups, assemblies of VT legislators; these audiences also appreciated the video and offered their valued perspectives. THE AGAINST THE DARKNESS SYSTEM
Introduction As pointed out above, ADS is unlike other educational resources, in that it comprises a system of electronic data files, videos, trainers, internet resources, and professional development resources.
The Movie The DVD first contains the film “Against the Darkness,” divided into nine episodes. Episode 1, the “Prologue” sets up the film’s problem, showing that until 1995, there was no conflict between the State of Vermont and its indigenous people over Abenaki identity. Episode 2, the “Introduction” discusses the “data war” between Vermont and the Abenakis, and what this means to modern Missisquoi citizens. It then introduces the descendency concept. Episode 3, “First child” discusses the Vermont or American artifacts, images and documents appropriate to the late 18th century Missisquoi Abenaki experience. Episode 4, “Second child” discusses early 19th century Missisquoi Abenaki Vermont or American documents, artifacts and images. Episode 5, “Third child” discusses the artifacts, images and documents of mid 19th century Missisquoi. Episode 6, “Fourth child” discusses the Vermont or American artifacts, images and documents appropriate to the late 19th century Missisquoi Abenaki experience. Episode 7, “Fifth child” discusses images, artifacts and documents explaining the early mid 20th century Missisquoi Abenakis. Episode 8, “Sixth child” discusses the American artifacts, images and documents appropriate to Missisquoi Abenaki Renaissance of the late mid 20th century. Episode 9, “Seventh child” discusses the modern Missisquoi Abenaki documents, artifacts, and images from the late 20th and early 21st century. Supplementary videos Also on the DVD is a series of interviews and events designed to amplify the film’s message. In a 40+ minute video, Dr. Jeff Benay of the Title VII Indian Education Office discusses the cultural and educational issues facing the modern Abenakis. In a second video interview, Mr. Bruce Spaulding of Swanton, discusses his ancestor Samuel Santimore of Stowe, VT, who was a Civil War Veteran, and proud to be Abenaki. In the third video interview, Ms. Alice Roy, of Barre, VT discusses both her father’s stories of visiting the Abenakis in N. Vermont in the ‘teens, as well as her dealing with the Gypsies in the 1920’s and 1930’s, who she affirms, were known to be Indian by the Barre Francophone community. In the fourth video interview, Judge Kilburn discusses the role of the Missisquoi Abenakis in Swanton’s past. An included video was filmed by Fred W. Wiseman of Governor Jim Douglas’ signing of the S.117 recognition bill into law on May 3, 2006. Another video clip explores Missisquoi’s “Circle of Courage” youth group practicing traditional Abenaki dances. It includes interviews with Abenaki children. Lastly, a short “prototype” video explores Darkness Falls- 1609-1776, the next installment of the “Against the Darkness Trilogy.” The music, Abenaki language, and editing are incomplete, and necessarily contain significant errors, but the video “draft” gives a sense of the video, to be released in 2008.
Written materials The CD or “Disc II” contains a series of data sets designed in a layout identical to a website so as to be a familiar format and aid in navigation. It includes teachers’ resources materials, photo galleries, bibliographies, and a series of papers on topics of interest to teachers, students or professionals dealing with the Abenaki experience. Most of the documents in the CD have appended images. These are indicated in “blue type” in the text. Right clicking them with the mouse will bring up the image. Below is a quick synopsis of the material on the CD.
Teachers’ and professionals’ resources is a listing of books, articles, maps and other written, recorded, or human resources on the Abenakis, as well as appropriate materials from the Northeast that are applicable to Vermont Abenakis studies. Against the Darkness CD image database is a listing of the CD images file names and auxiliary data, such as date of manufacture, origin, materials, etc. Against the Darkness music arranged by Chapter is a comprehensive listing of all of the music used in the video, so if students are interested in obtaining copies of the music files from Peter Buffet, they will know which tracks to request. Bibliographies are divided into two sections, “General; All topics” and “Postcontact 1600-today”.
An introduction to Vermont Abenaki cultural competency through ethnic revitalization discusses, in an analytical manner, the rebirth of the Abenaki Nation in Vermont, and some of the historical and ongoing problems facing the revitalization process, as well as a possible solution. Analysis of the Vermont Attorney General’s attack against the Abenaki Nation at Missisquoi is a comprehensive deconstruction of the State’s numerous attempts at destroying Vermont Abenaki credibility, and misrepresenting the potential “harm” that acknowledging the Abenakis would have on the state’s people and land. Vermont State Recognition: An historical timeline is a comprehensive listing of the significant dates in the “Road to Recognition” from the early 1990’s until the May, 2006 signing of the VT recognition bill. The Abenaki Recognition Bill (S.117) as signed by Governor Jim Douglas is a typescript of the current statute as passed by the VT legislature and signed by the Governor. Against the Darkness genealogical database is a genealogical listing of one of published the Missisquoi hereditary lines, one that was used as a basis for the “Seven Generations” theme used in the video.
An American Abenaki timeline: 1760-2006 is a dated listing of important Missisquoi (or regional) events or documents. The Wampum Laws of the Abenakis and their neighbors is a comprehensive re-evaluation of the Great Council Fire Alliance, the organization from which many of the Abenakis’ original law derives. Although the information is mainly from Maine, Missisquois were known to be part of the Alliance, and thus these data are directly applicable to the Vermont Abenakis. In addition to the interpretive section, original documents are included. This makes clear that the Wabanaki wampum laws are not derivative of the Great Law of the Iroquois, but that law system may actually be derived from one of the Great Council Fire’s Wendat messengers. Ceremonies of the Abenakis and their neighbors is a discussion of various ceremonies re-written and from various published and other, more primary sources that I respect. I have tried to be careful to attempt to separate “Pan-Indian” from what may be residual ancient Abenaki beliefs.
Abenaki architecture and settlements is a short discussion of Wabanaki wigwams, longhouses and village and camp structure. Place Names of Wôbanakik is a listing of place names in Vermont and neighboring areas, giving the Abenaki name, a published translation, and the modern place name. Western Abenaki clothing and adornment is in response to many Missisquoi community members who would like to move beyond “Pan-Indian” clothing styles, to be more historically correct. Using the few extant Vermont and American Wabanaki materials that remain, this discussion makes a first attempt to point craftspeople in the right direction to make locally appropriate headgear, shirts, blouses, dresses, sashes etc. Abenaki games is a discussion of the popular games played by the Abenakis and their neighbors.
Abenaki ethnobotany is a discussion of plant use by the Native people in the Wabanaki area (with some input from the Innu people). It includes medical ethnobotany, Abenaki agriculture, sap collection and use, dyestuffs, and fuel woods. Abenaki hunting and fishing is a short discussion of the equipment and techniques used in hunting and fishing by the Abenakis and their neighbors. Canoes and canoe building of the Abenakis is a discussion of the equipment and techniques used in building various types of canoes by the Abenakis and their neighbors. Ogenak Alnôbaiwi: Historic Abenaki snowshoes is a short discussion of making Abenaki snowshoes—this is a craft that survived until the mid 20th century in Missisquoi. Lastly, Abazenoda Alnôbaiwi: Historic Abenaki basketry is a short discussion of making Abenaki baskets—this is another craft that survived until the mid 20th century in Missisquoi.
ADS Trainers Teachers and other professionals interested in Vermont indigenous studies require responsible and articulate speakers to address their classroom or conference. The ADS system is not just a series of electronic files; it includes people who can discuss the Abenakis’ experience from a perspective that is deeply embedded in the philosophy of the ADS. As soon as their certification training is complete, they will be listed on the website (see below). The Against the Darkness System includes a network of people trained to use and work with the System. While only a small percentage of the presenters of the Abenaki experience in Vermont, these people have been involved in the design and development of the ADS and are thus uniquely qualified to articulate their presentations with the other forms of information in the ADS. The production team has endorsed their knowledge in the areas listed below; and their teaching skills, to assure that the ADS system maintains high quality outcomes in the class or conference room. In addition, each person has an independently acquired knowledge of one or more facets of the material in the ADS. As time goes on, the production team expects to certify more trainers, these people will be added to the list on the web site.
ADS Professional Development Workshops will be held as soon after the release of the Against the Darkness System© as possible; to recruit educators at all levels to refine the application of the materials therein to curriculum development. The teachers trained in the workshops will be given a copy of the CD/DVD, and become “ADS Partners” in the system. They will be designated as contacts within their Supervisory Unions, and will be able to make or obtain copies for their peers. Lastly, funding has been secured for the development of graduate level course(s) in support of the ADS System to be offered for teachers and other professionals. These will hopefully debut in the summer of 2007
The Website We have registered the domain name for the web site; it is:
againstthedarkness.org
As you can see, it is currently under construction as a meeting place for students, teachers and others interested in the Abenakis. As of now, limited content has been created for againstthedarkness.org, including this document, and “Frequently Asked Questions,” and a pair of “downloadable” posters and other materials. We are planning interactive web site sectors for teachers, students, museum professionals and others to develop and/or submit new content, resources, web links. In addition we are investigating data conversions to the PSP (Sony PlayStation Portable), iPod and smartphone digital formats. We believe that the future lies in having students and teachers intimately connected to the ADS data through wireless personal communication devices, as well as through more traditional channels.
FUTURE OF THE ADS© SYSTEM
The script for Against the Darkness II: Darkness Falls, is complete. This new installment deals with the period from Champlain (1609) to the American Revolution. The period artifacts, imagery and costuming have been obtained, and casting is under way. Filming began on September 15, 2006. Continuing the “sovereigntist” approach of its predecessor, Darkness Falls intends to portray the 17th and 18th century Missisquoi Abenakis and their allies as technologically and politically progressive. It asserts that they were not mere pawns in the continental Colonial conflict but had sophisticated independent military, cultural and diplomatic curricula for the preservation of their homeland against the mounting terrorism by the British Americans and their allies. Thus ADS intends to “push the envelope” of historical interpretation of the Vermont past to where it is in other parts of North America which attend to a Native voice.
A release date of 2008 is projected in preparation for the Champlain Quadracentennial. Assuming the normal progression of technology, the current (1790-2005) version will be integrated into the new materials as an entirely interactive HD DVD (probably Blu-Ray format), with all of the text and auxiliary materials directly addressable from the video presentation. The next generation of the ADS is also intended to be podcast, PSP, and smart-phone enabled.
ØØØØ | ×××× DISCLAIMER
1. Due to its technical forensic ancestry, the ADS System© necessarily represents a pragmatist/sovereigntist approach to American Abenaki studies. Due to the complex and evolving state of Abenaki cultural politics, other pedagogical and philosophical viewpoints exist, some decidedly hostile to this perspective. Other voices should be should be thoroughly considered by teachers in developing Abenaki curriculum.
2. Although the ADS System© is representative of the American Abenaki experience and thus widely applicable to other Abenaki groups and regions, it was originally designed, (and remains) as a focused historical defense of the St. Francis/Sokoki Band, Abenaki Nation at Missisquoi. Due to this specific design, other regional American Abenaki bands organizations, and professional Abenaki individuals could not be included in the video exposition unless they had specific expertise applicable to Northern and/or western Vermont indigenous ethnohistory.
3. Lastly, this “first edition” or beta version of the CD/DVD Combo will contain typographical and other (hopefully!) minor errors that will be corrected in future editions. For example, the format conversion of edited MS Word documents into the HTML format with Dreamweaver, caused a few format errors in the CD documents. These are largely “cosmetic” (such as incorrect indentations associated with quotes), that could not be easily corrected within the tight completion deadline, and were left “as is.”
CONTENT: AGAINST THE DARKNESS DVD/CD STRUCTURE
In order to understand the Against the Darkness System© we need to know how to “navigate” the DVD/CD combo. Disc I may be played on a standard DVD player or a “fast” computer with a DVD drive and appropriate software such as Windows Media Player (older computers may take a long time to load the video imagery, so it is usually best to use a DVD player), while Disc II, which is set up as a “web-site on disc” can be played on almost any modern (Pentium platform or later) computer that can recognize the HTML format. However, some computers may not immediately recognize the menu and documents on Disc II. In such cases, teachers and students will need to use the computer’s web browser to access the list of documents on the disc.
Disc I (DVD)
The DVD or “Disc I” is laid out in a format similar to theatrical DVD releases, so that teachers and students will be familiar with navigating it. Upon inserting the DVD in the player, the “Opening Sequence” is played, then the opening menu, which contains buttons for the main video, which can be played all the way through, or episode-by-episode, as well as navigating to supplementary videos of interviews, dances, and historical events. It is arranged thus:
Opening Sequence (Precontact Abenakis at the Fortin Farm Caves in Highgate, VT) Opening Menu
Play All (plays the entire video through)
Episodes (plays individual chapters of the video. Supplementary materials menu Interviews sub-menu In this video interview Mr. Bruce Spaulding of Swanton, discusses his knowledge of his ancestor Samuel Santimore of Stowe, VT, who was a Civil War Veteran, and proud to be Abenaki.
In this video Ms. Roy, of Barre, VT discusses both her father’s stories of visiting the Abenakis in N. Vermont in the ‘teens, as well as her dealing with the Gypsies in the 1920’s and 1930’s, who she affirms were known to be Indian by the Barre Francophone community.
This short “prototype” video explores Darkness Falls- 1609-1776, the next installment of the “Against the Darkness Trilogy.” The music, Abenaki language, and editing are incomplete, and necessarily contain significant errors, but the video “draft” gives a sense of the video, to be released in 2008.
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Disc II (CD)
The CD or “Disc II” is a series of databases set up as a website so as to be a familiar format and aid in navigation. It includes teachers’ resources materials, photo galleries, bibliographies, and a series of papers on topics of interest to teachers, students or professionals dealing with the Abenaki experience. Unlike the feature video, the CD includes materials from both within and external to Vermont. For example, we know from historical information that indigenous Vermont was once part of the Great Council Fire alliance. Therefore, “The Wampum Laws of the Abenakis and their Neighbors” and parts of “Ceremonies of the Abenakis and their neighbors” on the CD, contains a wealth of information from non-Vermont sources on the Alliance, which nevertheless is directly applicable to the Vermont Abenaki experience. Except for “CD Images,” which is a folder containing a series of printable photographs (in the JPEG format); all other documents are in the HTML format.
Images embedded in the text Most of the documents in the CD have appended images. These are indicated in blue type in the text. Right clicking them with the mouse will bring up the image. In addition, there is a database associated with the images (“Against the Darkness image database”) that gives much more detail on each picture, for older students who wish to use them in their own work, but need more specific data on date and provenience (origin and history) of the item. The database is also arranged in the same sequence as the images in the image folder, so that a window including “thumbnails” of the photos can be opened beside a window of the image database, for people who wish to view the images with the full labels available.
Curriculum Development The Against the Darkness System© does not provide extensive curriculum development procedures or teachers’ guides. We expect this material to be available as downloadable documents on a website that supports the disc-based portion of the ADS System. Its http address is:
againstthedarkness.org
The CD/DVD combo is designed so that individual teachers at all grade levels and across the curriculum in the social and natural sciences, the arts and recreation can straightforwardly assemble their own unique interactive programs and syllabi to meet their individual and school needs as well as those of the VT Department of Education’s Grade Expectation (GEs). For example, the “History and Social Sciences Grade Expectation” (GEs) five content areas: inquiry; history; physical and cultural geography; civics, government and society; and economics; are generally addressed in the DVD as well as more specifically in the content sections of the CD (see below). Opening Menu Teachers and researchers’resources This is a listing of books, articles, maps and other written, recorded, or human resources on the Abenakis, as well as appropriate materials from the Northeast that are applicable to Vermont Abenakis studies. (Includes data from outside of Vermont)
Against the Darkness CD Image Database
Bibliographies (Includes data from outside of Vermont) Modern Issues This document discusses, in an analytical manner, the rebirth of the Abenaki Nation in Vermont, and some of the historical and ongoing problems facing the revitalization process, as well as a possible solution.
Genealogical Database Against the Darkness Genealogical Database
Historical Database Religion, ceremony and politics This is a comprehensive re-evaluation of the Great Council Fire Alliance, the organization from which many of the Abenakis’ original law derives. Although the information is mainly from Maine, Missisquois were known to be part of the Alliance, and thus these data are directly applicable to the Vermont Abenakis. In addition to the interpretive section, original documents are included. This makes clear that the Wabanaki wampum laws are not derivative of the Great Law of the Iroquois, but that law system may actually be derived from one of the Great Council Fire’s Wendat messengers. (Includes data from outside of Vermont)
Abenaki Geography This is a listing of place names in Vermont and neighboring areas, giving the Abenaki name, a published translation, and the modern place name.
Western Abenaki Clothing and adornment This section is in response to many Missisquoi community members who would like to move beyond “Pan-Indian” clothing styles, to be more historically correct. Using the few extant Vermont and American Wabanaki materials that remain, this discussion makes a first attempt to point craftspeople in the right direction to make locally appropriate headgear, shirts, blouses, dresses, sashes etc. (Includes data from outside of Vermont)
Abenaki Games Abenaki Ethnobiology This is a discussion of plant use by the Native people in the Wabanaki area (with some input from the Innu people). It includes medical ethnobotany, Abenaki agriculture, sap collection and use, dyestuffs, and fuel woods. (Includes data from outside of Vermont)
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Teachers Resources 
