Livin’ Magazine- Abenaki: People Of The Dawnland

Just thought you’d like this little treat I dug up.

http://livinmagazine.com/2007/05/02/abenaki-people-of-the-dawnland/

It seems that the battle between the Alliance incorporations and their opponents has dragged on for years now.

 

Fred M. Wiseman Complains about “Hate blogs”

The “Short and Skinny” Of It by Fred M. Wiseman

Just go to the link and read it for yourself.

Here’s a priceless quote:

Unfortunately, with the withdrawal of a common enemy to Vermont’s Indigenous people, the vacuum has been filled by individuals, because of personal or community animosity, who choose to deny the ethnic identity of their neighbors, and even, unfortunately, their family. The reasons for this hatred are varies, feelings of personal insult, jealousy that someone else is going to get a “bigger piece of the pie,” uncertainty about their own ethnic identity, or in some cases a misplaced desire to protect Vermont against the “casinos and land claims” stereotype promulgated by the State in the 1995-2006 period.

Since when did having a desire for the truth constitute “hatred”? What planet are these people from? Has Fred not read up on Luke Willard’s past? Did he not see the casino management contract or the check stub of the North American People Of The Dawn Inc? Has he read the birth and death certificates of the ancestors of the people in these groups? Has he talked to people who associated with them and asked them why they no longer do so? What makes him think that Alliance opponents want a “bigger piece of the pie?” Hello? Only the Alliance folks are seeking the riches here.

There are many reasons to oppose the recognition of the Abenaki Alliance groups.

1. Genealogy

Read it for yourself on either my blog or the other “hate blog” that Fred refers to. Birth and death certificates are public records in the State of Vermont. My question is, why do the birth certificates of many of these people list “White” as their race? I suppose that we could use the Vermont Eugenics Survey and the idea that these folks were “hiding in plain sight” as a defense. We could also use the arrival of Jesuit priests and the conversion of these so-called Indians to a Catholic or Christian faith as an excuse. However, these excuses and defenses will only go so far on their own.

If the Alliance can prove it, come out and do so.

2. Land Grants/Grants/Casinos

We know for a fact that there is no guarantee that these people will not build casinos or pursue land/educational grants. As I have mentioned above, why is there a casino management contract in existence for the group that Luke Willard was previously associated with (North American People of The Dawn Inc.)? How do we know that they won’t mismanage educational grants? How do we know that they’re not going after the “Phillip’s Deed”?

Personally, I view casinos as reinforcing gambling and drinking stereotypes of Native Americans. Casinos bring in money by “hooking” people in and then proceed to fleece them using hidden tricks. They promote irresponsible gambling habits and are a hotbed for organized crime. This is why I personally oppose casinos and why plenty of other people do as well, including the State of Vermont.

To their credit, the St.Francis/Sokoki band tried to start a small business producing a soda called “Oligen (It is Good)” back in the mid-90s. It went nowhere for some reason. There is nothing wrong with seeking out funding for a small business. Why would you need recognition for this? Is the money more lucrative this way?

Again, if the Alliance can prove that they’re not out for casinos and land grants, then come out and do so.

3. Biased and compromised VCNAA

We know for a fact that the Alliance groups have “stacked” the current VCNAA in their favor so that they may easily win state recognition. Does Mr.Wiseman not find this to be unfair? Does Mr.Wiseman even care at this point? He worked with these groups, he wrote their “criteria” and now his son sits on this same commission. How can someone fail to see the bias present here?

Luke Willard (Nulhegan) —> Dawn Macie (Nulhegan) —> Takara T.K Matthews (Carol-Lee Reynolds’ daughter) —> Melody Walker-Brook (Elnu) —> David Vanslette (Missisquoi) —> Shirly Hook (Koasek) —> Nathan E. Pero (Koasek) —> Charlene McManis (supports Missisquoi)

Do I need to make a more complicated chart to show the bias? All Alliance, all the time!

4. Revisionist History

On the Nulhegan application, they supposedly trace their existence back to 3 centuries. However, they were incorporated in 2004. Is this not revisionist history? Does Fred not recognize this? What about the Elnu and Koasek groups? Prior to 2008, they were not well known in the state of Vermont (perhaps in their local communities, but not the state as a whole). Did they just magically appear overnight?

To their credit, the St.Francis/Sokoki band has had the most exposure in the state of Vermont. However, it is not much of a credit when we look at the issue of genealogy.

5. Hatred of anyone who opposes them

The fifth and final reason (in my opinion) is the hatred and venom these people have towards their political enemies. They are hypocrites because they can willingly drag people to court and trash them in front of state officials. It was Mr.Wiseman himself who trashed these same groups that he now works with. Do a search on this blog and you will see what I mean. If Nancy Millette-Doucet had her way, her political enemies would not have access to her genealogy or that of any of the other Alliance members.

So in all fairness, Mr.Wiseman has failed to prove the existence of these “hate blogs”.

In 2010, the Vermont General Assembly created a fair and equitable process for establishing the legitimacy of claims for recognition as an Indian tribe. There are safeguards in place to prevent any abuse of the recognition process, including 1. A rigorous and thorough set of criteria for recognition 2.) charging the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs to thoroughly review the applications. 3. An advisory panel of three scholars in appropriate field to also review and approve the applications and auxiliary documentation. 4. Public hearings on each application to give voice to advocates and opponents of recognition. 5. Review and approval by the legislature.

Except this process is no longer the “fair and equitable” process that Mr.Wiseman claims. It is a power play by the Alliance groups to speed through their recognition without anything to stand in their way. Unfortunately for them, there are people who will stand in their way and not allow this to happen, not out of hatred, but out of concern for the possibility of illegal actions.

Here’s an example of what happened in Tennessee with their Commission. It concerns the recognition of 6 groups of people in Tennessee who claimed to have connections and ancestors of the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee Nation had contended that there were no bands,tribes or nations left in Tennessee that they recognized as their own. Also,these groups did not meet the criteria set forth by the BIA. The Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma), along with two other groups (United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma and the Eastern Band of Cherokees in NC) are the only legitimate, federally recognized Cherokee entities in the United States.

Regardless, on June 19, 2010, the State of Tennessee granted recognition to 6 groups (Cherokee Wolf Clan, Chikamaka Band, Central Band of Cherokee, United Eastern Lenape Nation, Tanasi Council and Remnant Yuchi Nation). This recognition was hasty and done in violation of Tennessee’s “sunshine” or Open Meetings Act. People who opposed this recognition were not given adequate time to make their arguments.

As you can see, the same mistake is about to be repeated in the State of Vermont. Regardless of what happens, the truth will prevail. If the State of Vermont chooses to recognize the Elnu, Koasek, Nulhegan and St.Francis/Sokoki people, it will be their mess to deal with. The people have a right to inform the government of their wishes and concerns. This is how a Democracy is supposed to work.

Mr.Wiseman can continue to complain about “hate blogs” all he wants. It will not matter because the truth will prevail, one way or the other.

Uncovering the Stones: “Abenaki Pride” blog

Note:  I would like to add that my old blog, Vermont Native Journal, is still online and can be easily accessed. In the name of transparency, it will remain up. There will be no new posts though. Granted, a lot of the things I’ve written on that blog were borne out of anger and frustration over native politics in Vermont. Some of those things may seem hostile and for that, I must apologize for such a tone. Otherwise, my opinions still hold true and I will not apologize for pissing off people in the name of the truth.

I will post links/critiques of other blogs regarding native politics in Vermont with the sole purpose of informing readers of the various opinions that are floating out there regarding native politics in Vermont. Some of those contributors do not list their names or identities, which shows questionable intent to hide who they are as to avoid open criticsm.

One such blog as listed here is known as “Abenaki Pride Setting The Record Staight” and can be accessed at the link below:

Abenaki Pride Setting The Record Straight

As one can see, the majority of the posts center around libel towards Douglas Buchholz. Nancy Millete-Doucet makes a cameo appearance as well to join in on the party. Such blogs are not uncommon and it’s also not uncommon for people to hide who they truly are so that they may sling crap at others without fear of repercussions.

A posting from one Rhonda Besaw sums up the State of Vermont’s position on public records:

Rhonda,

Your email was passed along to me at the Health Department. The Vital Records’ Office is located within the department and we work closely with the Secretary of State’s Office regarding the access and availability of the birth, death, and marriage certificates.

Vermont is one of a few remaining states that have their birth and death certificates as public records. Most recently, Puerto Rico and Maine passed laws to limit access to their certificates. At this time, only four states have no restrictions on access to birth certificates: Vermont, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Kentucky. (There is a bill pending in MA to limit access in their state.)

The vast majority of states consider their certificates as closed records, meaning that access is limited to the person, family member, or legal guardian. In some states, the certificates revert to open record after a specific number of years after the event (e.g., 50 or 100 years). In Vermont, the statutes allow anyone to access and receive a copy of any other person’s birth or death certificate – no questions asked and no proof of identity or tracking.

Therefore, I’m required by statute to allow these certificates to be accessible to anyone that wishes to see them or obtain a copy. Various organizations have accessed and made copies of a town’s birth and death certificates, such as the Genealogical Society of Utah and Ancestry.com. At this time, most of Vermont’s birth, death, and marriage certificates are accessible at the Ancestry.com web site. This is legal and we do not have the authority to request that a person or organization remove images of Vermont’s certificates.

I agree with you that access to the certificates with no limitations and lack of proof of identity or tracking creates a risk for individuals and families. Our primary concern is that anyone in the world can request a certified copy from Vermont, which contains all of the information, as well as the state seal and signature. A certified copy is used for legal purposes – proof of citizenship to access state and federal benefits, application for a U.S. Passport, etc. It would be very difficult for a person to create a certified copy based on the image from a web site, but very simple for a person to create or modify a certified copy that they are holding in their hands.

We are preparing a report for the Vermont Legislature that describes these potential fraud issues, as well as recommendations for improving the efficiency of vital records’ management. We hope that the report will be released soon and that we can discuss the opportunities for improving the security of these certificates in the 2011 legislative session. We are aware that members of the Legislature share our concerns.

Please let me know if I can help with any additional questions.

Richard H. McCoy
Public Health Statistics Chief

Vermont Department of Health
108 Cherry St., PO Box 70
Burlington, VT 05402-0070
Phone: (802) 651-1862
Fax: (802) 865-7701

This is from April 13, 2010.

To add to this point, there is little, if anything that you can do about your public records being accessible to other people. If those people are not using your records in a malicious manner, then there should be no problem at all. It’s disturbing but again, unless the Vermont Legislature changes the law, it is as it is. Unless you have something to hide, you should not be so worried about such records being available.

Therefore, this type of libel is unnecessary. Buchholz’s research is controversial but he has stated from time to time, his reasoning behind posting such records.

The truth must be known about the Alliance tribes and any other native people within the State of Vermont. If recognition is granted to some of these people, they will have access to money, land claims and possible business opportunities (such as casinos). It does not mean that they will automatically go for money, land and casinos. The possibility is always there, hence the need for scrutiny.

When taxpayer money is at stake, transparency must be present so that taxpayers may see who wishes to access their money and what their intents are.

I will document other blogs as well. You are free to take issue with it but please keep in mind that death threats will be referred to the proper authorities. There is no malicious intent here. This is solely in the interest of the truth.