At our 2016 conference in Boston, we were honored to have three speakers from the Wabanaki Confederacy present this healing, thought-provoking panel.
“Ritual, Tradition and Feminine Intuition among the Wabanaki of Maine and the Canadian Maritimes” was a discussion by Patricia Saulis (Maliseet), Miigam’ agan (Mi’ Kmaq), and Sherri Mitchell (Penobscot). We are pleased to offer this video of that panel. Although most of our conference videos are offered in the member-only section of the website, we feel strongly that this presentation deserves a wide audience, and so we offer it to the public as well.
At the close of this presentation, the speakers honored us with a traditional song of thanks and friendship. At their request, that song has been deleted from this video. It was a special gift for our members who were present that day, and it was not given to be shared with a wider audience through recordings. We honor their request with gratitude for their offering.
In a time when everyone captures images and words so easily, please remember that some gifts are given for one occasion, for one moment only. It is especially important in witnessing Native American and Indigenous cultural events to ask permission before pulling out a phone to record events. Let us be good, respectful allies to one another; never record speakers or events without first receiving permission.
As you view this video, we invite you to consider the importance of the speakers’ messages and also the need to grow an authentic conversation with contemporary Native American and Indigenous women. Let us create opportunities to join together in as many settings as possible. And for those of us who wish to be good allies, let’s remember that we have much to learn in all such meetings.
To learn more about the speakers’ work for justice for people and the land, see the Land Peace Foundation and read Sherri Mitchell’s book Sacred Instructions.