By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—Before Vermont was settled by Europeans, it was home to the Abenaki, an Algonquin tribe whose lands stretched from Maine to Lake Champlain. Over the years, arrowheads and shards of pottery have been found at many sites in our area, evidence of the Abenaki’s longstanding presence here.
This weekend, the Abenaki culture will be made accessible to all at a powwow at Estabrook Park in Brandon. The powwow is being organized by Rutland resident (and frequent Brandon Idol contestant) Peggie Sue Rozell, who is a “full-blooded” Native American with roots in the Abenaki, Navajo, and Cherokee tribes.
“My father has been a Navajo chief for 60 years in Arizona,” said Rozell in a recent phone conversation. “My mother’s family is Abenaki from Swanton. The current chief of the Abenaki, Donald Stevens, is a distant cousin. The chief before him was my great-uncle Homer St. Francis.” Ms. Rozell can also claim direct descent from King Philip of the Wampanoag (1638-1676), whose native name was Metacomet and who lent his English name to King Philip’s War (1675-1676).
“My mother, Wildflower Phillips, and my stepfather, Domingos Joaquim, started holding powwows in Whitehall, NY,” said Rozell. “I worked beside them for 17 years. After they passed, I started organizing powwows on my own. I’m a free spirit. I love bringing people together. I love my culture and want to teach people about it. The first powwow I organized myself was in Pittsford in 2018. Then COVID hit and I’m just starting up again.”
Outside of Native American culture, perhaps the result of its use in Western movies, the word “powwow” connotes a high-level meeting, as among chieftains. But a powwow is a cultural celebration that encompasses singing, dancing, and feasting. And this is precisely what will happen at Estabrook.
Rozell made clear that it is a spiritual event and not a party. There will be no drugs or alcohol. But there will be plenty of music, dance, and food.
“Native Americans love cheeseburgers,” she laughed.
The powwow will open to the public at 9 a.m. on Saturday, with vendors, music, singers, and dancers. There will be a grand circle at noon. The circle begins with three important songs, during which Rozell asks that no photos be taken. These three songs honor veterans, the ill and recently deceased, and the elders.
“It’s very educational. It’s beautiful to watch people dance in regalia,” said Rozell, referring to the traditional Native American clothing that participants will be wearing.
In addition to traditional music and dance, there will be face painting and crafts.
And after the main activities wrap up at 5 p.m. on Saturday, there will be a “trade blanket,” which is literally a blanket on which people place items they’d like to trade. If you see something on the blanket you’d like, you can place something on the blanket to trade for it. The other owner can accept your trade or ask you to sweeten the deal by adding another item or two.
“People trade all kinds of things. The best trade I’ve made on the blanket is a pair of handmade moccasins that I got for a 3-foot-tall chief lamp,” said Rozell.
Do not touch the blanket during the trade, however.
“If you touch the blanket during the trade, even if it’s just your foot, you become the ‘gofer’ for the person you’re trying to trade with,” Rozell explained. So even an accidental touch of the blanket will indenture you to your trading partner and you’ll find yourself being ordered to go fetch food and perform other tasks.
At 6 p.m. on Saturday, there will be a Native American pageant, organized by Crystal Eastman-Ketcham of the Silver Bells of the Brandon Area Toy Project. The entry fee for the pageant is $30 and the proceeds go to the group’s charitable endeavors.
The powwow will end with a closing ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
The 2018 powwow in Pittsford drew several thousand visitors, by Rozell’s estimation, and the organizers of the 2024 Brandon event expect similar numbers. There is no admission and visitors can camp overnight if they wish (bring your own camping equipment). Pets are welcome as long as they’re leashed and the owners clean up after them.
“From all the native people and myself, I’d like to thank Colleen Wright, Bill Moore, and the town of Brandon for letting us use Estabrook,” said Rozell. “It’s a great honor to bring our culture to town.”
