Connecticut River Conservancy joined Nolumbeka Project and Western Mass Rights of Nature at Greenfield Community College on February 7-8th, for a very insightful evening titled “From the Ridge to the River: What It Means to Be a Citizen of the Watershed."
Keynote speakers included Hartman Deetz, Mashpee Wampanoag artist-activist and environmental and cultural steward, and Rebecca Todd, Executive Director at CRC, facilitated by David Brule from the Nolumbeka Project, with an introduction by Sarah Mathews and poetry read by JuPong Lin, an interdisciplinary artist-researcher, writer and educator.
The full recording of the presentation is available here.
On Saturday, we gathered at the same location for a rare opportunity to participate in a Full Snow Moon Gathering and Eastern Woodlands Social Dance led by the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers.
Connecticut River Conservancy is proud to partner with local organizations that further conservation of the region's vital natural resources.
The Nolumbeka Project envisions a Connecticut River Valley where the histories, cultures, and persistence of Northeastern Indigenous Peoples are recognized and celebrated, and where all beings are acknowledged as kin. They host annual gatherings and educational events featuring Indigenous presenters sharing their knowledge, cultures, and histories. We work to protect and preserve the land, especially the ancient multi-tribal villages of which Wissatinnewag is an integral part.
Western Mass Rights of Nature is a grassroots organization in Western Massachusetts working to bring about legal and cultural changes to recognize the rights of the natural world to exist, thrive, evolve and be restored.