Sites of Significance: Native American Ceremonial Sites in the Hudson Valley & the History of Danskammer Point

When:

April 22, 2021: 6:00PM to 7:30PM

Where:

Online

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The New Paltz Climate Action Coalition and Overlook Mountain Center invites you to this special program on Earth Day.

Segment 1: Danskammer Point As Sacred Land
Danskammer Point on the Hudson River in Newburgh, New York, held a special significance for early inhabitants of the area. Native American leaders Chief Vincent Mann and Evan Pritchard will introduce us to the history and meaning of Danskammer Point. Then we’ll hear from the former Vice President of the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA) about the archaeoastronomy and landscape archaeology of Danskammer. Many of us will be finding out what those terms mean! Finally, we’ll hear briefly about a new fracked gas plant that’s proposed for the site and a quick action we can take to make sure opposition to this threat is loud and clear for decision makers.

Segment 2: Native American Stone Structures of the Catskill Mountains as
Ceremonial Stone Landscapes
Scattered throughout the wooded uplands of the Catskill Mountains are many standing stone structures that have mostly been ignored by conventional archaeologists. They are often said to simply be colonial era stone walls and field-clearing piles. More recently, we are learning how these formations reveal a Native American tradition of ritual building practices that reflected a sophisticated world view and sociocultural beliefs. This program shows how current technology – like the GPS systems in our cars and software used to make maps – is used to uncover patterns in how these stone structures were built and how their locations demonstrate early Native Americans’ advanced knowledge of astronomy. This research is part of a larger effort to rediscover the cultural heritage and knowledge of Native Americans in our region.

About the Presenters:
Evan Pritchard, a descendant of the Mi’kmaq people (part of the Algonquin nation), is the founder of The Center for Algonquin Culture. He’s taught Native American history, ethics, and philosophy at Marist College, Vassar College, and Pace University in New York. Evan is also an author, musician, and poet, having published and performed numerous works.

Chief Vincent Mann is the Turtle Clan Chief of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, which encompasses Passaic County, NJ, Warwick, and surrounding areas in New York. For the past five years, he has worked with the NYU Environmental Studies department. In that time, he participated in the construction and implementation of a community health survey focused on identifying and addressing health concerns within his community.

Glenn Kreisberg is an author, outdoor guide, and radio engineer who researches archaeoastronomy and landscape archaeology in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains of New York. His books include Mysteries of the Ancient Past, Lost Knowledge of the Ancients, and Spirits in Stone. He served two terms as vice president of the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA) and studied archaeoastronomy at SUNY and archaeoacoustics on Malta. He is co-founder of the non-profit Overlook Mountain Center (www.overlookmountain.org) in Woodstock, NY, where he lives with his wife and two teenage children.