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.

May 11, 1994 though August 1994, July 8-9 1995 up through Sepetember 1995 Happenings.

Dyanne Hodge opened up a Native American oriented/ themed gift craft shop up in East Colebrook, Coos County, New Hampshire. She had endeavors of having crafting classes, etc. She also took care of hybrid wolves as well on the farm she lived on.

The July 12, 1995 Littleton, N.H.'s Remich Park 2nd Annual Native American Cultural Weekend of July 8-9, 1995 Pow-wow is put in this posting (though it is also in a previous posting as well) simply because of Abenaki of Odanak, Quebec's "Chief" Walter Watso was the "master of ceremonies", which was likely merely being the "talker" on the mic" in the Drum Arbor all weekend. Naturally he would compliment the very person, Littleton, NH Town Promoter Nancy Cruger, "for the work she has done regarding the event". She was paying him for working at this event, so why wouldn't he compliment her at the event as well! He (Walter Watso, was not much looked upon with much respect in his own Abenaki community of Odanak, Quebec, Canada it seems to me in retrospect, and so he came State-side and interacted with Nancy (Millette) Cruger - Lyons, simply because he was "put on a pedestal" by alot of folks down here. He had the Odanak Seal, and created Artist Certificates and gave them out to alot of people such as Nancy Cruger, Mary Warren of Bethlehem N.H., and even I got a Certificate from him stating I was an Certified and Recognized by Odanak as being an "Abenaki Artist"! Did Odanak's Band Council know that Walter Watso had the Seal of Odanak "stamp" and was using it to "authenticate" paper documents down in the State's fraudulantly? I think not.

Then there's the Vital Record from the Town of Stratford, wherein Mali-Agat Obomsawin (notice it is Obomsawin, NOT Abomsawin) daughter of Thomas Obomsawin and Daisy Goodman, was born July 19, 1995.

In either late July 1995 and/ or early August I traveled back to Port Angeles, Washington to visit my twin brother and 2nd adoptive family, etc. I came back to Swanton, Vermont, and subsequently traveled to Athens, Maine to Greyhawk's place (which I mentioned in a previous posting).

The fourth document is dated September 25th, 1995, Dee Brightstar traveled to Colebrook, Coos County, New Hampshire and made certain claims, which I continue suspect were "distortions of reality". She stated that "Churches and cemeteries are not suppose to be taxed, so we should be tax-exempt. The Abenakis rely on fund-raising and good-hearted people to pay the taxes."

I have to ask myself again, where is the responsibility and accountability of these self proclaimed and self promoting "Abenakis" of Swanton, Vermont if they can't tax their own alledged Abenaki members each month, to come up with the funds for the taxes to this property they claim to so cherish and hold sacred?! Then Dee Brightstar, proclaims that they rely on fund-raising and good-hearted people to pay the taxes for the Abenaki! Sounds like begging to me, and that old saying comes to mind when the Tax Collector comes a'knocking at the door........ "Wish in one hand, sh** in the other hand, look at them both and see what which fills up faster!" Tax-Man don't care, he or she just wants the Taxes to be paid! Notice that in the newspaper article dated November 02nd, 1994 Tom Obomsawin spells his last name as "Abomsawin" which was right around the time he and Daisy Goodman had had the conflict with the Shelburne Limestone Corp, because they had been living behind Doris Minckler's home in a small mobile home, with a garden hose going through a window of Doris' kitchen window for intake water to the mobile home outback!.

"That the Town of Brunswick, Vermont is dealing with a "corporation" (Wobanaki, Inc.), rather than a tribe of people." My conclusions exactly!

Part 2 is a continuation of the article in the previous posting.

More regarding Brunswick Springs a.k.a. N'biz8bek

This article "Brunswick Springs: beautiful -- and tragic was dated June 24, 1987...Notice that the author of this article was written by Jamie Sayen who was the publisher of the Northern Forest Forum quarterly newsletter, of which in 1994 after Tom and Daisy Obomsawin relocated to North Stratford, New Hampshire, continued to interact with (and I, myself as well did illustrations which were published in this quarterly publication). It would appear that Wobanaki, Inc., the "non-profit" created for and with at least the beginning intent and purpose of receiving the monies in which Edward Verge of Island Pond, Vermont got from Penelope Newcomb "for Brunswick Springs" ($100,000.00 dollars worth of "Blue Chips Stock in a Telephone Company), began to have ISSUES/ PROBLEMS with the Town of Bloomfield, Vermont Selectman Brendon Whittaker. Obviously in August 1992 (see newspaper article in this posting) that Wobanaki, Inc. was aware and fully understoon "that the 85 acres of land which they were purchasing, would be taxes by the Town of Brunswick, Essex County, Vermont. But by October 1993, Wobanaki, Inc. Representative Tomas Obomsawin/ Abomsawin was "in conflict" with Mr. Brendon Whittaker and the Town of Brunswick, Vermont, thinking that since Mr. Whittaker Sr. was a Rector for the St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Groveton, New Hampshire, they (meaning Wobanaki, Inc.) could avoid and circumvent having to pay the taxes on the ground that they SAID Brunswick Springs a.k.a. N'biz8bek was "a sacred place", for praying. Also that it was an Ancestral Burial area for the Abenaki People. They (Tomas Obomsawin and paralegal David Bruyette) stated in a Court of Law, that they had a letter from a unidentified Vermont State Archeologist who had verified that N'biz8bek was an Abenaki Burial ground, yet this letter document was never forthcoming from neither Wobanaki, Inc., nor from Tom Obomsawin or David Bruyette.

N'biz8bek a.k.a. Brunswick Springs in N.E. Vermont

I hope you enjoy these older historical records.

More on N'biz8bek a.k.a. Brunswick Springs Property in Bloomfield, Vermont

These newspaper clippings and articles were obtained from the Coos County area, New Hampshire.

A bit of Info on Brunswick Springs aka N'biz8bek

Please forgive me if these articles are a bit much (alot/ many). They are merely put online for the purpose of substantiating conclusions about the people and the events they (and sometimes most often I) was directly or indirectly involved/associated with, were involved in, at the time or around these articles or emails. You do nott have to review each document, if you don't want to. Yet, I encourage you to carefully examine and evaluate the documents in so far as you are able to follow along this twisted "yellow brick path" of these various "groups" and of the people in these groups. Think of it as "threads" or "lines" that are sometimes often long and sometimes short, and often times if not consistanting intertwine, indeed they connect to one another at various times, even though they seem to be mutiple seperate "lines". They actually come from the same "ball of thread" but the thread has in itself many threads in-the-one, that come apart, and spread out in their own directions.

What I am going TRY to do, is to sort out the various "threads/ lines" via this blog. I'll use the Brunswick Springs situation, first by showing you related articles about Brunswick Springs documented historical records in relation to N'biz8bek (the 7 sacred Springs). You can then cross reference the subsequent information from newspaper articles to the "Chief" Homer St. Francis group's newsletters. Connect the pieces like a puzzle.....

Swanton Happenings of Aug 1995, Nov. 1995, Splinter Groups & Disenfranchisement by "Chief" Homer St. Francis

Somtime in August 1995 I traveled by Greyhound Buslines back to Port Angeles, Washington to visit my 2nd adoptive family, the Leckie's, my biological birth twin brother, and various Native friends, Lower Elwha NS'Klallam and Anishnabe Ojibway Indian folks. Later that month of August or early in September I returned to the State of New Hampshire. It was at some point thereafter of my return to the State that I learned of Carleen Pelletier, friend of Thomas Obomsawin and Daisy Goodman (who may have legally married by that time, though I am not sure if they ever did marry) was living in Whitefield, Coos County, New Hampshire in a small house rented by an elderly couple. She was moving out and I decided that, if possible, I would rent the place, of which I did. Previously in 1994, Homer St. Francis Sr. was diagnosed with cancer, which was life-threatening, but curable. Alledgedly, because of this diagnosis, "Chief" Homer St. Francis Sr. made his daughter April St. Francis - Rushlow "Acting Chief" of the "group". Which for all intents and purposes kept the political control and power in one particular family, the St. Francis's. Then, their "Band Tribal Constitution" was changed again, to keep the "Chief" position within their "group" (within the Homer St. Francis' family). Talk about "Job Security" eh. Indeed there was some "talk" that Carol Nepton, Federal Acknowledgement Officer (Carol also worked for the ARP, Abenaki Research Project) for the "Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi" and their "Tribal Lawyer" Mark Nestor, had confidential "talks" with Homer St. Francis Sr. around November 05, 1995 and which resulted in a ratification on February 25th, 1996. Please also read pages 170 and 171 of Mr. Frederick Matthew Wiseman's book entitled "The Voice of the Dawn, an Autohistory of the Abenaki Nation" published by University Press of New England Hanover and London.

Now on page 172 of this book by Frederick Matthew Wiseman, he states that "At the Abenaki Heritage Celebration in May 1996 (more likely this meeting happened on August 20th, 1994 in Evansville, Vermont on "Clan of the Hawk Chief" Ralph Swett's property), a group of Abenkai political leaders met and determined that "Chief" Homer St. Francis should be inducted as Grand Chief. Again, to my thinking and conclusions, this whole event was a "set up" because if you look at the date of the documentation regarding Eagle Feathers which "Grand Chief" Homer St. Francis and "Tribal Judge" Michael Delaney signed along with Doris Minckler and Robert Wells, it is obvious that Homer St. Francis was signing documents as "Grand Chief" thirteen (13) months before the May 1996 Memorial Day Weekend Abenaki Heritage Celebration! Walter Watso, as I recall while at the Littleton, N.H. Pow-wow event created and promoted by Nancy (nee: Millette) Cruger, even claimed to being "Grand Chief of the Abenaki"!

By the way, another excellent book to read, is entitled "Playing Indian" by Philip J. Deloria. When I read the book, I could help but it was speaking about what has been going on in both Vermont and New Hampshire, etc., by these people inventing themselves into and proclaiming to being Abenaki.

It's a great book and I highly recommend people really sit down, and seriously read this book several times, and compare what it speaks about, to the reality of what has been happening in New England here.

Because of the Vermont Supreme Court ruling against (overturning) Judge Joseph Wolchik's August 1989 Decision which was pro-Homer St. Francis' "group", Homer St. Francis went against his very own previous declarations, and soon he began the process (like Blakie Lampman before him) to seek Federal BIA Recognition. Thus, in a very short time, the people working in ARP (Abenaki Research Project/ in the Back Barn "Archive's) realized that many people who were given "membership cards" into the St. Francis/Sokoki "group" which were signed by either "Tribal Judge" Michael Delaney himself, or "Chief" Homer St. Francis, did not have their genealogical paperwork in compliance within the standards of the Federal BIA Recognition process. Alot of people, did not agree with Homer's decision "to go the BIA route". Those that disagreed with "Grand Chief Homer" were "removed" "politically pushed or shoved" out and/ or left the "group". Some, like Connie Brow (niece of "Chief" Homer St. Francis) and David "Dave" Gilman, a former coordinator of Missisquoi Riverkeepers; Ina Delaney and John Lawyer, formerly on the Abenaki Self Help board of directors; and Michael "Mike" Delaney, the former "Tribal Judge" were all ousted. These persons were "kicked out" by "Chief" Homer St. Francis Sr. "group in the month of October of 1995, when Homer sought to "go after Federal Recognition". So, the "kicked out" and disenfranchised former

membership card holder's (kinda reminds me of what happened in November 1987 and into 1988 read page 110 of January 1991 Yankee Magazine article) decided to create a NEW group, calling themselves "The Traditional Abenakis of Mazipskwik and Related Bands". I attended one of their "meetings with Thomas Obomsawin and Daisy Goodman who were also "removed" out of Homer's "group". Dee Brightstar I think was also "booted out".

They ought to have fixed the problem honestly said.....Homer St. Francis Sr.,, the dictator "Grand Chief" himself, to my thinking. But, he was an effectively good intimidator, much like Whitey Bulger was, guns and all! Reading page 181 of Frederick Matthew Wiseman's book "The Voice of the Dawn" speaks of a "group" created by Tom Obomsawin over in North Stratford, New Hampshire, that I, personally was temporarily a part of.

By November 06th, 1995 I too, had recieved a "Form Letter" from Carol Nepton, indicating that I did not have anything (evidence) in my file there in Swanton's ARP (Archives) that would link me as being an Abenaki descendant from any region or Indian from the Missisquoi Region. These hired Certified Genealogists, were requesting the required detailed documentation that they needed to show I was an Abenaki descendant from N'dakinna or Indian from the Missisquoi (Swanton, Vermont geographical area). Subsequently I drove over to High Street in St. Albans, Vermont and I visited with Jesse Bowman Bruchac and after talking with him, I decided to go up to Swanton, Vermont while he was in attendance to "a meeting" they all were having up there in the old Railroad depot, and I demanded any and all of my file's contents be immediately returned to me by this "group" . I had to sign a piece of paper after having to "explain" why I wanted my genealogical records returned to me, before they would give me the contents of such file(s). I got less than 1/4rd of what I had submitted and right there I inquired about the missing material record photocopies (I never gave them original documents, thankfully said) and I was told, the documents that I was speaking of having submitted for the file, never made it into the file. So again, to my thinking, their right hand didn't know what their left hand was doing, regarding (very likely) alot of people's submitted genealogical records!

Also take notice that "Chief" Homer St. Francis Sr. as of November 07, 1994 (not 1995 or even 1996) was being referred to as "Grand Chief" Homer St. Francis. This was right in the November 1994 issue "Newsletter of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi".

As Frederick Matthew Wiseman in his book "The Voice of the Dawn" on page 172 states and I quote, "In an unprecedented move, the "chief" of the St. Francis-Sokoki Band, which never acknowledged (nor respected) the authority of any group but his own, accepted the title of rank "Grand Chief of the Abenaki" from these "external" leaders (see August 20, 1994 Happenings regarding Unity of Councils Agreement which was signed in Evansville, Vermont). Whereas Homer St. Francis had previously changed his group's "Band/Tribal Constitution" (either in after Nov. 1987 or in 1988) in order to make himself "Chief-for-life" (read page 110 right column, of the January 1991 Yankee Magazine), he dropped that "title" Chief- for-life, at-some-point in time, and subsequently he began using "Grand Chief Homer St. Francis" on documents of which he would put his signature, or when speaking to the media. There's nothing like "playing Indian", being self-serving and self-promoting in securing job security, to my thinking and conclusions of this "business" !!!!