Another letter and another set of vague platitudes from the “Abenaki Alliance.”

FYI-Hyperlinks in blue take the reader to the relevant websites/articles

They “believe that communities are stronger when they are inclusive, respect differences, and honor a variety of lived experiences.”  That’s wonderful, but the inclusion they call for is one where no questions are asked.  Questions like “How does the Vermont Attorney General, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, New Hampshire Public Radio, and sociologist Darryl Leroux find that the vast majority of your members have no Indigenous ancestors?”

The “Alliance” avoids the tough questions by invoking their Vermont state recognition.  As if that ends the discussion.  However, that law is something that the Odanak First Nation has been disputing for over a decade.  The process has been inadequate and riddled with conflicts of interest.  It must be repealed.

And it must be understood by Vermont leaders such as UVM Provost Prelock.  The law establishes the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs and the state recognition process.  It does not mandate that state agencies, universities, or others accept the stories being told by self-identified and state-recognized “Abenaki,” let alone invite them to consult as Indigenous representatives or tradition bearers.

Finally, the “Alliance” claims “shared heritage, family origins, and cultural traditions” with the Abenaki of the Odanak and Wôlinak First Nations.  This can’t be true.  The “Alliance” members are by and large strangers to the Abenaki people, not relatives who share family and nation.  It is true that many Abenaki enrolled at Odanak and Wôlinak have Canadian passports but it isn’t clear how Mr. Holschuh and company think this matters to questions of Indigenous rights and Abenaki history.

This Indigenous Peoples’ Day let us all find inspiration to support the true Abenaki people and demand answers from the “Abenaki Alliance.”

Christopher Roy, Ph.D.

Philadelphia, PA

October 9, 2023