Abenaki Heritage

The Ethan Allen Homestead Museum has been partnering since 2018 with Alnôbaiwi, an intertribal Abenaki organization dedicated to the promotion, education, and continuation of Indigenous culture. Many of the resources below were created in partnership with Alnôbaiwi.

In 2018, Alnôbaiwi started Negôni Alnôbaakik, a recreated Abenaki village on the grounds of the Homestead Museum. In Negôni Alnôbaakik, Alnôbaiwi members used historical documentation to recreate Abenaki-created and Abenaki-used structures from the mid-1800s, such as a cooking hearth, a wigwam, and a shade tent. Alnôbaiwi also started hosting Indigenous ceremonies and planting traditional gardens on the grounds of the Homestead Museum, next to Negôni Alnôbaakik. Negôni Alnôbaakik has since been used to host many Indigenous craft workshops, ceremonies, and educational programs.

In 2019, Alnôbaiwi installed their first museum exhibit inside the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum. This was expanded in 2020, with a major upgrade in 2023.

In 2023, the Board of Directors of the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum voted to reduce their property management line with the Winooski Valley Park District (the site owner of the Ethan Allen Homestead Park) so that Alnôbaiwi could rent the property directly from the WVPD. This was a positive step towards Indigenous autonomy of their cultural projects. Although the Homestead Museum no longer manages the Abenaki village, the Museum and Alnôbaiwi still have a strong partnership through exhibits, educational programs, and administration of the shared site.