HB89

Respect the Indigenous heritage of NH and honor the stories that already exist, instead of writing some pointless new one!

Why would we choose a mythical story about mining when we have a rich history of truth How silly

It is important to recognize the indigenous people's part of our history and stories.

What are you afraid of here? Why would anyone want to erase the history of people in NH? You can write your own book but you can't call it history, because it's just a story you made up. There are so many real time threats NH citizens are facing like healthcare, medicaid, etc. But instead you are dreaming up bullshit that only hurt people. We are watching what our lawmakers are doing in Concord. I oppose made up history.

It is my belief that ALL New Hampshire history should be included in any story telling of our state. The indiginous peoples were on this land hundreds of years before Europeans came to America. Their story should be and must be a part of ours. Logging, farming and fishing were the endeavors of the day. Certainly NOT iron or diamond mining. Please, honesty, not fabrication!

Can we work on some real issues please? Who in state government has financial interest in this film? Why is this even a thing? We have real problems here like people sleeping on the sidewalk in February.

I am not indigenous but I love and support our indigenous brothers and sisters. The old man of the mountains has been the face of NH for all of my 70+ years, and erasing that history is repugnant to me

Our history is important and must not be rewritten. I oppose this bill.

This is erasing indigenous myth with a white myth- we should present both.

The land we now call New Hampshire was cared for Indigenous/ Native Americans for thousands of years before Europeans set foot here. We should honor and support them and their culture as much as we can! And paying tribute to an animated movie over The Old Man of the Mountain is absolutely ludicrous! I hope our Representatives take truth over fiction and do the right thing by opposing this bill. Thank you!

Defend indigenous history!

Why is this in statute? Why would this need to be a law?

HB89 SHOULD NOT designate "Within the Crystal Hills" as the official animated film of New Hampshire. It is not only erasing the Indigenous Creation but also teaches false history!

I spent some time watching the short film and reading through the reaction from our indigenous community. The short film is, admittedly, quite cute. I can understand the appeal, however the Abenaki people have had a story that long pre-dates this one about the creation of our (and before us - their) beloved Old Man on the Mountain. I do not think this bill is intended in harm, but I do find myself questioning the benefit of designating an official short film of New Hampshire. There is no perceived benefit of such a designation. Unfortunately, the choice of this film further erases the Abenaki history and designates an "official" story of his creation, seemingly placing it in higher value than the much, much older and much more revered story from the Abenaki people. I honestly do not see the purpose of this bill and, as it (probably unintentionally) causes more harm than it does good, I do not support this bill and would request that it be repealed. The Abenaki and other indigenous people have suffered enough erasure.

What possible good could there come of erasing the First Nations peoples' story from the Old Man of the Mountain's history? We already lost the Old Man; we don't need to lose the mythology of the people who knew him first.

Please do not erase history. I oppose this bill.

The story line of this animated film co-opts portions of the traditional Abenaki Creation story, combined with portions of an Abenaki "love story", about what became known in the modern era as the "Old Man of the Mountain". Whether intentional or not, this animated film's script subverts and replaces genuine Abenaki traditional stories about our iconic "Old Man" with a completely manufactured white colonialist perspective. This is actually a classic example of cultural appropriation. While I don't think its creators wrote their script with any sort of malicious intent, I am saddened by this example of a false narrative that demonstrates a general ignorance due to the lack of public education about the Abenaki - New Hampshire's Indigenous peoples both past and present. The makers of this film have every right to express their creativity however they choose, but that does not make it appropriate to elevate their creation by publicly proclaiming it to be "New Hampshire's official animated film". One final thought: to the best of my knowledge, the pile of rubble formerly known as the "Old Man" is composed of granite - and didn't ever contain coal deposits likely to create diamonds.

Why are we trying to forget our history?

NH’s history starts long before settlement by the England. We should not overlook our indigenous friends and family in the telling of our story. Our history should include all sides of the story. Good, Bad and Everything in Between. Only then can we move forward in a positive way to grow and improve the state. This includes all residents not just white citizens.

Revisionist history.

Making "Within the Crystal Hills" the official animated film of New Hampshire is wrong. Indigenous history and stories are integral to our state's history. Please make sure they are included in any historical account by our state government!

VEHEMENTLY oppose

I oppose this bill on the grounds that it fails to include indigenous history. Any official film representing New Hampshire should include those stories. Perhaps this one could be expanded to represent our true history and all of those who have contributed.