Abenaki Nation - Cherokee Nation Similiar Issues of State Recognition

The Cherokee Nation http://tribalrecognition.cherokee.org/ was successful in their quest to expose fraudulent groups claiming to be relatives of the Cherokee people. An excellent video on YouTube below about educating ALL people and the National Aboriginal rights issue of State's attempt to grant recognition to groups lobbying States to "become Indian".

Our Abenaki families are under going similar, if not the exact same issues as the Cherokee Nation with groups claiming to be Abenaki "Tribes", therefore, our family members in our original territories, Vermont.

The self-declared Abenaki, groups in Vermont are attempting to get in the back door of the State of Vermont and New Hampshire for recognition, because to go in the front door, they would be denied, as was the case with the most established group in Vermont, the St. Francis/Sokoki. The other groups have been in existence only recently, and are considered by the Federal government to be splinter groups of the St. Francis/Sokoki, and therefore would be designated as such, and denied.

The St Francis/Sokoki, after providing the Federal government the documentation requested, were denied Federal Recognition. The evidence was not sufficient, an extremely "weak petition and rare that the group should fail the most basic criteria, being Indian", as relayed by an NARF attorney familiar with the petition at time of submittal.

Please read the petition and related material of the St.Francis/Sokoki from the Bureau of Indian Affairs:
http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/OFA/ADCList/PetitionsResolved/Petition68/index.htm

Weak State laws and even weaker criteria for what constitutes evidence for being Indian is being eroded by ill-informed and ill-equipped State lawmakers Nationally and now in Vermont and New Hampshire. Please watch the excellent video by the proactive Cherokee Nation.