This commentary is by Don Stevens of Shelburne, chief of the Nulhegan Abenaki.
As Vermont and the country get ready to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of America, I wanted to reach out about the Vermont Abenaki and our families in the United States. If you are not aware, the Declaration of Independence was influenced by the Iroquois Confederacy’s Great Law of Peace. It seems that as part of the 250th anniversary, we should celebrate Vermont Native voices and all lived experiences with those who share this homeland.
The beautiful part about this country is that it guarantees a number of things, including freedom of speech. Whether you agree with the information being stated or not, everyone is allowed to have an opinion. You know the old saying about opinions: everyone has one.
Our Abenaki citizens do not wake up every morning enjoying the fact that some people choose to call us fake, frauds, self-identified or other hurtful comments because of someone’s opinions. Most people have never spoken with us directly or even taken the time to learn about us themselves. Most believe things they read because others say it is fact, when oftentimes these messages repeat misguided information. Regardless, under the Constitution, destructive comments toward others are protected speech, as is the freedom of the press.
Another great part is the freedom of religion. The ability to worship the way you choose with the ability to assemble and hold the cultural belief systems that allow you to carry out the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. Our ancestors carried these rights and instilled them in our generation as well.
With all of this freedom comes responsibility. Most information distributed in the media now comes to you through paid ads, marketing firms or by those who can spend the most money to get their message in front of you. The greater the financial resources, the more likely to get their mission and message accomplished.
However, opinion pieces like this one allow people to freely speak their mind under the Constitution and it is up to the reader to do their own research on any subject. It is the responsibility of each reader to determine their own opinion and not listen to just what the media chooses to print.
It is a self-evident truth that one tribe cannot be the entire authority over the entire Abenaki Nation. It is also true that there were many family bands of Abenaki living in Vermont from before colonial times and not all of those historical tribes left the United States to go live in Canada.
If we are to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the “birth” of America, you have to also consider the lived experiences of the Nulhegan Band of Coosuk – Abenaki Nation, which is recognized in the state of Vermont as an Indian tribe per House Bill 85 and per statute.
I challenge you as readers to do your own research and not just take people’s opinions as fact. In order to help in this education, the Vermont Abenaki Alliance has set up a website that will allow people to educate themselves and form their own opinions about our people.
The Vermont Abenaki family bands are well documented in the eugenics survey of Vermont. We were known as Indian “gypsies” throughout the 18th and 19th centuries who traveled across New England operating in our traditional manner, moving back and forth from our winter to summer grounds. Part of this documentation and newspaper accounts show us selling baskets, horses and medicinal tonics to people along our travels. These are just facts that cannot be ignored or disputed.
We know who we are and are comfortable with our identity. Some of our family’s information has been peer-reviewed and published in the American-Canadian Genealogy Journals to confirm some of the findings within the Vermont eugenics records.
We know and still practice our language, traditions and culture. When others want to learn more about our tribe, we try to provide curriculum or other resources that will help educate them on our lived experiences within the United States. We neither push our education on anyone or stop other tribes like Odanak or Wôlinak from teaching about their own lived experiences or history. People have the right to use this information or not but at least it is available.
Instead of attacking the Vermont-recognized Abenaki tribes and calling us names based on misinformation, talk to us. Learn more about us and then form your own opinion. Regardless of the opinion you may ultimately choose to believe, at least be proud of the fact that you live in a country that allows your opinion and free speech to be protected.
Celebrate your lived experiences and the right to be who you are as a person, which is afforded to you hopefully under the law without persecution.
Waolowzi (be very well)
