Sacred Ground: Supporting the Elnu Abenaki's Efforts to Preserve Ceremonial Land

“Petroglyphs in Vermont? I had no idea!” When Laura Keanon was growing up in North Bennington, she learned little to nothing about the Abenaki in school.

“We never talked about people who didn’t look like us,” said Keanon, who has a donor advised fund, also known as a giving account, at the Vermont Community Foundation. She is among the fundholders who joined the Vermont Community Foundation and community-led efforts to support the Elnu Abenaki in their successful bid to purchase two acres of ceremonial land surrounding ancient petroglyphs in Brattleboro, Vt.

Keanon has visited ancient sites around the world and felt the power they hold. So, when she learned about the Atowi Project, as the initiative in Brattleboro is called, it seemed like an opportunity to help people experience and protect a place with profound meaning.

“I believe that when we have access to these ancient sites there is something that connects us with human history. It’s not reading about the place in a book or seeing a picture of it. It’s actually standing or being close to sacred ground,” Keanon said. “That’s one of the reasons why I think this project is interesting.”

The retired psychotherapist also supported the Atowi Project because she saw its benefits “especially with regard to stewardship of the environment and opportunities to learn about the indigenous people of the area,” Keanon said. Th Elnu Abenaki are doing something of lasting value for the whole community, she added. “They respect their own heritage and want it recognized, but they also are looking toward the future. It’s about ‘how can we carry this forward.’”

Thanks in part to philanthropic support, the Atowi Project is becoming an important resource for the area. The land purchase has taken place and the Elnu Abenaki have renovated a small building on the site. It serves as their new tribal headquarters, with space for community gatherings, workshops, and cultural programs, including presentations about the nearby petroglyphs. The rock carvings were photographed in the 1800s and mentioned in numerous historical texts. They were unfortunately submerged in 1909 with the construction of Vernon Dam but continue to be studied by divers and archaeologists along with being recognized as an important Native American site.

Keanon’s approach to giving aligns with the philosophy of her late mother, Laura Nowak, who originally created the fund at the Vermont Community Foundation. “She was always extremely careful and conscious of wanting to be aware of groups and organizations whom she felt might have been underserved in the past, or ones that represented folks who might be less likely to be treated fairly by the general populace,” Keanon said.

The Atowi Project came to Keanon’s attention through her philanthropic advisor at the Vermont Community Foundation. It was an opportunity for collective giving, which allows people with giving accounts at the Foundation to create a greater impact. VCF giving accounts ultimately contributed more than $200,000 toward the tribe’s goal of $325,000 to purchase the land. Coming to the project for a variety of reasons, from land preservation to racial equity, fundholders joined Abenaki descendants and community members, whose years-long efforts to build relationships and fundraise laid the groundwork for success to protect the land.

“It’s important to me to learn about these opportunities from the VCF,” Keanon said. “By bringing resources together, we provide an opportunity for something to really develop, for a project to be funded in a way that is not just a one-off.”

She’s pleased to know that the Atowi Project increases the ability for people to learn more about the petroglyphs now and in the years ahead. “It’s not just about giving in the present,” Keanon said. “It’s about giving to the future.”