Newton Washburn and I began communicating with each other genealogically speaking and I began doing genealogical work on his ancestry, as I did my own. He taught me some of his basket-making skills (though I never did infringe on his 'market' by making many baskets or selling them 'in his territory' out of respect for him in his elder years). The March 10th, 1997 letter-of-inquiry was sent to me from this "Tolba group" requesting I help them with some drummaking. I don't know what became of this "group" but eventually I think it just fractured or what have you. They drove up, visited, drove me down to Brattleboro, we did the drum-making and I tried to impart what little Abenaki language skills/words etc that I had at the time, and they brought me back home to the cabin in East Lancaster, Coos County, New Hamsphire.On "Page 2" of this "Tolba Newsletter" Newton Washburn was said to be the "Chief" of the "White Bison Council" created and promoted by Nancy Millette which was also attended by her 1st cousin Rick Hunt. It is indicated that Newton Washburn "retired" from the Council. Hardly the reality or the truth of the matter. What really happened was that the man, got turned in to the State Fish and Game Department for illegally shooting from a vehicle, at a protected bird-of-prey in Lisbon, New Hamsphire and Nancy (Millette) Cruger decided to "remove" Newton Washburn from the position in which she placed him alledgedly "because he was saying he was a "Chief" of the White Bison Council, of which she was creator and promoter of. She "used" him, from that picture on the wall of his basketmaking shop there in Bethlehem, New Hampshire to putting him up as "Chief" of her self created and self-promoted "White Bison Council" group. And then when he did something which to my thinking was inappropriate and stupid, considering (but don't we all do some things that are stupid eh?) Nancy Cruger decided she couldn't use him anymore, and threw him out of her "club".
