Dear Editor,
It is sad to see the ongoing media coverage about who is a “real” Indian and who makes the determination. All of these commentaries just continue to show that civility, acceptance of others’ lived experiences, and the uplifting of communities are so desperately needed in today’s society.
Just when we thought that Vermont had gotten past the ethnocide politics of the past, they resurface under the guise of “academic freedom” — freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. Cross-border generational Abenaki tribal disputes are now used as a catalyst to promote destruction of entire communities of individuals living within the borders of the United States.
Why can’t we celebrate who we are as a people, just like every other ethnic minority population in this country is allowed to do? Are we still that undesirable a people that ethnocide is the only solution for 6,000 state-recognized Abenaki Indians?
As in the past, propaganda is distributed through European public institutions, public media, and handpicked organizations to justify the actions of why we are somehow inferior or less worthy of existence in mainstream society. This was unacceptable then and is still unacceptable today. This is why the state of Vermont and UVM apologized for such practices.
These media campaigns conveniently leave out that I do have proven native ancestry, which the Vermont recognition process considered and accepted. My family was publicly recorded in the eugenics survey as Indian and I am recognized as an Abenaki Indian by both the federal government and by the state of Vermont.
Regardless of what people try to portray, Nulhegan is codified in law as Abenaki Indian. This is no different from the Canadian Abenaki tribes. We live in two separate countries under two separate lived experiences and recognized under two separate legal systems, neither affecting the other, and we are both separate sovereign tribes who determine their own citizenship. Just like federal tribes are afforded.
My father, myself, and my son proudly served our country as U.S. Army veterans. My father, mother, and son’s headstone bear the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribal symbol because they were proud of our Native heritage. We took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and our people against all foreign and domestic threats. We put our lives on the line to safeguard our freedoms and not let foreign entities living in foreign countries interfere or infringe upon our rights as American or tribal citizens.
Yet Vermont institutions are allowing Odanak and their propaganda machine to affect how legally recognized Vermont tribes and their citizens are treated within the United States border.
November is the time of year to honor those veterans who served this country proudly. It is also a time to be thankful for the harvest, kinship with family, and to celebrate Native American heritage in all forms.
We are not second-class citizens. We deserve to be free from hate and to celebrate who we are as a people without interference. I ask that you celebrate all veterans and to uplift Native American communities whoever they are, regardless of the propaganda.
I hope you have a happy harvest celebration and Native American Month.
Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe
