The Vermont Abenakis, 1790-2020

Given the apparent confusion regarding the ethnicity, history, social organization and cultural competence of the four Vermont State-recognized tribes, Abenaki Recognition and Heritage Week, 2024 may be good time to reflect upon an aboriginal presence in Vermont.

Through PowerPoint lecture and demonstration, author Dr. Frederick Wiseman will address the ethnicity of this presence first through an introduction to five classes of 20th century Vermont and Federal documents that acknowledge an identified and accepted resident mixed-race Indian population. The second section of the program introduces the 1790-1970 written, graphic, artifactual and testimonial history concerning resident Vermonters making, doing, saying, and believing regionally distinctive things accepted by academic scholars as “Indian.”

The penultimate section explores dimensions of resident, aboriginal 21st century cultural competency, by discussing a case study of regionally distinctive horticultural practice, including crops, planting, nurture, harvest and associated ritual. The final section asks the question “Is this presence an aboriginal community?” in the way suggested by Federal Indian Acknowledgement statute 25 CFR Part 83.11.

We explore dispersed, linear, and nucleated 20th century settlement patterns occupied by a set of regionally distinctive, aboriginal-style kinship-based social organizations with autonomous egalitarian governance. The presentation concludes with a discussion of Vermont Indigenous community assets, including museum installations, peer-reviewed scholarly works, popular books & graphic novels, YouTube videos, and public programs.

There will be photo opportunities with artifacts, government documents and images, as well as time for questions and answer.

For more information, contact Dr. Wiseman at: [email protected]