A presentation from Abenaki leaders at the Vermont Statehouse was frequently interrupted by yelling and jeers Wednesday, and at one point, the chief of a state-recognized tribe tore up a handout 鈥� , which includes Vermont.
It was the first time in decades that representatives from Odanak, an Abenaki First Nation headquartered in Quebec, were invited to the Statehouse. They were not giving official testimony to lawmakers. Instead, Odanak leaders spoke at a public workshop arranged by Burlington Rep. Troy Headrick, an independent, to discuss the state recognition of four Vermont tribes in 2011 and 2012, who they say are not Abenaki.
鈥淲e are not here to blame the Legislature of Vermont,鈥� Jacques Watso, an Odanak elected official who said he was also speaking on behalf of the W么linak nation, told an audience of nearly a hundred people, including a dozen or so lawmakers.
鈥淵ou were misled," Watso said. "Individuals and groups without legitimacy have manipulated history, told falsehoods and taken advantage of the lack of rigorous verification to obtain recognition that does not belong to them.鈥�
Abenaki leaders said Vermont is part of their ancestral territory and that state-recognized groups are misappropriating their identity.
鈥淗aving an Indigenous forebearer of 12 to 13 generations ago does not mean understanding, living, transmitting Indigenous reality,鈥� Watso said.
鈥淭here is no Canadian Abenaki, or American Abenaki. There is only Abenaki,鈥� added Suzie O'Bomsawin, another Odanak official.
Those assertions were met with heckling from some in attendance, including members of Vermont鈥檚 state-recognized tribes.
There is no Canadian Abenaki, or American Abenaki. There is only Abenaki.Suzie O'Bomsawin, Abenaki Council of Odanak
"You can't let lies just be said," someone yelled. Many asked for a follow up presentation giving members of state-recognized tribes a chance to share evidence of their Abenaki ancestry.
鈥淲e have documents that are signed and sealed and delivered,鈥� said Brenda Gagne, chief of the state-recognized Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi.
"It seems there are a lot of people here with a lot of paperwork and I think they probably had the intention of speaking also, and I think they should be given that opportunity to do so," said Milton Rep. Leland Morgan, a Republican.
Giovanna Peebles, a former state archaeologist from Montpelier, added that evidence isn't always available.
"All of us as anthropologists know the importance of oral traditions, oral histories. That is an underpinning of so much of our work, and it cannot be just thrown out the window,鈥� she said, noting that she has friends among state-recognized tribes and Odanak citizens.
Presenters discussed the financial and political benefits state-recognized tribes currently receive, including in recent years, eligibility for , the ability labeled as "Indian produced," and .
"This is money 鈥� real money 鈥� chasing a myth," said David Massell, a history professor at the University of Vermont who also spoke on the panel.
State-recognized tribes are also given priority to sit on the , a state body appointed by the governor.
That commission helped approve applications for state recognition 鈥� a process that has looser requirements than and what
The Abenaki First Nations headquartered in Canada are not the only ones who take issue with Vermont's state recognition process. The tribal ambassador for Penobscot Nation, located in Maine, has said state-recognized tribes .
Several lawmakers asked questions at the end of the panel, but none expressed interest in what representatives from Odanak were asking for: revisiting the state's recognition process.
鈥淭here's not the political will right now 鈥� everybody assumes that this is case closed and I'm trying to convince them that it's not, nor should it be,鈥� Headrick, the lawmaker who organized the event, said in an interview the next day.
鈥淚t's a long game," he added. "We're at the very beginning of a very long game.鈥�
Elodie Reed contributed reporting.
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