Anne Jennison
Anne Jennison is a traditional Native American storyteller and historian of European and Abenaki heritage. While Anne's storytelling skills have been polished by more than 30 years of experience sharing Indigenous lesson stories with audiences of all kinds, she also believes that her growth and development as a human being has been deeply influenced by internalizing the content of the Northeastern lesson stories that she tells. With master’s degrees in both storytelling and history, Anne brings a wealth of cultural and historical knowledge to enrich her retelling of timeless Northeast Woodlands Native American stories. Anne is listed on the New Hampshire Traditional Artists Roster as a traditional Native American storyteller and craftsperson.
Additionally, Anne is the current chair of the NH Commission on Native American Affairs, a member of the the Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective, an affiliate faculty member for the University of New Hampshire Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) Minor, and a co-creator of the "People of the Dawnland" interpretive exhibit about the Abenaki/Wabanaki peoples at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH. Anne continues to act as a consultant for the museum’s ongoing Abenaki Heritage Initiative - a plan to develop and sustain exhibits and events at Strawbery Banke Museum that focus on the history and culture of the Abenaki, Indigenous peoples of New Hampshire and the Northeast, both past and present.
Contact
Anne Jennison
Lee, NH 03861
jennison.anne@gmail.com
Phone: (603) 817-8306
Available Program Formats: Online presentations only
Anne Jennison's Programs
Gluskabe - The Magical, Powerful Culture Hero Central to Wabanaki Storytelling
In this traditional Wabanaki storytelling presentation, Anne Jennison will introduce Gluskabe, who is at the center of an entire body of lesson stories that are central to the Wabanaki cultures of New Hampshire and the Northeast. Gluskabe is not the Creator, nor is he human; rather he is somewhere in between. Gluskabe has magical powers, is as tall as the white pine trees, and a friend to the Alnobak (the human beings). Layered with multiple embedded meanings, Gluskabe stories reveal the central spiritual and ethical beliefs of the Wabanaki peoples. They teach traditional Wabanaki understandings about how to live in harmony and balance with Mother Earth – and what kinds of things can happen when that balance is disrupted. Each time a Gluskabe story is heard, something new can be discovered.
Join us as we celebrate 50 years of bringing the humanities to your community!
Now Who Shall Judge the Indians? How 500 Years of Colonization Has Impacted the Abenaki Peoples of NH and the Northeast
The "People of the Dawnland" (Abenaki/Wabanaki) of New Hampshire and the Northeast are the first Indigenous peoples in North America to have had contact with Europeans. In this presentation, Anne examines how European colonization of North America impacted generations of Abenaki/Wabanaki people. She also highlights the ways that the Abenaki/Wabanaki peoples have acted as agents of their own change through education, self-advocacy, efforts to revitalize their languages and traditional arts. Finally, she discusses how—working with archeologists, anthropologists, and scientists—they have recovered and revealed more about their history and traditional knowledge.
Join us as we celebrate 50 years of bringing the humanities to your community!
