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Jesse Bowman Bruchac (b. 1972) is a Native American author and language teacher from the Abenaki tribe. He has dedicated much of his life to studying the Abenaki language and preserving the Abenaki culture. and presently travels all over the country educating the public about the two. Frederick Matthew Wiseman, author of The Voice of the Dawn, calls him an "important contributor to the Abenaki Renaissance." He created the first Abenaki language website. When he is not traveling, he works as the treasurer for The Ndakinna Education Center, and teaches wilderness survival classes. He is also an active martial artist, skilled in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Isshin-ryū, Pentjak Silat, and Taekwondo.

Life and Education
He was born to Joseph Bruchac and Carol Bruchac. He attended Saratoga Springs High School and studied at Goddard College in Plainfield, VT. He was primarily interested in creating a syllabus for teaching the Abenaki language. Since then, he has dedicated his life to the preservation and revitalization of the Abenaki language and culture. In The Language of Basketmaking, Bruchac particularly focuses on revitalizing important writers such as Henry Lorne Masta and Joseph Laurent. He first began teaching conversational Abenaki at the high school level, and then through the Abenaki Tribal Museum and Cultural Center. He moved onto other projects in 1999.

He and his wife live in Greenfield Center, New York with their two children, Carolyn Bruchac and Jacob Bruchac.

Martial Arts
Beginning at the age of 6, Jesse has always had an interest in wrestling. In 1990 he became the team captain and the New York State Class A champion for the Suburban Council Championship team. He was such a valuable player that he was awarded the prestigious Steve Rue Memorial Award. As an adult he has competed in six different North American Grappling Association championships. From these he brought home four gold medals and two silver medals. He has also competed as a part of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, and from these tournaments has brought home five gold medals. Jesse co-founded Western New York Mixed Martial Arts (WNYMMA) which has "thrived and helped produce major BJJ competitors and MMA talent." In 2011, he joined his brother Jim Bruchac as a martial arts instructor at the Saratoga Kyokushin.

Notable Titles:

2014 IBJJF Boston Summer Open - Brown Belt Double Gold Medalist

2014 IBJJF Toronto Open - Brown Belt Double Gold Medalist

2014 IBJJF New York Summer Open - Brown Belt Adult Division Silver Medalist

2014 IBJJF New York Spring Open - Brown Belt Double Gold Medalist

2013 Grapplers Quest World Championship - Brown/Black Belt Gold Medalist

2013 Abu Dhabi World Pro Trials - Purple Belt Silver Medalist

2013 Pan American No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship - Purple Belt Bronze Medalist

2013 IBJJF New York Summer Open - Purple Belt Gold Medalist

2013 IBJJF New York Open - Purple Belt Gold Medalist

2013 NAGA Albany - Purple/Brown/Black Belt Gold Medalist

2013 NAGA Albany - Purple/Brown/Black Belt Silver Medalist

2012 NAGA Albany - Purple/Brown/Black Belt Gold Medalist

2012 NAGA New York - Purple/Brown/Black Belt Gold Medalist

2009 Ithaca Grappling Tournament - Blue Belt Double Gold Medalist

2009 Ithaca Grappling Tournament - Blue Belt Gi Absolute Champion

2008 Hayastan Grappling Challenge - Blue Belt Double Gold Medalist

2008 Hayastan Grappling Challenge Absolute - Blue Belt Competitor

2008 Joslin's Canadian Open Grappling Championship - Blue Belt Competitor

2008 Ithaca Grappling Tournament - Blue Belt Double Gold Medalist

2007 New York State Grappling Championship - Blue Belt Double Gold Medalist

2007 New York State Grappling Championship - Blue Belt Absolute Competitor

2007 Joslin's Canadian Open Grappling Championship - Blue Belt Competitor

2007 Ithaca Grappling Tournament - Blue Belt Double Gold Medalist

2007 Ithaca Grappling Tournament - No-gi Absolute Champion

2006 NAGA Ohio - White Belt Silver Medalist

2006 NAGA Ohio - White Belt Gold Medalist

2006 Kumite Classic - White Belt Double Gold Medalist

Public Appearances
Jesse Bruchac appeared in several episodes of the public access television program called Story By Story, which aired out of Proctor's Theater (Schenectady, New York). In 1993, he founded a musical group called the Dawnland Singers. This group consists of Jesse Bruchac, his father Joseph Bruchac, his brother James Bruchac, and his aunt Marge Bruchac. John Kirk and Ed Lowman are accompanying instrumentalists. This group has been extremely successful, performing across the United States, Canada, and Europe. His group was also the opening act for The Grateful Dead at Woodstock 2 in Highgate, VT.

In July and August of 2011, he presented at the The Adirondack Center for Writing’s Native American Writers Series. The Native American Writers Series celebrates a diverse set of Native American writers, including but not limited to the Abenaki and Mohawk tribes. This series is a notable project sponsored by the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP).

Books
Bruchac, Jesse, Joseph Alfred Elie. Joubert, and Jeanne A. Brink. L8dwaw8gan Wji Abaznodakaw8gan: The Language of Basket Making. Greenfield Center, NY: Bowman, 2010. ISBN 978-0557632107

Bruchac, Jesse. Mosbas and the Magic Flute. Greenfield Center, NY: Bowman, 2010. ISBN 978-0878861484

Bruchac, Jesse. The Woman and the Kiwakw. N.p.: Lulu.com, 2013. ISBN 978-1300657576

Bruchac, Joseph, and Jesse Bruchac. Nisnol Siboal = Two Rivers: Poems in English and Abenaki. Greenfield Center, NY: Bowman, 2011. ISBN 978-1257430680

Wzôkhilain, Pial, and Jesse Bruchac. The Gospel of Mark Translated into the Abenaki Indian, English and French Languages. N.p.: Lulu.com, 2011. ISBN 978-1105197055