Abenaki People

Land Acknowledgement
Strawbery Banke Museum is on the homelands of the Abenaki people, who have ongoing cultural and spiritual connections to this area. We acknowledge the land and the peoples who have stewarded it through the generations.

“People of the Dawn”
According to Tribal oral tradition, Abenaki people have lived in the place now called New Hampshire for more than 12,000 years -- since before Tribal memory. The Abenaki are part of a larger group of indigenous people who called themselves Wabanaki or “People of the Dawn,” and form one of many communities connected by a common Algonquian language family. From present-day Newfoundland to the mid-Atlantic, these peoples also shared traditions, beliefs, and resources, and were connected by trade networks and family relationships.

Just as people enjoy vacationing on the Seacoast today, Abenaki people came to this area seasonally to set up camps for hunting, fishing, and food preparation.  

“We’re Still Here”
Today there are 24,909 NH residents who identify as Native American or Alaska Native, according to the 2020 U.S. Census (1.8% of the NH population). These are Abenaki people, as well as people from other tribes across the United States who have made NH their home. Other Abenaki people live across the U.S. and Canada.  Native people are members of our schools, our neighborhoods, and our communities.

Although Abenaki people today live modern lifestyles and live in modern homes, many also honor traditions, which may include making special meals or practicing traditional arts. These traditions are explored in the People of the Dawnland exhibit in the Jones House.