I just completed a journal article on the fake "Abenaki tribes" in Vermont. What I uncovered is remarkable. They all rely on French-Canadians immigrants in mid-1800s as "root ancestors," no Abenaki ancestry whatsoever.
In case you're wondering, these 4 "Abenaki tribes" were recognized by the State of Vermont:
Elnu Abenaki Tribe + Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk-Abenaki (2011) + Abenaki Nation at Missisquoi + Koasek Traditional Band of the Koas Abenaki Nation (2012).
They now receive $millions in state & federal educational funding, lifetime fishing licenses, authorization to sell products under Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, repatriated human remains + land to manage.
The Chief and Council at Odanak, the largest Abenaki community in QC, wrote to the state of Vermont in 2003:
"Please be advised that we have no knowledge of the [Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi] alleged connections to our ancestors. We knew nothing of them until the 1970s and ...
they have done nothing to prove their identity to us. […] Accordingly, we request that you no longer deal with this organization and instead begin to deal with us on all matters related to our ancestors.”
In April 2019, the Abenaki at Odanak said, "We declare that the W8banaki Nation doesn’t recognize any of the “Abenaki” groups in Vermont and New Hampshire; […]
We declare that among these groups, their “leaders” self-identify as chiefs, councillors, spiritual guides [...]
and speak on behalf of the W8banaki and propagate, often in an error-filled manner, Abenaki culture."
In other news, Michelle Latimer and her PR firm continue to gaslight us all in that terrible piece in the G&M today. Hiring Malette & Pulla and then calling them "experts" is a bit rich, even for Navigator (PR firm). 1
All we find out is what we already knew - Latimer's "non-status Algonquin" & "Métis" identity relies on two women ancestors born in about 1605 and 1647, respectively. That doesn't make her Indigenous. Period. 2
The story that broke last December by journalists @Kanhehsiio & @JorgeBarrera with research by genealogist Dominique Ritchot was simply confirmed in the G&M story today. Nothing new here. 3
Getting a lot of questions about the “Abenaki tribes” in VT & NH since publication of my book. To be clear, all of them are involved in #raceshifting. All of them. The actual Abenaki people took a strong stand against the “Abenaki” charade in New England last April.
I explain in Chapter 1 of #DistortedDescent that virtually everybody enrolled in these “tribes” are white French-descendants relying on Indigenous OR French women ancestors born prior to 1650. I discovered this in doing research on online genealogy forums. #raceshifting
Rich Holschuh is member of Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs and public liaison for “Elnu Abenaki Tribe” in VT. He has 1 (potential) Mi’kmaw ancestor born in 1641 (Germain Doucet), though there’s some controversy about whether Doucet was Indigenous at all.