atowi project

08/30/2026

remember who/how we are >

08/28/2026

two-eyed seeing with The Institute for American Indian Studies >

Etuaptmumk is a Mi’kmaw saying that translates to “Two-Eyed Seeing.” As attributed to Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall, this concept refers to learning from one eye the strengths of Indigenous knowledge, and from the other eye the strengths of “Western” scientific knowledge. As part of the ...

08/27/2026

saba wôbanakik - tomorrow in the dawnland >

On Friday, August 28th, the Consort will present a unique outdoor concert in Rockport, Maine, on beautiful Beech Hill overlooking Penobscot Bay. The theme of this concert is “This Glorious Earth”, and it will be a benefit for the Coastal Mountains Land Trust. The Consort will include: Paul Winter on soprano sax, Henrique Eisenmann on piano, Eugene Friesen on cello, Peter Slavov on bass, Tareq Rantisi on percussion, and beloved vocalist Theresa Thomason. Admission for this event is free!

For more info, visit our website linked in our bio. ⛰️🫐🎶

08/27/2026

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕 "ℕ𝕠𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕘𝕒" 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕆𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕓𝕖𝕘𝕒 𝕚𝕟 𝔾𝕚𝕠𝕧𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕚 𝕕𝕒 𝕍𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕒𝕫𝕫𝕒𝕟𝕠'𝕤 𝟙𝟝𝟚𝟡 𝕞𝕒𝕡 𝕠𝕗 𝔸𝕞𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕 𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸𝕝𝕘𝕠𝕟𝕢𝕦𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕦𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕟 𝕚𝕟 ℕ𝕖𝕨 𝔼𝕟𝕘𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕. 𝕀𝕥 𝕞𝕒𝕪 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟 "𝕢𝕦𝕚𝕖𝕥 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕣𝕒𝕡𝕚𝕕𝕤" 𝕠𝕣 "𝕢𝕦𝕚𝕖𝕥 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕠𝕗 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣". -Wikipedia overview of "Norumbega"

a little analysis of oranbega through a lens of alnôbaôdwawôgan/Abenaki language:

> the letter "r" is no longer used and has been replaced with "l"
"ora" becomes "ola" or "wla" which signifies benefit/positivity/support (often translated loosely as "good")

> the letter "n" seems superfluous here and may be the perception of a voiced alveolar nasal sound, written as /n/

> "bega" does seem to indicate the Abenaki bound suffix for "a contained body/mass of water" (such as a pond, lake, bay, or ocean) which is written as "-bagw", further modified in a form indicating a state of being with the shifting of the final "w" to "a" as "-baga". This indicates "it is being [calmed] water".

As a matter of fact, there is a near-perfect extant match in the word wlebaga - loosely translated as "it is a good lake". Keep in mind that "lake" here can just as easily signify a place where a river widens and calms into a lake-like form. These words function as shape descriptors (verbalizers) more than strictly objectifying nouns.

The initial "N" (added in later versions) might suggest the first person pronoun "my" or "our". This variance happens with many early recountings, as various tenses are expressed, depending on circumstances of the speaker/listener relationship.

This analysis seems to support the general understanding as "it is good [calm] water".

And water is life...and a calm life is good.

08/27/2026

https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2026-07-27/western-maine-conservation-project-offers-ecologically-important-reprieve-for-wildlife

Under the terms of the conservation deal, much of the land will continue to be sustainably managed for timber harvesting to support the region's wood products industry. But the Northeast Wilderness Trust has also acquired more than 11,000 acres for a wilderness preserve.

08/27/2026

close to home >

An intrepid group of lepidopterists have submitted the results of an ongoing species survey at our Black Mountain Natural Area into an iNaturalist project. Over the past few years, more nearly 100 observers have recorded more than 2,000 observations of over 800 species in this area! These citizen science observations are incredibly important for understanding our natural areas so please add any observations you find. Check it out and be amazed at the incredible diversity of life in this special place!

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/black-mountain-nature-area

Thank you to JoAnne Russo for bringing this project to life on iNaturalist! She captured this photo of a Pink Star Moth at Black Mountain, which has not been observed anywhere else in Vermont!

08/27/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1HNA8QaAsM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

After conducting their food, health and cultural work on leased and borrowed land since 2017 as the Eastern Woodlands Rematriation Collective, the women- and two-spirit-led group of health professionals and educators took title to a former horse and cattle ranch with 245 acres of fields, forests and wetlands in “so-called Swanville” as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Niweskok. That translates to “dried seeds for planting” and also “spirit or essence of life” in Penobscot, adapted for their purposes into “From the Stars to Seeds.” Niweskok will steward its returned land in perpetuity. Reading stories like this brings joy and hope. Share them with your communities to show the impact of local change.

Learn more about Niweskok: https://www.midcoastvillager.com/news/niweskok-is-bringing-the-land-back/article_3e398228-c79b-4827-8dcf-d19462046a57.html

08/26/2026

tolbaôdeb pskwasawônal

turtlehead flowers