Brotherhood and Belonging

Hendrick Aupaumut’s Assertion of Indigenous Rights and Settler Responsibility

Saturday, September 21, 2019
From 4 to 6:30 PM

On September 21, Historic Huguenot Street will host a program focused on the history and culture of the Munsee and Mohican people, and highlight the efforts and accomplishments of Chief Hendrick Aupaumut.

Aupaumut was born at Stockbridge in a shared English-Mohican community. He served with the colonial forces in the American Revolution, was a traditional leader, and was instrumental to the community’s reconstruction in the wake of war and displacement.

The evening will include an exhibit of Munsee artifacts and a recently acquired letter written by Aupaumut, an opportunity to explore HHS’s replica wigwam, complimentary sample tastings of culturally appropriate dishes made with indigenous ingredients, a reading of Aupaumut’s letter by a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, an educational lecture presented by Indigenous Studies scholar Dr. Lisa Brooks, and participatory breakout sessions where attendees will be able to discuss specific topics with cultural representatives, researchers, and scholars. Image credit: HHS Archives, Gift of Mary Frances Stokes-Jansen & Richard Stokes

The program will begin at 4:00 PM, at which time attendees will be asked to check-in at the Visitor Center. Here, guests will be able to view the letter written by Chief Hendrick Aupaumut to the New York State Legislature (circa 1790), as well as several cases of Munsee archaeological artifacts.

Outside of the Visitor Center, an interpreter will provide information about HHS’s replica Esopus Munsee wigwam, which was constructed in 2017. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about the wigwam’s construction, as well as the history and culture of the people who lived here long before the European colonists arrived.

At 4:30 PM attendees will be encouraged to make their way to the outdoor event tent, where they may sample indigenous dishes created by Chef Quentin Glabus before finding a seat for the program.

Presentations will begin a 4:45 PM when the Executive Director of HHS, Liselle LaFrance, will gift a reproduction of the Aupaumut letter preserved in the archives of HHS to representatives of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community of Mohican Indians. A representative will then read the letter aloud to the audience, prior to introducing the evening’s speaker.

Dr. Lisa Brooks, who recently won the Bancroft Award for History, will present her lecture, "Brotherhood and Belonging: Hendrick Aupaumut’s Assertion of Indigenous Rights and Settler Responsibility,” starting at approximately 5:00 PM. This talk will center on an important document, written by Aupaumut and held by Historic Huguenot Street, to frame a wider context of Indigenous rights, relationships, and writing in the late 18th century. At the conclusion of her lecture, Dr. Brooks will take questions from the audience.

At approximately 6 PM, there will be three breakout sessions, which will happen simultaneously. These 20-minute breakout sessions will take place under the same outdoor event tent and will be hosted by cultural representatives, researchers, and scholars.

Session 1

Hosts: Dr. Brooks and HHS Staff

Attendees can ask Dr. Brooks questions related to her research and the legacy of Hendrick Aupaumut. She will be joined by members of the curatorial team who can speak to the letter’s significance to HHS’s collection as well as provide information on how scholars and researchers can use HHS’s collections.

Session 2

Hosts: Justin Wexler, cofounder of Wild Hudson Valley, and indigenous chef Quentin Glabus of the Frog Lake Cree First Nations, Alberta, Canada, and member of the I-Collective

In this session, Justin and Anna will reference where the Munsee may have found the very plants, herbs, and other ingredients used in their traditional cuisine, including the indigenous dishes prepared and presented by Chef Glabus. Chef Glabus will also be available to discuss his personal mission and interests when it comes to creating culturally specific catering.

Session 3

Hosts: Craig Kroening Jr., Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Council Member and descendent of Chief Hendrick Aupaumut and Bonney Hartley, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Stockbridge-Munsee Community and an HHS Board Member

The final session will revolve around the preservation and protection of Munsee and Mohican culture. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask about Bonney's work and her relationship with HHS. Attendees will also be able to ask questions about the Stockbridge-Munsee Community today and the work being done to preserve their cultural past and present.

Dr. Lisa Brooks

Indigenous Studies scholar Dr. Lisa Brooks is a Professor of English and American Studies at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. As a writer, literary scholar and historian, Brooks works at the crossroads of early American literature & history, geography and Indigenous studies. In her writing and teaching, she likes to ask questions about how we see the spaces known as “New England” and “America” when we turn the prism of our perception to divergent angles. Indigenous methodologies, including a focus on language, place, and community engagement, are crucial to her research, as is deep archival investigation. Brooks’s first book, The Common Pot: The Recovery of Native Space in the Northeast, focused on the recovery of Native writing and geographies, including the network of Indigenous writers that emerged in the northeast in the wake of English and French colonization. Her most recent book, Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War, reframes the historical landscape of “the first Indian War,” more widely known as King Philip’s War (1675-8), by focusing on the stories of Weetamoo, a female Wampanoag leader, and James Printer, a Nipmuc scholar, whose stories converge in the captivity narrative of the Puritan "mistress," Mary Rowlandson.

Quentin glabus

Quentin Glabus is a Canadian Chef from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and a member of the Frog Lake Cree First Nations. Quentin graduated from Culinary Arts in 2000, where he received his first international job at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, USA. His cooking has taken him around the world working for numerous Canadian Embassies and holding the position of Executive Chef in Tokyo, Japan (2008-2009), China, (2012-2013). He was also the Canadian Guest Chef representative to the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, Taiwan, (2011-2012) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2014-2017). While in Brazil, Quentin Glabus continued to represent Canadian First Nations cuisine while heading the culinary team at the Canadian Olympic House during the 2016 Summer Olympic Games as Supervising Head Canadian Chef, and as a Private Chef hosting private dinners from his own residence.

March of 2017, Quentin Glabus worked with the Canadian High Commission to Singapore, assisting with celebrating Canada’s 150th Anniversary, traveling through Southeast Asia such Manila, Singapore and Vientiane showcasing First Nations cuisine. Also taking part in the World Gourmet Summit 2017 in Singapore as the Canadian Master Chef representative showcasing First Nations cuisine. In 2018, Quentin Glabus returned to South East Asia, continuing to represent First Nations cuisine in the Philippians, India and Taiwan.

Check out his work online on Wordpress, Instagram, or his Facebook page.

justin wexler

A life-long resident of the Hudson Valley, Justin has devoted his life to sharing his love for the natural world. Obsessed with nature from when he was an infant, he has spent most of his life either in the outdoors or in his ethnobotanical research.More than anything, he loves sharing his passion for understanding the human relationship with the environment.

Justin has fifteen years of experience as an environmental educator, wilderness camp counselor and historical interpreter. He has a BA in History and Anthropology from Marlboro College in Marlboro, VT; a Professional Certificate in Environmental Policy from Bard College; a Master of Arts in Teaching from Bard College, and a New York State Teaching Certificate.

bonney hartley

Bonney Hartley is a member of the Stockbridge Munsee Mohican Nation and since 2014 has served as Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. She works to protect Mohican and Munsee cultural sites such as burial grounds and village sites throughout the Hudson and Housatonic River Valleys that are important to the Tribe’s heritage. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Science–International Relations. Previously, she worked for eight years in Native community development roles, including managing a grant making program at the United Nations Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Please note that all ticket sales are final and non-refundable.