April 1996 Happenings.

On Saturday April 13th, 1996 Chuck Labor was elected "Chief Spokesman" what?, Howard F. Knight doesn't give out Diplomatic Ambassador ID Cards to his "agents" like Homer St. Francis?! of the "Cowasuck Council of the National Federation of the Sovereign Republic of the Abenaki Nation" Geesh how long of an "incorporate name" to an organization does one need, to feel important/ superior?!. The meeting, held in Evansville, Orleans County, Vermont Ralph Swett's property where the Clan of the Hawk Pow-wow is held was called to find "a replacement" for Howard Knight, a.k.a. "Rushing Water", who "retired" Let's see here, count how many times this very man Howard F. Knight Jr. has said he'd "retired", and really wasn't! after 7 years. Also re-elected was "Loon Caller" I just love these 'indian names' but who is this person really called, Chief Financial Officer. Much of the meeting was devoted to the Abenaki, People of the Dawn, preparation for the June 21st World Peace and Prayer Day, which will coincide with our Plains brothers, the Sioux. The prophesies were discussed and communications from other tribal groups read. Looking Glass Raymond Lussier Pipinawjakwgan, (Looking Glass) Speaker for the Southern New England Abenaki Council, founder of the Squakheag Band, Southern New England Native American Council, the Kdinna Pobatamwogan Medicine Society, Abenaquis, Nouvelle Terre. Signer of the Abenaki Federation Alliance Agreement was congradulated for his part in the recent Peace and Unity March in South Attleboro, Massachusetts. The meeting ended with story telling and a symbolic "Burying of the Hatchet". The meeting was followed by a potluck and a 4" snowfall, (The last snow of the season, we hope!). Pablo Lonesome Wolf of the "Cowasuck Band of the Abenaki" submitted this to a website newsletter.

February 1995 Newsletter and Happenings.

"Chief" Homer St. Francis, of Swanton, Vermont stated in this newsletter that they were gathering information, any old maps, Birth Certificates, Death Records, and anything anybody has. Etc., etc., etc. He then states that he would like to see everyone at the next meeting. What so he can then say he represents all Abenaki people?! Apparently not too many people attended his General Meetings, and if they did, they were from his own family! I think Homer St. Francis Sr. was aware that the less general people out there that didn't attend his General Meetings, the less likely he could convince anyone that he had authority over them! People who became "members" of Homer St. Francis' group there in Swanton did submit their genealogical evidence materials, such as what was being requested on page 2 of this newsletter. The material(s) never made it into the ARP Archives. Nor when the material(s) were requested to be returned back to the families, they could not get the material(s) returned to them. Interesting on page 3 of this particular newsletter of February 1995, that Allan Martel who created (as a School Project) and promoted (as being bonefide and legitimate) The Abenaki Indian Center, Inc. in October 1994 (was incoporated as a non profit organization) and was allied with and saying "We will do anything and everything within "our" power to assist "Chief" Homer St. Francis, "Tribal Judge" Michael Delaney, and the "Sovereign Abenaki Nation, Republic of Missisquoi". Seems to me, this Allan Martel literally quit this scheme of his later on, and brought the materials in a box over to Charlie True's place in Raymond, N.H.?, thus making Charlie True an invented Abenaki Chief (though he does not like to be considered or be called a "Chief", but would rather be referred to as "the Speaker") of "The Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire". Isn't that certainly implying that one represents ALL of the Abenaki in New Hampshire? And yet, somehow I can't quite grasp how Charlie True "represents" or could speak for all the Abenaki nor their descendants that live in New Hampshire, unless they agreed to have him "represent" them on some level if they were from a solidified and historically defined Abenaki community. I doubt many Abenaki or their descendants even know Charlie True Jr. in the true sense of the word. I know him because I know he relocated from down in the southern part of the State of NH, having before that been elsewhere out of State and only within the past 8 years moving into a house along Route 3 in Whitefield, New Hampshire. But does he "represent" and "speak for" all Abenaki in New Hampshire?, I think not! Perhaps he wishes he did, much like "Chief" Homer St. Francis wanted to speak for all Abenaki in Vermont -and-New Hampshire else if he could have. Allan Martel nephew to James Robinson; was sent down to Manchester, N.H. as a diplomatic ambassador/ agent of Homer St. Francis. Swanton was getting money from the Boston Indian Center for VT/NH who was getting it for the TRIBES in New England.
Apparently, there was a balance that was becoming unbalanced. Meaning that Swanton "was" getting these monies from the Boston Indian Center. But there was a falling out between Homer St. Francis and Alan Martel, because Alan was getting the funding and Homer wasn't anymore. This pissed Homer off. (Sound familiar?). Alan Martel pretty much went his own way at that point. How Sherry Gould got involved was Alan Martel's wife Marcy Martel was working with Sherry at a Girl's Youth Detention Center Facility over in Antrim, New Hampshire. Marcy asked Sherry if she was Indian, What Tribe? Response: I don't know, Where's your family from?, Oh you must be Abenaki then.
After Homer St. Francis had the disagreements/ accusations with Alan Martel, Alan then created and organized "The Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire" as a Community Project (He did the Abenaki Indian Center while as an agent for Homer, 'til Homer got pissed off at him for "stealing from him" the funding from the Boston Indian Center ? which was really just getting the funding that Homer used to get. Instead of going through Homer, Alan "cut" the middleman out of the "game" is what it looks like to me, and Homer got mad, really mad......sounds like Mafia type activities to me to my thinking. So anyway, James (Jim) Robinson and Eno were part of the Abenaki Indian Center there in Manchester, N.H. Alan Martel wanted "Eno" (a self-proclaimed Pipe Carrying alleged Mohawk) to be Sachem of The Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire,
Inc./ Organization, but apparently Eno was not into the whole endeavor and Alan wanted to have Sherry Gould as Vice-Sachem. There were "elections." Alan then asked Charles Francis True Jr. to be Vice-Sachem/ Chief because Sherry Gould had declined taking the position. This was at the "formation meeting".
Then at the first Mi-Ti-Jo Campground Pow-wow Alan was "forced out". Probably something to do with Alan being funded and not Homer anymore. Jay Robinson was there, who was son to James Robinson. They would meet at the Epsom Community Center. Eno would do his stuff with sage and smudge, without explanations to those going into this event/meeting which made Sherry uncomfortable. Brian, Sherry's brother was asked to participate in cutting down tree's in the White Mountain National Forest by people led by and allied with Homer St. Francis in their attempt to get noticed and alledgedly to declare their Sovereignty, that they were still here as Abenaki People. This was when they were fighting with Homer St. Francis, and Alan created the Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire Constitution. Which was right around the time of his departure from the group and thats when Charles Francis True Jr. was made Speaker/ Chief of the Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire.
So, for all intents and purposes the "Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire" now led by Charles Francis True Jr. was created out of "a Community Project" ..... created, and promoted by Alan Martel after so-called "Chief" Homer St. Francis made him "a Diplomatic Abenaki Ambassador"/ agent of Swanton, Vermont's "group", much like Homer St. Francis gave these same "Diplomatic Ambassador cards" out to Thomas Obomsawin/Abomsawin and to Nancy Lee (nee: Millette) Cruger - Lyons, subsequently Alan Martel created the Abenaki Indian Center in Manchester, N.H. And when Alan and Homer had torn their bedsheets apart and so on, Alan then created the Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire group of people, who had been a part of the Abenaki Indian Center.

Then on page 4 on the right hand side of the page, one reads where "Chief Homer St. Francis makes notice once again, of the Native American Cultural Weekend in Littleton, N.H. to be held on Saturday July 8-9th, 1995. Contact Nancy Kruger at her Littleton "business" phone number. Below this, The White Bison Council of Bethlehem, New Hampshire (located in Nancy Cruger's home) has been working on New Hampshire issues for the Abenaki Nation. Really? The White Bison Council of Bethlehem, N.H. was one of Nancy's self-created and self-promoted organizations. Her cousin "Rick" Hunt was a part of it too. Who did they really represent(?), very likely in all truth, only themselves or those that chose to attend the meetings they held. But they liked to 'assume' they represented all Abenaki and their descendants living within the State of New Hampshire. They certainly "talked like they represented everybody who claimed to be Abenaki". Very likely, to my thinking, only the alleged and re-invented N. H. Abenaki did this "group" represent in all truthfulness.

Thomas Obomsawin Articles in The Northern Forest Forum Newspapers

I had to scan these in half pages. I do apologize, yet my scanner is not "big" enough to scan them in full page format, making it easier for you to read these articles. You can take your cursor and click on each page and they will enlarge, for you to read them. Notice the dates on the early articles of "Autumn Equinox 1992" in that Tomas Obomsawin was spelling his name Obomsawin, instead of how he spelled it in 1994 as "Abomsawin". Also that he was indeed a "Diplomatic Ambassador" to the "Sovereign Republic of the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi"/ "Chief" Homer St. Francis Sr. Group" from over in Swanton, Vermont at the time of Autumn 1992.

"Chief" Homer W. St. Francis gave out these "Diplomatic Ambassador" Cards to not only Thomas/Tomas Obomsawin/Abomsawin but also to Alan Martel of Manchester, New Hamsphire and to Nancy Lee (nee: Millette) Cruger - Lyons . It is interesting to note right here and now, that each one of these person's I have just made mention of "created and promoted" their own incorporated "groups". Nidoba, Inc., White Bison Council, Inc., Abenaki Indian Center, Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire, Ndakinna, Inc. etc. etc. etc. As they would say, "the apples do not fall far from the tree". I wonder if the apple tree's roots were what were bad, or was it the various rotten apples that were bad, which spoiled the whole barrel! There is another article Page 22 that Tom Obomsawin wrote while representing Swanton's Homer St. Francis "group" but it is "Copyright 1992, Reprint with permission. The Sovereign Republic of the Abenaki Nation Address is: POB 276, Missisquoi 05488. Phone 802-868-7146" and the article is dated Winter Solstice 1992. Since it is alledgedly "copyrighted" I will leave it to you readers to find this article on your own, if need be. It is quite an interesting article and though I would love to share it, I doubt very much that I would be able to get permission from those over in Swanton, Vermont to publish it on here. Perhaps I will at a later time "transcribe" it into a posting. Here nor there, my intent right now is to show you that Tomas Obomsawin was indeed "a representative/agent" for "Chief" Homer St. Francis Sr. and he indeed allied with Jamie Sayen of the Northern Forest Forum in mid 1992, before he ever actually moved to North Stratford, Coos County, New Hampshire in late 1994 or early 1995.

Late year of 1995 through to March 1996 Happenings.

Notice that the telephone number on these previously made Abenaki Artist business cards has Tom and Daisy Obomsawin's telephone number on them, as a "messeage phone". In the Fall of 1995 or thereabouts, Tom Obomsawin and Daisy Goodman brought up the subject of creating a non-profit organization they would call "Nidoba, Inc." They said it would be helpful. The idea's and endeavors sounded decent enough to me at the time. I was interested in seeing how things would develope. So, Tom Obomsawin puts these call-to-meeting articles in the Coos County, N.H. area newspapers. He pretty much addressed everybody in what his ideas and endeavors for direction were. People who did attend the meetings, were listening to what he was going to do, what he wanted to do, and there really wasn't much interest in having "community input" so alot of folks began to "see through" the endeavor of these meetings. Some simply smiled, said their thank you's and goodbye's and never communicated again.

More informational articles on Brunswick Springs, Vermont

Based on these articles, it would appear that "Chief" Homer St. Francis, through Wobanaki, Inc. and it's representative Tom Obomsawin and paralegal David Bruyette, along with their "Tribal Judge" Michael Delaney had tried to "go around" the arrangment of which was being worked on, and outright buy Brunswick Springs, Vermont, without involving the State of Vermont nor the Town of Brunswick/ Mr. Brendon Whittaker Selectman for said Vermont township. I'll have more articles regarding Brunswick Springs a.k.a. N'biz8bek in the next posting as well.