Description
In her first appearance on a Goldback series, Gratia, or Grace, is featured on the New Hampshire 1 Goldback Denomination. She is depicted as an Abenaki Native American woman from the Algonquin tribes, who have history in the area. She is wearing a traditional dress and beads in front of an Abenaki wigwam. She is accompanied by a river otter, representing resourcefulness and finding joy in the moment with both attributes being key parts of grace and leading a balanced life. Also present in the symbolism of this design are many elements of Jewish and Christian cultures. This design particularly indicates the Jewish Festival/Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, being celebrated alongside the Thanksgiving Holiday. Elements of these celebrations include: the Shofar trumpet next to the wigwam door, the pumpkin, corn, beans, chestnuts, and honeycomb represented by the beehive in the tree.
Gratia can be seen gathering chestnuts and pondering, with the caption below reading “Give Thanks”. This is to acknowledge that the bounties that we are provided with must be worked for to be gathered in, but that we should also be thankful for them. Additionally, the chestnuts remain uncracked, more deeply symbolizing the work needing to be done by the founding fathers of the United States of America in order to bring about the nation where we could enjoy the freedoms that we do. One of the reasons that Thanksgiving Day is represented in the New Hampshire series here is because of Sarah Joseph, a native resident of New Hampshire, who was key in bringing Thanksgiving Day about as a national holiday. In the background are elements nodding to, and representing, the many ancient artifacts and “American Stonehenge” that can both be found in New Hampshire and indicate the rich cultural heritage of the area that predates more modern colonization.
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