First, I will start with Daisy Goodman. She was "with" Phenix Hearn, a self-identified Creek Indian descendant woman from down south in Virginia, I think, or perhaps it was North Carolina somewhere's. Well, anyway "down south" in that part of the country was where Phenix Hearn's family or ailing mother was at. Phenix Hearn was the (Abenaki) Cordinator of the Missisquoi River Project, which was created and promoted to restore, preserve, and protect the natural and cultural heritage of the river through a partnership with Abenaki and other communities throughout the Missisquoi River watershed. Well, that was what she was doing in August 1994 anyway. But before that, she was "with" Daisy Goodman. They were "companion's" and then in that mobile home, they had a fist fight and one and the other went after each other, blood and fists flew I was told by none other than Phenix herself. Subsequently, Phenix Hearn and Daisy Goodman "parted ways" with each other, and Daisy went to live under the roof of Homer St. Francis Sr. She was their "Grant Writer". That was/is an important position to have, when a group of people is seeking grant monies.
And there was Thomas Obomsawin, who came down from Odanak, Quebec, Canada under the "story" that he was being harassed by the Odanak Reserve Police for either drug possession (weed) or running around on the Odanak community with one of Homer's License Plate's on his vehicle, I ain't sure which "story" was really the reason or whether neither was the truth but thats what I was told by Doris Minckler herself one night at her kitchen table. The Odanak folks pitched him sh** and he relocated to Homer's place as well. Thats how Tom Obomsawin and Daisy Goodman "met" each other. She wanted to be Indian, and there was only one way to do that, since she was a non-Native descendant, or else she was just through with being "with" another of the same gender. Maybe it was just "job security" getting together with a known bonefide "Abenaki", I don't know. Later on, because of their conflict with the Swanton Zoning Board and "issues" with the Shelburne Limestone Corporation who owned Swanton Limestone began the conflict on April 01, 1994 was never resolved to the Obomsawin's satisfaction, subsequently Thomas Obomsawin and Daisy Goodman, packed up and left Swanton, Vermont taking with them alledgedly items that belonged legally to Homer's group. They ended up pulling the mobile home over to Daisy Goodman's mother' home along the Connecticut River in North Stratford, Coos County, New Hampshire and lived there for some years. So much for Grant writing being an important position and all. So much for trying to switch a surname from Obomsawin to Abomsawin; etc in order to sway a legal court of law into trying to stay here under the May 25th, 1765 Robertson's Lease wherein Joseph Abomsawin and leaders of 15 other Abenaki families leased the land in question to James Robertson of St. Jean, Quebec, Quebec. Before Thomas Obomsawin and Daisy Goodman left Swanton, Vermont I too had left the Swanton community as well for other reasons which I will explain/ share of that "event" in the next blog posting.
