Land Acknowledgement
The City of Portsmouth is on the homelands of the Abenaki people, who have ongoing cultural and spiritual connections to this area.
According to Tribal oral tradition, Abenaki people have lived in the place now called New Hampshire for more than 12,000 years—since before Tribal memory.
The Abenaki are part of a larger group of Indigenous people who called themselves Wabanaki or “People of the Dawn,” and form one of many communities connected by a common language family.
Here at the Portsmouth Public Library we are committed to acknowledging and honoring the human history tied to this land.
Portsmouth Public Library's Land Acknowledgement was drafted with the help of Strawbery Banke, the Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective, and the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People. It was adopted by the Board of Library Trustees on September 16, 2020.
Learning Resources
Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective
Reframing New Hampshire’s history from an Indigenous perspective
Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People
Representing a majority of the United States Cowasuck Abenaki and related Pennacook.
People of the Dawnland at Strawbery Banke
Exhibit dedicated to learning more about the People of the Dawnland, past and present, by exploring their culture, arts, foodways and storytelling traditions.
Our Beloved Kin
Remapping a new history of King Philip's War with Lisa Brooks.
Native Land
A North American map of Indigenous territories.
Indigenous Stories Booklist
Nonfiction titles for adults, curated by Portsmouth Public Library staff!
Decolonize with Indigenous Fiction Booklist
Fiction titles for adults, curated by Portsmouth Public Library staff!
For more information, including how to be an ally to Indigenous people, visit our Indigenous Stories Resources page!