| Formation | 2020 (Elnu Abenaki Incorporated) |
|---|---|
| Founded at | Brattleboro, Vermont |
| Type | state-recognized tribe, nonprofit organizations |
| Tax ID no. | EIN 84-3882521 |
| Legal status | arts, culture, and humanities nonprofit; charity |
| Purpose | A23: Cultural, Ethnic Awareness |
| Headquarters | Jamaica, Vermont |
| Location | |
| Membership | 60 (2016) |
| Official language | English |
| Website | elnuabenakitribe |
The Elnu Abenaki Tribe is a state-recognized tribe in Vermont, who claim descent from Abenaki people. They are not federally recognized as a Native American tribe. Vermont has no federally recognized tribes. They are the smallest of Vermont's four state-recognized tribes with 60 members in 2016.
Leadership
Roger Longtoe Sheehan served as chief since at least 2016.
State recognition
Vermont recognized the Elnu Abenaki Tribe as a state-recognized tribe in 2011. The other state-recognized tribes in Vermont are the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, Koasek Abenaki Tribe, and the Mississquoi Abenaki Tribe.
Nonprofit organization
In 2020, the group created 'Elnu Abenaki Incorporated, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, based in Brattleboro, Vermont. Their registered agent is Rich Holshuh.
Heritage
St. Mary's University associate professor Darryl Leroux's genealogical and historical research found that the members of this and the other three state-recognized tribes in Vermont were composed primarily of "French descendants who have used long-ago ancestry in New France to shift into an 'Abenaki' identity."
The State of Vermont reported in 2002 that the Abenaki people migrated north to Quebec at the end of the 18th century.
Activities
They participate in Abenaki Heritage Weekend, held at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vermont.
Property tax
Vermont H.556, "An act relating to exempting property owned by Vermont-recognized Native American tribes from property tax," passed on April 20, 2022.
Notes
- ^ "Elnu Abenaki Incorporated". Cause IQ. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Evancie, angela (November 4, 2016). "Abenaki Native Americans In Vermont Today?". Brave Little State. Vermont Public News. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ "Federal and State Recognized Tribes". National Conference of State Legislatures. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Darryl Leroux, Distorted Descent, page 246.
- "Elnu Abenaki Incorporated". TaxExemptWorld. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- Dillon, John (20 March 2002). "State Says Abenaki Do Not Have "Continuous Presence"". Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- "2019 Abenaki Heritage Weekend". Crazy Crow. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- "H.556". Vermont General Assembly. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
References
- Leroux, Darryl (2019). Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. ISBN 978-0887558979.