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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Step 11 Forward Along the Yellow Brick Road of The Reinvented Abenakis of Vermont and New Hampshire:





Document 01: May 11, 1987 Page 67 of the Syracuse Herald Journal. Abenaki Indian Chief Dies. Funeral services were held Saturday for Leonard Lampman Sr., Chief of the Abenaki Tribal Nation and an organization leader since the 1970's. Lampman was tribal chief for the past seven years. He was a key figure in the Abenakis' effort to be recognized as a tribe by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, said Ken Maskell, a tribal council member. He was considered a great communicator and a grandfather figure to the tribe, Maskell said, and worked selflessly to improve the Abenakis' life. "He always said there is good in all things, you just have to find it," said James Medor, another council member. "His friendship, leadership and kindness will be missed by all Abenakis." Lampman was president of the board of directors of the Abenaki Self-Help Association (ASHAI). The group operates programs in community outreach, job training, housing and education. In 1980 it was designated by the Administration for Native Amercians as one of 12 exemplary native American organizations, said Jeffrey Benay, who worked with Lampman. The chief also made constant efforts to win grants to fight drug abuse, teen-age pregrnancy and problems of the elderly, Medor said. He was also an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, trapping and bird watching.
Leonard "Blackie" Miles Lampman was born January 10, 1922 to Herbert J. Lampman and Josephine (nee: Hoague). Leonard "Blackie" Lampman was married on March 02 1946 to Lorraine Mary Page or Payea. They had 12 children, one of whom is Louise May (nee: Lampman) Larrivee.

September 13, 1987: The Abenaki Indians of northwestern Vermont have elected, by a vote of 144 to 141, a tribal chief who says he is ''sick of dealing with the white man'' and who is seen as representing a more militant faction of the tribe of 2,200 people.

The winner, Homer St. Francis, 52 years old, has vowed to ''clean house'' by dismissing Abenakis who he says have been ''too cozy with the white man.'' In an election Friday, Mr. St. Francis defeated Lester Lampman, 31, a self-described moderate. Mr. Lampman said he would ask for a recount of the vote, which represented one of the biggest turnouts since the Tribal Council was founded in 1972. About 800 adult members of the Abenaki tribe living near tribal headquarters in Swanton, Vt., were eligible to vote. Mr. St. Francis's election is a sign of the ''increased militancy'' of the Abenakis, according to Gabor Rona, a Barre, Vt., lawyer who has represented the tribe in its eight-year fight with the state over hunting and fishing rights. According to Mr. Rona, Mr. St. Francis' victory reflects a growing dissatisfaction on the part of some Abenakis with the ''low-key approach'' that has been a hallmark of the the tribe's dealings with the government. Mr. St. Francis, a former Abenaki chief known for his belligerent stand toward whites, threatened to bodily evict a television crew filming at tribal headquarters during the election. He said the camera crew - which Mr. Lampman said he had invited - was ''intimidating voters.'' This week Mr. St. Francis and others were to have gone on trial on charges stemming from their fishing without presenting the required licenses to game wardens. But Franklin County State's Attorney Howard E. VanBenthuysen dropped the charges last week because he said he needed additional legal help because of the complexity of the case. Should the Abenakis win what they say is their right to exercise aboriginal hunting and fishing rights,they then could conceivably claim the right of ownership to certain lands, according to Vermont Attorney General Jeffrey Amestoy. Mr. St. Francis said that as soon as the votes were counted he dismissed the director of the Abenaki Self-Help Association as being ''too cozy with white men.'' But Mr. Lampman said that only the association's board, of which he is a member, has the power to take such action, according to the Abenaki constitution. Mr. St. Francis said he will call a special meeting of the board and the Tribal Council for today to ''settle once and for all who has power over what.''

Document 02: September 15, 1987. Abenaki Indians Elect Militant Tribal Chief. The alleged Abenaki Indians of northwestern Vermont have elected, by a vote of 144 to 141, a tribal chief who says he is "sick of dealing with the white man" and who is seen as representing a more militant faction of the alleged tribe of 2,200 people. The winner, Homer St. Francis Sr., 52, has vowed to "clean house" by dismissing Abenakis who he says have been "too cozy with the white man." In an election last week, Homer St. Francis Sr. defeated Lester Lampman, 31, a self-described moderate. Lampman said he would ask for a recount of the vote, which represented one of the biggest turnouts since the Tribal Council was founded in 1972 (accurate date?) . About 800 adult members of the alleged Abenaki tribe living near tribal headquarters in Swanton, Vermont, were eligible to vote.

Lester Marvin Lampman born September 23, 1955 to Chief Leonard "Blackie" Lampman and Lorraine Mary (nee: Page or Payea). He is the older brother of Louise May (nee: Lampman) Larrivee.

Document 03: October 28, 1987. Indians fight for fishing rights. Vermont's alleged Abenaki Indians have no choice but to "go out and break the law" to defend their right to hunt and fish on land they discovered nearly 2,000 year before the state was created, the alleged tribe's chief says. Former interim Chief Lester Marvin Lampman, a less militant leader who lost the tribal election to Homer St. Francis by three (3) votes, said the alleged tribe would do better working with the state, not against it. Guess who was counting the election votes in October 1987 against Lester Lampman?

Answer: April Ann (nee: St. Francis) Rushlow-Merrill, who was 19 years old at the time, and Homer Walter St. Francis Sr.'s daughter.

Document 04: June 25, 1991 Page 126 of the Syracuse Herald Journal Newspaper. Licence To Harass? Bernice Riggie and Todd Partlow display an Abenaki Nation license place in East Highgate, Vermont, last week. The couple and other members of the alleged tribe said they are being singled out and harassed by local and state police for illegally using the tribe's plates. The alleged Abenakis, however, say they are a sovereign nation allegedly, and therefore should be allowed to license their own vehicles.

Still with me? I hope so.
The Truth Will Set You Free.

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