Isn’t it racist to question the legitimacy of Vermont’s State Recognized Tribes?
Good question. There are two possible realities of this situation.
1) If these groups are truly Indigenous, then supporting them is anti-racist.
2) If these groups are not truly Indigenous, then not questioning them erodes Indigenous sovereignty by allowing European Settlers to represent indigeneity.
False claims of indigeneity are actually a major concern of Indigenous People (see: What is Race-Shifting?) as these claims can take resources away from legitimate Indigenous communities, while also watering down what it means to be a sovereign Indigenous Nation.
The only way to know justice is to know the truth—which requires people to be able to ask questions, to teach, and to learn.
Didn’t the Vermont State Recognized Tribes have to go through a rigorous recognition process with the state of Vermont?
Actually, the process allowed the groups to determine their own eligibility and did not require genealogical evidence (see: State Recognition Process).
Isn’t the reason why the Vermont State Recognized Tribes can’t show their genealogy because they had to hide from the Eugenics Survey of Vermont?
Quick history lesson: The Eugenics Survey of Vermont (ESV) didn’t start until 1925, and the law that legalized voluntary eugenic sterilizations was passed in 1931 (see: Eugenics Survey of Vermont). There are records of many of the families that claim to be Abenaki for centuries before this (Vermont was settled in the 1700s), which state that these individuals are white or of European ancestry, while during the same time period, other people, notably the ancestors of the Odanak First Nation, were documented as “Indian” or belonging to a specific tribal group. Also, the Vermont State Recognized Tribes did not mention the Eugenics Survey in their initial application for Federal Recognition with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
Who created this site?
This website is the collective work of allies, scholars, and Indigenous people. In an effort to foreground the historical evidence (and to avoid the distraction of bullying), we are choosing to remain anonymous at this time. However, to maintain the credibility of the information on this site, all of the information presented here is linked to its original source so you can verify it for yourself. If you wish to contribute evidence, please submit that evidence, clearly sourced, to historicalevidence802@gmail.com for consideration.