Events

Ceremonial Stone Landscapes Day
October 7, 2017 Hopkinton, RI

Hopkinton’s Land Trust, Historic District Commission, Conservation Commission, Historical Association & Friends Of The Land Trust invite you to join us October 7^th in celebrating the historic legacy of the Narragansett Tribe and the Indigenous Peoples.

Their living culture is seen today in the many curious stone arrangements and their symbolic structures which abound in our town’s forests and preserved trail systems. Individually, these Spirit Stone Groupings are called “Man-i-tou Has-san-nash” in the Algonquin language. In Hopkinton, they are intermingled with Colonial and Settler ruins, reminding us that many different people from times long before us lived on this same land that we call home today.

This year our annual Fall event celebrates these “Ceremonial Stone Landscapes” of the Indigenous Peoples as part of the opening Dedication Ceremony for Hopkinton Land Trust’s newest sanctuary, Manitou Hassannash Preserve. The event has abundant hiking on the trails of Canonchet Preserves, as well as within the less developed Manitou Hassannash Preserve.

As the central feature of this 14 acre property is the remarkably dense concentration of over 1,000 Manitou Hassannash clustered on the hillside, this opening Dedication Ceremony will be conducted by Indigenous People, according to ways they see fit to honor their Spirits & ancestors!

Afterwards there will be an informative indoor program helping our guests to “see” the Manitou Hassannash in their own forests, and learn about their continuing importance.

Besides light snacks appropriate for a full day of hiking, when you are seated at the huge riding barn, “Home Base” for Hopkinton’s CSL Day, James and Mary Gage will be offering their book “Land of a Thousand Cairns”, specifically researched extensively in and around this Preserve.

There is also an indoor Gallery of 160 photos of Hopkinton’s Indigenous, Colonial and Settler history as it looks today, the volunteers busy constructing the remarkable trail network, the animals, day and night, which are a vital part of the Natural History of Hopkinton, as well as the scenic beauty of our rural community and it’s remaining wild places.

We hope that you and other members of your group can join us and see for yourself the rich legacy our generation holds in stewardship for the future, both in our town and yours.

WHAT: Hopkinton’s CSL Day

WHERE: Park at Canonchet Farm’s Riding Stable Barn, #39 Canonchet Rd, Hopkinton, RI

WHEN: Saturday, October 7^th

Event opens @ 11, Dedication @ 1:30 (You hike in, so start early!) Speaking Program @ 3.00, Closes @ 5:00

MORE INFO: Harvey Buford “harvey.t.buford@gmail.com” or Tom Helmer “tomaquagtom@gmail.com”

Please Note: There will be fold up chairs provided for seating, however, if you wish to bring your own chairs, (Not lengthy Lounge Chairs), there will be ample space on either side of the pre arranged fold up Center Seating Area for you to set up, as long as you do not block the traffic aisle 8’ on either side of the pre arranged center seating area, and you insure your row has unblocked lateral passage room to allow movement. This “Bring Your Own Chair” seating is on a “First Come, First Seated basis, like a day at the beach only inside a cavernous Riding Barn!

PROGRAM BROCHURE (PDF)

This is the text of talk we gave CSL Day Talk and the Powerpoint

Tom Helmer: 53 minutes “Video Walking Tour of Manitou Hassannash Preserve”

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/J0SI68VYdco

Tom Helmer: 10 minute excerpt from above video tour

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/imMpPqDFaz8

Dedication: 41 Minutes

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/hf2tbBC-_jI

Tom Helmer: 12 Minutes, “How we preserved the site”

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/3yBoAtlaROA

Steve DiMarzo: 15 Minutes,”Why and how to document Manitou Hassannash”

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/MPb2Ku3AGg4