Biography
Jeanne Brink is an Abenaki artist and activist in Vermont. She is from the Obomsawin family of Thompson's Point, VT and Odanak Reserve, Quebec. Her relatives were accomplished basketmakers who practiced their craft until 1959. She was an apprentice basketmaker with the Vermont Folklife Center's Traditional Arts Program and learned the traditional art of basketry. Her baskets, made of white ash and sweetgrass, have been shown throughout the Northeast.
Brink was the director of an exhibit titled, "The Spririt of the Abenaki" and the co-producer of a 2000-2001 exhibit that toured the U.S. called, "Shamanism, Magic, and Busy Spider".
After earning a Master's degree in Native American Studies from Norwich University, Brink became the cultural awareness director of the Dawnland Center in Montpelier, VT. She has also served as coordinator of People of the Dawn (Abenaki Heritage Tour Group). She performs with and coordinates the Wabanaki Dancers. She also gives presentations throughout the Northeast on Western Abenaki culture.
Brink has raised awareness about historical accounts involving the Abenaki people in Vermont. Through the Vermont Folklife Center and a children's book entitled, "Malian's Song", Brink recounts the story of her ancestor, a girl named Malian, and the attacks on an Abenaki community near Montreal led by a British Major in 1759.
Jeanne Brink lives in Barre, VT with her husband. She is a mother of three and a grandmother. She has served on the Board of Trustees of the Vermont Historical Society and UVM's Robert Hull Fleming Museum. From 1987-present she has been a Native American presenter and consultant to various schools and organizations throughout New England and New York.Education
Norwich UniversityOccupation
Artist
Activist
Educator