Gerard Rancourt Tsonakwa and Yolaikia Wapitaska, husband and wife, are from the Quebec/ Northeastern United States area. Using stone, antler, bone, and wood, they create powerful masks and sculptures which draw from Indian social and spiritual traditions. With modern as well as ancient techniques, they carve works of art which have beauty, originality, and great energy.Tsonakwa works with stone, wood, and other natural materials. He is also a master storyteller. For many years he has told the ancient legends of the Abenaki and other tribes to fascinated audiences across North America and Europe. Many of these stories are incorporated into the exhibition.Yolaikia Wapitaska sculpts primarily from deer antler, in keeping with the traditional Abenaki connection between the deer and the female aspect of life. Her small, intricate renderings reveal a cosmology of subtle and mysterious transformations.

History of the Abenaki Indians of Vermont.

It is said that on every world there exists one great story, a legend of such magnitude and consequence that it serves to shape the very existence of that planet. This is such a story. It came to pass upon the world of Brethwyn that the flames of the Uhbliid, the Great Fire, died, leaving behind it a vast, charred wasteland. Few survived. From the ashes of what came before, seven nations emerged to rule. However, obsessed with worldly pursuits, they were oblivious to the ominous threat building upon the face of their closest moon. For, there, beneath that haunted satellite's cold and pitiless surface, an army bent on annihilation was being spawned. Its masters eyed the nearby world menacingly and planned for war; a war fought not for an ideal or revenge, but for a purpose far more sinister. And into the midst of these events stumbles young Aldor es Gilfillan; an escaped slave blessed with the strange gift of warding sight. Seeking only liberty, he finds himself drawn into a quest for hope, carrying an unborne saviour to a mysterious alien nation in a distant country; a journey that, if successful, will see an ancient prophecy fulfilled and Brethwyn saved.

Alarmed by the disappearance of meadowlarks from the fields near his home, James Eggert embarked on a close study of the economic and ecological factors behind the loss. His inquiry led him to conclude that the meadowlark’s survival is a metaphor for ours—that our future is intimately linked to the same interplay of economics, culture, technology, and spirituality. In this innovative educational book, Eggert helps readers understand how our environment is connected to—in fact, a vital part of—our economy and business culture. In the title essay, Eggert critiques free-market capitalism, borrowing from Thoreau as he investigates what he calls “meadowlark values” in education and business. The author highlights the “preciousness of the Earth itself ” and persuasively describes the creative possibilities in using science, culture, evolutionary history, and spiritual traditions to gain a deeper understanding of how we might heal the planet. A foreword by environmentalist Bill McKibben and an afterword by renowned Buddhist thinker Thich Nhat Hahn add context to this authoritative supplement to current economics texts.

Based on extensive research on the features that make children's books appealing and appropriate, this valuable teacher resource offers guidance on selecting books, strategies for specific grade levels, suggestions for extension, and tips for assessment. This teacher-friendly book is organized around the major genres — traditional literature, picture books, nonfiction, poetry, and multicultural texts — that will inspire young readers. Throughout the book, teachers will find suggestions for using literature to implement shared reading, reading aloud, and response strategies with emergent, developing, and independent readers. This comprehensive book is rooted in the belief that educators must consider and offer a wide range of choice to ensure that students read "good" books. It argues that the choices children make about what they read should be governed by their interests and desire to learn; not by a grade or reading level.