Step 12 Foward Along The Yellow Brick Road of the Reinvented Abenakis of Vermont and New Hampshire, Massachusetts ~and~ California:

Early 1992: "In mid-1992, it was decided that the Northeast Woodlands - Coos Tribal Band - Abenaki Republic "group" would attempt a more accelerated growth in membership and in the process, we would make sure that our people would not be overlooked any more, and that we would declare a Sovereign suzerain Trust Republic per the Treaties, Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, PL100-606 (also known as Chapter 50A, the Proxmire Act), the Human Rights Declaration of 1948, to which the U.S. is a signatory and other applicable laws, which the Reconstructed Council of the Coos Tribal Band, now known as the Council of Elders, accomplished on 13 June 1992, at Coventry, Orleans County, Vermont on the edge of the old Coos territory and jurisdictional area." On this date of June 13, 1992 Howard Franklin Knight Jr of RFD #2 530-A on Alderbrook Road in Newport, Orleans County, Vermont "Reaffirmed" (Re-Approved) himself, via his "Council of Elders" Card Number #0001 ~and~ his "Clan" was (Green) Turtle. His relative Katelynn M. Knight c/o D.S.S.-C.P.S. (Children's Protective Services of Kingston, Ulster County, New York) Card #0006 "Clan" Turtle also applied for membership, which was allegedly reviewed and accepted on June 13, 1992 ~ and her membership was reaffirmed allegedly by Howard F. Knight Jr.'s "Council of Elders" on the same date of June 13, 1992! I will be placing this documentation on the blog in the near future.

Document 01: Paul Wilson Pouliot's Application to the Northeast Woodlands-Coos Band of the Abenaki Republic-Algonquin Confederation dated July 08, 1992. Paul Wilson Pouliot (at least on this document) was claiming to be or was given the "Clan" of the Hawk. Chief/Peace?. This document/Application for Membership/Citizenship was signed by Paul W. Pouliot of 160 Dailey Drive in Franklin, Massachusetts 02038-2951. He was claiming to be a descendant of an Indian relative "LAURENTIAN IROQUOIS". Membership Application Approved: DATE: July 15, 1992 Tribal Judge/Representative: Robert Maynard. Tribal Chief; Howard F. Knight (Rushing Water). I placed this Paul Pouliot Application document previously on this blog (No, I am not losing mind or my marbles); yet "chronologically" this particular document IS pertaining to the "documentation" and "connections" I want people (who read and review this blog and its content) to go, connecting the documents and information together. Much like "stacking" bricks, until one has built walls and roof. Eventually one can step back and find that a house has been built.

July 22, 1992: On this date, Sherrie Ann DeVee (formerly married to Stephen or Steven Jinks) applied for Membership into the Northeast Woodlands-Coos Band of the Abenaki Republic-Algonquin Confederation. Her genealogical records were allegedly recieved, reviewed and was acceptable. Subsequently on that same date of July 22, 1992 Sherrie (nee: DeVee recieved a Membership Card No. 00016 to the Northeaster Woodlands - Coos (Pisowakamigw Wobanakiak) which indicated that she resided at 4330 Harness Tract Road in Camino, El Dorado County, California 95709. That her date of birth is November 27, 1959 (Naval Hospital in Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington State). It also indicates that her "Clan" was (RED) Turtle. (that's what Howard Franklin Knight Jr. created and appointed to her upon his acceptance of her Membership Application into his alleged Cowasuck Abenaki "group").

NOW "PAY ATTENTION TO THIS AND FUTURE BLOG POSTINGS AND THESE FUTURE POSTED DOCUMENTS.

1 + 1 = 2 ........and 2 + 2 = 4. Do the math.......

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.

Step 10 Forward Along the Yellow Brick Road of The Reinvented Abenakis of Vermont and New Hampshire:

Document 01: October 31, 1977 Portsmouth Herald Newspaper Page 10. Officials agree on book deletion. School officials here have agreed to delete two pages of a history book which the Abenaki Tribal Council says "unfairly and unreasonably portrays Indians as cruel and savage." But a school administrator who stressed that "Vermont Our Own State" is not used as a textbood, said the book "is a good resource book" with "a great deal of valuable information." Swanton Elementary School Principal Herman Harnois said he has declined to "do away with some of the words that may be considered to be discriminatory." He said pages containing such would be covered up. The book is used by fourth and fifth-grade Vermont history classes at the school. The tribal council of the Swanton-based Abenakis, in a letter to the Governor's Commission on Indian Affairs, requested that the book's use be stopped immediately. "We feel his text is insulting, defamatory, and false in its portrayal of Indians," the letter said.

Document 02: December 21, 1977 Page 03 of the Bennington Banner, Vermont Newspaper. Abenakis vow to press land claims. The Chief of Vermont's Abenaki Indians says the tribe will try to gain official federal recognition, then press its claim for 12 square miles of land in the Swanton-Highgate, Vermont area. Homer St. Francis, the head of the Abenaki Tribal Council said Tuesday the Indians want the land for a tribal reserve, and will go to court if necessary to get it. He said the Abenakis leased the land to an early white settler, but never relinquished ownership. According to Homer St. Francis, the Abenakis will get more millitant and less willing to compromise if the Federal Government recognizes them. "Then we won't have any mercy at all," he said. "When we claim it, we'll claim it all." Then-Gov. Thomas Salmon bestowed official state recognition on the alleged tribe in 1976, but it was rescinded by Gov. Richard Snelling when he took office in January.

Document 03: Minnie Florence (nee: Davidson) Knight's Obituary dated August 01, 2006. Minnie F. Knight, 59 years of age, died yesterday, August 01,  2006 at Brookside Nursing Home in White River Junction, Vermont. She was married to Howard Franklin Knight Jr. on December 24, 1963 in Harlingen, Cameron County, Texas. They had three children Franklin Warren Knight born April 29, 1966 in Bexar County, Texas and two two twin daughters Bobbie Rene Knight and Sheila Marie Knight on September 16, 1968 in Germany. Minnie traveled throughout the United States and Europe while he was in the Military service. Howard Franklin Knight Jr., his wife and 3 children settled in Thetford in 1979, and moved to northern Vermont in 1988. They were divorced on June 17, 1997 in Newport, Orleans County, Vermont. They had retrospectively-speaking legally adopted their grandson Matthew R. Knight Age 07 years at the time of the divorce, having been born in October 1989, this adopted grandson being the son of Franklin Warren Knight (Howard and Minnie's son) and Terri Doba, who were not apparently married at the time of their son's birth, nor were either of them able to care for or raise this child.

Howard Franklin Knight Jr. was born May 31, 1941 in Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut to Howard Franklin Knight Sr. and Marion Corabell (nee: Cook).

YES, I am quite aware of Howard Franklin Knight Jr.'s "genealogical" ancestry, as well as many other alleged Abenaki descendants. These documents and much more will be put on this blog regarding his and their alleged Abenaki/ Missisquoi/ Cowasuck/ Coos/Koasek ancestral connections.

Document 04: June 24, 1981 Journal Opinion Page 04. Speak out for children. Notice at the bottom of this editorial article regarding this new group that was forming called Speak Out for Children: Vermont Advocates for Children's Mental Health in that there is listed one, Howard F. Knight, Jr. RFD No.1 Box 15 in Thetford Center, Vermont 05075.

A Side Step To Reply To "Anonymous" on Abenak Pride: Setting The Record Straight:

On this "other" blog called "Abenaki Pride: Setting the Record Straight" apparently this "Anonymous" writes, "so where is Douglas Lloyd Buchholz' proof that he is Abenaki?" He points fingers at everyone else, but I have yet to see ANY document that indicates "Abenaki" posted by him about his own genealogy. So where is it Douglas? Since he did not come from an Odanak family, according to his own twisted theory, he isn't "Abenaki" either.

Apparently "Anonymous" does not review the contents of my blog, nor do they realize that I do not belong to any alleged reinvented Abenaki Group, Band, or alleged Tribe. At least Odanak and Wolinak, Kahnewake, Pannawambskek (Old Town, Maine), etc. are legitimate Northeast Aln8bak Native Indian Communities that do not hesitate or protest or "hide" their genealogical records to their records to their ancestors, or gave up their relationship and trust relationship to the Ancestors, their language, and their ceremonies. At least they kept their historical records, their cohesiveness, and continuous-ness through the "dark times", the bad times". More than I can say for the folks claiming they be "Abenaki" all of sudden down here in Vermont and N.H. who ignore the FACT that their Ancestors including mine, didn't think they were any better or less than their "White" neighbors, simply because they was "Abenaki". Again IF our ancestors wanted to retain and maintain their historical connections to whatever, they sure as heck had a better opportunity to do so than we do today, and they chose not to, for whatever reasons. Most importantly, those "Abenaki descendant ancestor's nor I am not seeking Official Federal or State Recognition from the Governor of Vermont or New Hampshire nor from the Legislature's of these perspective State's. The State can not and will not give Abenaki descendants land, language, culture, or anything else except more process and conceptions of acculturation.

So whether or not I am not "Abenaki" is irrelevant! Dr. Gordon Day was not Abenaki, Frank Speck wasn't Abenaki, John Moody isn't Abenaki. But IF it means so much that me, as a researcher and genealogically-minded person that I "be a documented Abenaki descendant," in order to even begin to address these historical dynamics and situations within the so-called alleged Abenaki reality here in Vermont and New Hampshire, then please see and review this link:

http://reinventedvermontabenaki.blogspot.com/2009/07/simply-and-plain-address-to-commentary.html

... and when your done reading the previous response via this link, to whether I have genealogical and ancestral social documentation that shows "Indian" on them for "some" of my particular ancestors here in the Northeast, here is some more documents to review in this specific posting. I might also add that I am mostly allegedly German on my father's side of the railroad tracks. English etc on his mother's side. I am a direct descendant of Rebecca (nee: Towne) Nurse and her two other sisters  Mary (nee: Towne) Estey and Sarah (nee: Town) Cloyes; two of whom were hung in Salem, Massachusetts on July 19, 1692. Also, I am a direct descendant of the Witchcrafting Accuser's, the Putnam family of Salem Massachusetts, through the Trask family ancestral connection, etc.

Clarification: Since 2008 having genetically testing my late father at FTDNA etc, I have found that he was Smith by descent, from Sweden, with a haplogroup confirmation of I-M253 > CTS9346. My late father was derived of an NPE, or Not Parent-Expected. I have found my late father's father and paternal relatives.

Document 01: Front Side of Page. Chart hand written in seemingly Ball Point pen. This Chart is in the possession of Carol Jean (nee: Brown) Howard of Warner, New Hampshire presently and she communicated with me, Douglas Lloyd Buchholz on July 11, 2006. I obtained photographic duplicated images and prints of this document, both front and back, in September 2006. "Aidrias Parker Woodward" was actually Parker Preston Woodward. His 1st wife was actually Sarah Pilsbury (nee: Sawyer) Woodward. The pencil "addition" to the document was from Carol Howard. Her father Charles Emery Brown died on July 30, 2004 in Boscawen, Merrimack County, New Hampshire. After his death, Carol went over to her father's "camp" also known as his paint shack where he painted. Retrospectively, her brother's were going to throw this "trunk" away since it was seemingly rotted, moldy, and un-openable. Carol decided to take it home and try to "clean it up". When she managed to open the trunk, therein laid this old musty document chart inside an envelope, amongst numerous other items including some very important family Bibles with genealogical information in them. "Aidrias D. Woodward" was actually Darius Anson Woodward and his first wife was actually Sophronia Ann (nee: Robinson). Sophronia was my 3rd Grandmother's sister, and Mary Robinson Brown, Carol Howard's ancestor, was also another sister to my 3rd Great Grandmother Maria Charlotte (nee: Robinson) Rollins-Woodward. These sisters were all from Hatley, Quebec, Canada.
Obviously this document/genealogical chart was created from "memory" because the "full" dates are partial, having no years of birth to them yet it was beautifully done; even down to trying to identify the ethnicity of each relative's spouses. But research shows these dates to be quite accurate. Notice that in between Aidrias Parker Woodward and his wife, with an arrow pointing to Parker's wife, it indicates, that his wife was allegedly a "Full-Blooded Indian". Sarah Pilsbury Sawyer and her husband Parker were brother and sister to Royal William Woodward and his wife Mary Hawley (nee: Sawyer). Royal and Mary were 4th Great Grandparents to Douglas Lloyd Buchholz. So, IF Sarah Pilsbury (Sawyer) Woodward was alleged a "full-blooded" Indian, then so was her sister Mary Hawley (Sawyer) Woodward. This document genealogical chart Carol Howard and I, surmise was created before her grandmother Edieht Ethel (nee: Woodward) Brown - Miner had died on July 27, 1958 in Rochester, Strafford County, New Hampshire. I have many more genealogical and historical records on these ancestor's descendants than I am posting here undoubtedly, but this "chart" from Carol Howard's father Charlie Brown, was nearly thrown away and taken to the dump, and thanks to devine intervention and his daughter Carol Howard, this chart was again secured and cherished for future generations of the family. According to this branch of the Woodward descendants, Charles Emery Brown "story" he always told about the Indian heritage to his children was that his Great Great Grandmother, a full blood Blackfoot Indian, came from Montana. Carol Howard, his daughter, has not found anything written to verify her father's story. She does have a heavy rock, that her father said is Iron Ore, that this alleged full-blooded Blackfoot Indian woman brought with her. But there is also MORE to this "story" and MUCH MORE about the oral history in the various Woodward or Woodard descendant branches of the family than I can explain here, documentarily or orally. Anyone want to sit down over tea or coffee sometime, I'd show them the documentations, the photographs, the audio-taped interviews with Woodward-Cass-Brown-and numerous other married-in surname descendants (ancestors now, since some of these persons have deceased) that I have, which validate what I have said about our ancestors Native connections. Whether they REALLY were alleged Abenaki, Mohawk, or Blackfoot, or Algonquin remains a question as yet to be definitively answered. Perhaps it was a massive multi-generational conspiracy in which these Woodward-Sawyer-Taylor-Brown-Robinson descendants  were all merely Reinvented Abenakis of Vermont and New Hampshire of N'dakinna?! I continue to do the research within and outside of the ancestor's and their descendants.

Document 02: Reverse side of Document 01.

Document 03: This document was created by Lillian Maude (nee: Nason) Patton of Derby Line, Orleans County, Vermont on November 01, 1971 after she and her sister Ivah Gertrude (Nason) Ames traveled (with Ivah driving) to North Stratford, Stratford Hollow, and Groveton, New Hampshire; and to the Groveton, N.H. Cemetery.On this trip the two women (both of them age 69 yrs and 67 yrs respectfully at the time) met with James Henry Cass Jr. son of James Henry Cass Jr. and his 2nd wife Sarah Ann Emery in Stratford Hollow, N.H. He directed them to speak with Avery "Tinker" Cass, who was the son of James Henry Cass Sr.'s 1st wife Emily Jane (nee: Baird) who mother was Minnie Isobell (nee: Woodward) Baird (etc) whose father was Charles E. Woodward Sr. whose father was Darius Anson Woodward (a.k.a. Aidrias D. Woodward in Document 01), and Darius Anson Woodward's sister was Flora Ellah (nee: Woodward) Elliott - Cass - Woodward (Flora married a 3rd time to her nephew~it was a "forced" marriage because she broke up with her 2nd husband Hayden Harley Cass and the Town Selectmen of Maidstone, Vermont, North Stratford, or East Stratford "didn't like the idea of a lone woman with a son Anson Darius Cass (went by Woodward though) all alone, raising this boy on her own ~ it was "looked down upon" in them days. Flora E. Woodward and Hayden Cass were the parents of James Henry Cass Sr.
Anyway, Lillian and her sister Ivah went to Groveton, N.H. and met up with "Tinker" Cass and he provided the information that his grandmother Flora Ellah Woodward was "from a family in the Magog District of Quebec, Canada (just over the Line) and that she lived among the Indians in their tepee's; and that she was part Indian herself. Avery said back then many whites and Indians intermarried and lived together in "tribes??"
Was Flora Ellah (nee: Woodward) Elliott-Cass-Woodward actually "Abenaki," or was she "Blackfoot", or "Algonquin", or "Mohawk", or simply "White"? When she married the documentation indicated "White" and also when she died January 23, 1935 in Stratford, N.H. it says "White" on the Death Record Certificate. Her son James Henry Cass Sr.'s Marriage Certificate(s), and his children's Birth Certificates all say "White", and when his son Thomas James Cass was born (as well as the Vital Records of his siblings) the records indicate "White" as well. Yet when Thomas James Cass died October 16, 1996, for Ancestry on the Certificate of Death, it shows "English/Indian" but under Race it show's "White". Was Thomas Henry Cass' Ancestry a mixture of English ~and~ Indian?

Document 04: Elizabeth "Beth Ann (nee: Covell) Libby-Bean of Portland, Maine at the time she was doing this genealogical research, created this document (from numerous other source documents, photographs and interviews with relatives, including the typed letters etc etc from Lillian Maude (nee: Nason) Patton of Derby Line, Vermont.)  "Beth" (nee: Covell) Libby - Bean has kept meticulous documented genealogical research records, photographs, etc. in which she allowed me to duplicate regarding our shared ancestors. This particular document, she typed up in November 1982 based on her own genealogical and field research and that of Lillian (Nason) Patton's previous genealogical and field research of our Woodward and Cass ancestors, etc. Beth (Covell) Libby - Bean's mother Elizabeth May (nee: Cass) Covell - Arsenault of Groveton, Coos County, New Hampshire (whose brother was Thomas James Cass) also documentarily and in audio-interview's stated that Flora Ellah Woodward had identified herself as being "Abenaki". Elizabeth May Cass-Covell-Arsenault or "Kitty" as I knew her, was born March 02, 1921 in Northumberland, Coos County, New Hampshire, just below Groveton. Her grandmother Flora Ellah Woodward-Elliott-Cass-Woodward died January 23, 1935 in Stratford, Coos County, New Hampshire, up the road north from Groveton, N.H. so, Elizabeth May Cass, her granddaughter would have been about 13 years and ten months old when Flora Ellah Woodward died. She would have known and interacted with her grandmother Flora.

Document 05: Letter dated January 18, 2002 from Wayne Gilchrist Chamberlain born April 23, 1920 to Wayne Oliver Gilchrist and Charlotte Lucille (nee: Gilchrist). His father Wayne's mother was Alfaratta Angeline (nee: Woodard) Chamberlain whose parents were Alpheus Mason Woodward or Woodard and Angeline (maiden name uncertain). Alpheus Mason Woodward was the son of Apollos Woodward (a.k.a. Thomas A. Woodward) and Apollos' 1st wife Rachel Reynolds or Rennills. Alpheus was the brother to Parker Preston Woodward (a.k.a. Aidrias Parker) Woodward and Douglas Lloyd Buchholz ancestor Royal William Woodward.
This letter was sent to me, under my 2nd adoptive legal name of Mark Douglas Leckie. I found this Woodward/Woodard descendant via the http://www.familysearch.org/ in late July 2001. I inquired of his awareness about any of the family history and he responded with this letter dated January 18, 2002. Obviously he was elderly, and had no way of verifying any of the information documentarily due to his age, and that of his relatives having passed away. Yet, he remembered that Alfaratta Angeline (nee: Woodard) Chamberlain was allegedly said by Wayne Jr.'s father "that his mother Alfaratta was Penobscot, or "Abbernockiee". Based on the spelling of Abbernockiee, and that the elderly man Wayne, was residing in Hemet, CA at the time of my inquiry and my recieving his letter of reply, I strongly suspect that latter Native identification of the ancestor(s) to be possibly more correct than the former. Was Alfaratta Angeline (nee: Woodward/Woodard) Chamberlain actually allegedly "Abbernockie" (Abenaki)? Alpheus Mason Woodward  was born in ca. 1802 in Peacham or Deweysburgh, Vermont. He went to the area of Shefford, Quebec, Canada in ca. 1822. His siblings Ruth and Charles Blair Woodward also went to that area of Quebec, Canada at about the same time of 1822.

Document 06: This particular document was a "Faxed document" from Althea (nee: Hamilton) Rickman and her husband Fred Rickman dated February 24, 1996 at 07:29PM. The portion "Mother Ella Sarah Ruth Heath - (Hamilton married name) was written by Althea's older sister Mary Jean (Hamilton) Broomhead. Althea was born November 05, 1945 to Alexander Roy Hamilton and Ella Sarah Ruth (nee: Heath) Hamilton. Ella Sarah Ruth Heath was the daughter of Roy Anson Heath and Iva or Ivy Mae (nee: Mosher) Heath. Roy Anson Heath was the son of Albert Anson Heath and Sarah Jane (nee: Woodward or Woodard). Sarah (Woodward or Woodard) Heath was the daughter of Charles E. Woodward and Amanda (nee: Brown) Woodward. Charles E. Woodward was the son of Darius Anson Woodward (a.k.a. Aidrias D. Woodward in Charlie Brown's and his mother Edith Ethel nee: Woodward's genealogical Chart made in about the mid-1940's maybe mid-1950's). So now one see's the descendancy.
Althea (nee: Hamilton) Rickman (who married to Frank or Fred H. Rickman) of the Province of Ontario "faxed" this document to Mary Jean (nee: Hamilton) Broomhead (Althea's older sister) when they were seeking to solidify their mother's genealogical work. Althea and Mary Jean's brother Grant Kimble Hamilton of Ontario as well, was attempting to verify their ancestors Native connections back in the summer of 1994 to the point of even contacting the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada after finding these Laurentian Alliance of Metis Membership Cards of their mother's and her father; etc, way before I even knew that these Woodward/Woodard/Heath descendants even existed in Quebec and Ontario! Their mother Ella Sarah Ruth (nee: Heath) Hamilton was born May 12, 1924 in Fitch Bay, Quebec, Canada to Roy Heath and Iva Mosher, and Roy's sister Alice Mary (nee: Heath) Duncan - Hawly was in a 1999-2000 Women's Metis Calendar identified as a Metis Elder woman, wherein she stated, that her mother Sarah Jane (nee: Woodward or Woodard) Heath was "Algonquin" Indian, and her father Albert Anson Heath was "Mohawk". According to Elize Hartley, all audio tapes done for that project Song of the Metis Women were destroyed according to the agreements with the Interviewee. "We are sorry that Alice passed on to the Spirit World so soon after our taping. We would have liked for her to give permission to be able to give her taped interview to her sons. However, at the time, she said she wanted tht audio tape interview destroyed. Yet I have in the files, a letter written by Alice of the life and ancestry."

 
Whether these "tribal identifiers" regarding being allegedly "Abenakis"/ "Blackfoot"/"Metis"/

"Mohawk"/"Coos"in our Woodward Woodard ancestor's descendant's branches of the family were accurate and definitive I do not know (I keep researching). Yet, all or most to Ella Sarah Ruth (Heath) Hamilton children either "registered" with the Laurentian Alliance of Metis, Inc. or with the Metis Nation of Ontario ca. mid- 1970's or 1980's, etc claiming they were Abenaki descendants. Ella (Heath) Hamilton even went so far as to create a genealogical journal of sorts (of which I have a duplicate of), in which were photographs of Metallak's grave in Colebrook, New Hampshire and the road-side monument sign as well when she took to trying to find out more about the New Hampshire relatives and ancestors. She said that the family was alleged related to Metallak, because she said her family was "Abenaki".

Therefore, when this question keeps coming up "repeatedly" that I have not shown or can not show ANY documentation that identifies my ancestor's descendant's as being "Abenaki," (simply because one assumes that one MUST be Abenaki before one can question another about being Abenaki) indeed YES, I do have documentation to show what I say, what MY ancestor's descendant's documented and say. Again, Abenaki descendants did not live in glass houses or live in isolation! The historical social documentation and familial genealogical evidence is out there regarding the legitimate Abenaki descendants. Our Ancestors did not leave us with nothing. For those who say that the paper documentation is unable to be found, like Charles Francis True Jr (i.e. that 95% percent of the Abenaki descendants do NOT have paper documentation to prove their heritage/ancestry) well, I beg to differ with that half baked theory of his. My research, and my evidence proves this out, right along with other researchers/ genealogists before me. IF a person can not and will not take up the responsibility and accountability to find the necessary substantiating documentation, photographs, newspaper articles, etc. to prove that they are Abenaki descendants, then it seems at least to me that very very likely their ancestors were telling "Grandma Said So" Stories (like Nancy Millette-Doucet and her buddy there, Howard Franklin Knight Jr.!) around the Thanksgiving dinner table to the grandchildren! It's a dynamic of who-wants-to-be-a- Pilgrim, when one can easily pretend-to-be-an-Abenaki-Chief or say they are an Abenaki Indian in Vermont and or New Hampshire, etc! Please pass the Turkey and the B.S.

Is my ancestral connections to the "Abenaki Ancestors" real or an illusion/ distortion/ delusion? I often question my ancestors and myself on this all the time. The answer is honestly that I don't know, but I sure as heck am not going around with NOTHING in my hand documentation-wise IF I were to decide to step in front of the Vermont or N.H. Governor/or Legislature, when I do say I am an Abenaki descendant; nor am I pretending that a DNA Test result is going to make me into an "Abenaki" either.....like some people you've read about in this blog! I also want to make it very clear that I am in possession of much more documentary information regarding my ancestors, and both oral audio taped interviews and photographically speaking too. No, my ancestors genealogical and social history is not somehow "S-A-C-R-E-D," nor do I feel the need to "hide" these documents away from review. Quite the contrary. I want them to be seen, and reviewed. I have questioned my own families alleged ancestral connections to the "Abenaki" and I realized from the very beginning of creating this blog that I have been addressing my own families dynamic's, just as much as I have everyone else's. With that said, "Anonymous" on this other blog called Abenaki Pride: Allegedly Setting The Record Straight, can go stuff their Turkey!

Now, onward......down the Yellow Brick Road of the Reinvented Alleged Abenakis of Vermont and New Hampshire!

P.S. Watch out you don't step on the Little People.

Just a little Step Backwards......This email got lost in the shuffle...

From: jannette perrigoue Subject: Fwd: Quiet
To: douglaslloydbuchholz@yahoo.com
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2008, 1:07 AM

--- In Olidahozi@yahoogroups.com, Jeanne Lincoln-Kent wrote: "Kwai, James Akerman? We are a little ahead of ourselves because of Howard F. Knight 's letter. I would rather wait until we see if we can get the amendment passed before doing any further negative campaigns. I am moderating one person (Jeannette) Douglas Buchholz's sister out in Kelso, WA to make certain those letters don't hit the fan. I know how much we all would like to settle matters with Paul Pouliot, but I do think the timing is poor. It just might make the senators run the other way again and let the amendment drop. It has already missed the cross over and it may just wind up sitting there and being dropped, so I hope you understand that we are at a delicate stage of this thing. It should all come to a decision one way or the other within a few weeks. I think we can wait until then. Jeanne Kent

So, back on April 19, 2008 Jeanne Kent of Winsted, CT was plotting and conspiring against Paul Wilson Pouliot; etc. as well as against my person!

THESE ALLEGED ABENAKI GROUPS AND PERSONS ARE AFRAID OF HAVING THEIR ACTUAL HISTORICAL RECORDS SHOWN, PROVIDED AND EXPOSED TO THE PUBLIC AND TO THE LEGISLSATURE/ GOVERNMENT OF VERMONT AND OR NEW HAMPSHIRE.

why?

Step 9 Forward Along the Yellow Brick Road of The Reinvented Abenakis of Vermont and New Hampshire:

 

Document 01: April 25, 1977. Indian Lecture Peaceful Despite Its Potential For Confrontation. Members of the alleged Vermont Abenaki tribe, Abenaki Confederation Chief Walter Watso, and representatives from the Vermont Sportsmen's Federation were on hand here Saturday to Gordon Day's lecture on "Culture of the Abenaki", yet the meeting was a peaceful one.

Walter Watso, who was appointed chief of the Sokoki, St. Francis, Becancour and Odenak bands of the reunited Abenakis Tribe, declared in a statement during the question session that the Abenaki had claim to more land than Day was allowing in his lecture. Day claimed tht he "would not be astonished" if that turned out to be true, be claimed as of this moment, they didn't have the actual evidence.

Document 02: May 16, 1977. Diversity of Indian interests expressed at final symposium. Abenaki tribal administrator Kent Ouimette struck out at the Vermont Governor's Office, the Press, and the Vermont Federation of Sportman's Clubs. Chairman of Humanities and Public Issues, Mrs. Oakes later expressed her "annoyance" and complained of a lack of a balanced presentation of the Abenaki issues. She said the speaker (Ouimette) attacked both the governor's office and the sportsmen's federation, and that those two groups should have been presented for rebuttal. But Jane R. Hanks, chairman of the Indian Heritage Committee and organizer of the month-long project, said that the whole presentation should not be judged by just one session--the only one attended by Mrs. Oakes. She said the Sportsmen's and Governor's viewpoints were presented at a session last month when ethnologist Gordon Day of Ottawa was the key speaker; he is considered the leading scholarly authority on the Abenakis.

Document 03: May 16, 1977 Page 15. Continuation of Document 02. Indian symposium. Kent Ouimette raised questions of aboriginal rights and of native rights of self- determination, which he said will be relevant to Vermont in the near future. Aboriginal land exists in New England he said, but it has not been fully identified. The Abenakis, Ouimette explained were a tribe of hunters and gatherers who had mixed with some of the early French explorers of Lake Champlain, so they did not "look like" other darker skinned tribes. They thus could be assimulated more easily. Yet those who kept their Indian identity found, when hard times struck Franklin County, Vermont in the 1960's, that they couldn't get any jobs. Unemployment among Abenakis grew to 60 to 75 percent, he said. After publicity surrounding the Wounded Knee incident, and the rising tide of Indian self-determination elsewhere, Abenakis began to re-emerge as a force in Vermont. Ouimette complained that Abenakis, who generally find work in seasonal construction jobs, are kept out of the cultural and social activities. When they re-emerged last year, he said, and there were hints that federal funds might be available, suddenly there were more Indians than anyone had imagined. So last January the tribe developed an enfranchisement procedure by which "legitimate" Abenakis were recognized. Based on genealogical records and the "gut" reaction of the tribe, members were either rejected, or accepted and given an identification card by a March 15, 1976 deadline. There are about 300 Abenakis thus identified, he said. Ouimette described the formal recognition extended last November by Gov. Thomas Salmon, and the revocation of that action January 29, 1977 by Governor Richard Snelling. "We really couldn't imagine the governor of Vermont being such a political animal that he would succumb to the strong pressures of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen," Ouimette said, "He did the easy thing," the Abenaki leader said, terming Snelling's move "executive genocide." The sportsmen's group is concerned about the Abenakis' request for unlimited hunting and fishing privileges, Ouimette said, complaining that the press, and in particular John Randolph's Vermont Sportsmen, had exaggerated the number of Indians that would be so privileged, and that the paper and other had "sensationalized" the situation. Ouimette siad there would be no more that 230 male Abenakis with these privileges. he noted that the Cree of Quebec have been given exclusive hunting and fishing rights. The Abenakis want only to be treated with "dignity and respect," Ouimette said. Asked what other goals the tribe has, he mentioned that they would like to change a reference to Indians i na textbook used in the Swanton school.

Document 04: June 29, 1977. Nashua Telegraph Newspaper. Vermont Head Of Abenaki Indians Reviews Situation. "With the help of a genealogist, lines of descent and backgrounds are being traced. With more than 326 Indians already identified, Ouimette estimates the total Abenaki population in northern Vermont will peak at about 500. What it comes down to is this, Ouimette says. We'd like to win the next war. And we'd like to do it with Springfield rifles if that's what the other side is using. The battle has begun. The Abenakis are arming themselves, not with rifles, but with grant proposals. They are negotiating for their future.

Document 05: October 22, 1977. Montpelier Memo. Dessent: newest foe of Abenaki rights. Political dissent is considered a healthy aspect of the American democratic system, but it can have a disasterous effect on minority groups who must be unified for their cause....But a recent political split with the tribe, which appears irreconcilable at this point, will surely not make matters any easier. Kent Ouimette, who had helped St. Francis oust Wayne Hoague, himself decided to split off from St. Francis’s group. He left his position as administrator of the St. Francis band and joined the “Missisquoi Council,” headed by Chief Arthur ‘Bill’ Seymour (Burlington Free Press 10/21/1977). Ouimette wrote to Governor Snelling, saying, "Some of us have found that the present governmental structure of the St. Francis band is incapable of protecting the constitutional rights of the individual, to say nothing of aboriginal rights." (Burlington Free Press 10/21/1977). In fact three of the original organizers broke off in 1977 to form separate groups claiming to represent Vermont Abenakis (Wiseman 2001:157). In 1979, another dissenter, Richard Phillips, also broke away and formed a separate group, The Eastern Woodlands Band of the Abenaki Nation (Petition:131). On September 13, 1977, Homer St. Francis, chief of the Abenaki Tribal Council, fired Kent Ouimette from his job as administrator of the council. Both Homer St. Francis and Kent Ouimette agree that the firing was due to "internal politics," but that is apparently all they find in common about the sistuation. A group of Indians then began to discuss "alternatives," and on September 28, 1977 Ouimette said he recieved a letter from Homer St. Francis that he had been "banished" from the Abenaki Indian Nation of Vermont. He said he was told he had 30 days in which to appeal. Ouimette said he considered the banishment a "joke", because he said there was no explanation given, nor is there an provisioin with thin the Abenaki laws which allows for the exile, or banishment, of any member. "It's like being banished from your race," he said. Subsequently, a number of Indians formed the Missisquoi Band of the Abenaki Nation, and chose Ouimette as their spokesman. Again, like I said before on this blog, its like a "Herpes Virus syndrome type dynamic" that keeps happening. "Groups" which Incorporate, disagreements happen, the "Group" which Incorporated, and another split-off "Group" of alleged Abenakis create another "Inc." "We considered the leadership of the other tribe to be a power hungry mob, a dictatorship," he said. "We had to have an alternative for the Abenakis to maintain their identity without being subordinate to an oppressive government." Ouimette said he may have been banished because he was considered "dangerous" since has said he often objected to the council's politics and was "the most public person." However, Ouimette said the banishment was indicative of any number of incidents which led to his disillusionment with the Abenaki Tribal Council. Homer St. Francis and his group, however, claim they are the only legitimate leaders of the Abenaki Indians in Vermont. At a meeting this week with the Indian Affairs Commission, Homer St. Francis produced a statement from Abenaki Chief Walter Watso of the Odanak reserve in Quebec. Walter Watso said that only St. Francis group represented the "true" Abenaki Indians of Vermont. Kent Ouimette, however, said Walter Watso was only interferring with the internal politics of another tribe, and had no authority to declare who was a true Abenaki. According to Ouimette, the main differences between the groups are their attitudes. He said the Abenaki Tribal Council has a more "vindictive" approach. "We're more concerned with restitution that retribution. We're not interested in getting even with society."

Document 06: October 26, 1977 Bennington Banner Newspaper Page 07. Abenakis Accuse Snelling. Vermont's Abenaki Tribal Council has accused Gov. Richard Snelling of trying to make political hay by pitting Indians against Indians. In a statement released Tuesday, the council said the Abenaki Indian Nation has 400 to 450 members--not the 200 that Snelling has estimated. The council also said there are 1,700 Indians in the entire state. The council and the governor have been at odds over whether the Indians are getting enough help from federal authorities. Snelling has said the Abenakis are doing well in getting federal assistance, but the council says the governor is trying to take political advantage of dissension among Indian leaders.

Step 8 Forward Along the Yellow Brick Road of The Reinvented Abenakis of Vermont and New Hampshire:

Document 01: March 17, 1977. Abenakis laugh at notion of a hearing. The governor Richard Snelling explained, "The Vermont approach to the claims of certain people representing themselves as alleged Abenakis has far greater consequences that just hunting and fishing. They claim to be a nation. They demand sovereignty, and for the tribal council to be recognized as the government of that nation. A governor does not dispense sovereignty, period." He continued, "I have not been able to find out how one gets on the tribal council or how to get to be an official Abenaki. There are some 136 card-carrying members and they decide who's in and who's out." Snelling then read the demands made in a letter to the tribal council. One called for the council to have the right to remove or appoint members of the governor's Commission for Indian Affairs. The other demand was for removal of Wayne Hoague from the Commission. Snelling said a public hearing would be held April 08, 1977 in Swanton to determine "how many alleged Abenakis there are in the state, who determines which people are allegedly Abenakis, a list of all the names and addresses of alleged Abenakis, whether the tribal council is a corporation and whether it has by-laws, and what is being done to protect the rights of those claiming to be allegedly Abenakis but not recognized by the tribal council." Tribal administrator Kent Ouimette reportedly responded to the idea of a hearing by laughing. He said it would be absurd for the alleged Abenakis to have to prove before a commission how much indian blood they have. "We gave up bleeding for people a long time ago," he said. Ouimette added that "even the FBI and CIA do not have a list of all Abenaki names and addresses." Asked about the Abenakis claim to land along the Missisquoi River, Snelling responded: "When they told me the land was given to them by God, I told them I couldn't find where God had registered the deed."

Document 02: March 18, 1977 Page 14 Bennington Banner Newspaper. Abenakis petition Snelling , charge 'racism' toward tribe. "The Abenaki Support Committee handed Snelling a four-count citizen's indictment, charging him with racism toward the Indians. The Committee want the order  (that Gov. Thomas Salmon signed) reinstated. In addition, they said the state's Commission of Indian Affairs, Wayne Hoague, is "antagonistic and unacceptable to the government of the alleged Abenaki people."

Document 03: March 18, 1977 Page 19 Berkshire Eagle Newspaper. Abenaki Indians demand state recognition. Pretty much the same content as Docuemnt 2.

Document 04: April 05, 1977 Berkshire Eagle Newspaper, Massachusetts. Program on Indians to open in Bennington. "And Homer St. Francis , Abenaki Tribal Council Chairman, and Kent Ouimette, Abenaki tribal administrator, will talk about "The Abenaki of Vermont".

Document 05: April 15, 1977. Lecturer will discuss Abenakis' culture. Dr. Gordon Day, who will speak in Bennington, Vermont on April 23, 1977, is a student of the Abenaki Indian culture in Vermont. Day, senior ethnologist for eastern Canada with the National Institute of Man in Ottawa, will address the annual membership meeting Saturday, April 23, 1977 of the Bennington League of Women Voters.

Step 7 Forward Along The Yellow Brick Road of the Reinvented Abenakis of Vermont and New Hampshire:

Document 01: January 29, 1977 Page 01 Bennington Banner Newspaper. Snelling Withdraws Abenaki Recognition. "Gov. Richard Snelling Friday withdrew the state's formal recognition of a special council that claims to represent the alleged Abenaki Indian tribe. Snelling's action revoked a Thanksgiving Eve proclamation by then Gov. Thomas Salmon recognizing the status of the Abenaki Tribal Council. Snelling said he had asked Salmon not to issue the order and had told him he would not feel obligated by it after he took office. At an unscheduled news conference Friday, Snelling told reporters the Abenaki Tribal Council is a private organization that represents possibly only one tenth of the people in Vermont with an Abenaki heritage. He also objects to singling out the Abenakis for special treatment by granting their request for unrestricted hunting and fishing rights in the state."

Document 02: February 02, 1977. 2nd part of a article regarding Vermont Governor Richard Snelling. "On another matter, Snelling said the alleged Abenaki Indians are still eligble for federal funds despite his revocatioin of the state's formal recognition of the tribe's special council. Last week Snelling withdrew the recognition given by former Gov. Thomas Salmon to the Abenaki Tribal Council, saying the governor does not have the right to grant recognition to the Abenakis as a nation or tribal council. He said if the Indians have the right to recognition, they can enforce it in court, and if not, they should work through the legislature to obtain it. A new executive order issued by Snelling on January 28, 1977 creates a five-member Vermont Commmission for Indian Affairs. Unlike the former order, it does not give the Abenaki Council authority to appoint members to the commission.

Document 03: February 22, 1977 Page 03 Bennington Banner Newspaper. Panel on Indian Rights called Feb. 26 at UVM. "A public forum on Abenaki Indian hunting and fishing rights will be held at the University of Vermont on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m. in Benedict Auditorium, Marsh Life Sciences Building. The panel for the forum will consist of members of the Vermont Abenaki Tribal Council, Chief Walter Watso of all Abenakis from Odanak, and a member of the Becancour Band Council. Dr. William A. Haviland, chairman of the anthropology department, will moderate. A few of the sponsors from the forum include the anthropology department , sociology department and student anthropology club at UVM."

Document 04: March 01, 1977 Page 03 Bennington Banner Newspaper. Abenakis say food, not sport, is motivation. "Abenaki Indian leaders say their efforts to extend hunting and fishing rights are not for sport but for food and preservation of their culture. We don't hunt for sport, we hunt for food, " said Kent Ouimette. Speaking at the University of Vermont, Ronald Cannes, an Abenaki and representative of the American Indian Movement, said Saturday the Indians' request for unrestricted hunting and fishing rights means unrestricted by the state. The Abenaki Tribal Council would regulate the Indians' hunting and fishing, he said. Last month, Gov. Richard Snelling rescinded an executive order by former Gov. Thomas Salmon which awarded official recognition to the Abenaki Tribal Council. Both Caans and Ouimette said the Abenakis' right to fish and hunt were given by their "Creator." In a related development, House Speaker Timothy O'Conner, D-Brattleboro, called Sunday for an investigation into Abenaki claims and demands. O'Conner warned against granting special treatment to the alleged tribe without first conducting a probe to determine the validity of the claims. He said granting special privileges would "open a Pandora's box" of similar claims against the state. His position was backed by four other legislators, including House Fish and Game Chairman Ernest Earle, R-Eden.

Document 05: March 15, 1977 Page 11. Outsight ~ Hatchery story. "Snelling speaking to the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs at Randolph, disclosed for the first that he considered former Gov. Thomas Salmon's recognition of the alleged Abenaki Indians to be a violation of a governor's powers. Snelling said a governor's job is to implement law and that he has no power to make it. Snelling said the people of northern Vermont who were claiming to be Indians were actually claiming the right to become a seperate nation. The governor said his office does not have the power to endow any group with nationhood. That end must be sough by the alleged Indians through the court or the Vermont Legislature."

Snelling said he will seek answers from the Indians at the first meeting of the newly created Indian Commission in Swanton on April 06, 1977. At that meeting, he said he will seek to discover how many Abenakis there are in Vermont and how they are authenticated as bonefide Indians. He said he will also seek to determine how the rights of minorities are assured within the group which claims to be the Abenakis ruling council. The governor indicated emphatically that he will ignore attempts by the Abenakis Tribal Council to dictate members of the Indian Commission and to have one of its "Indian" members thrown off. Wayne Hoag, a man who claims to be an Abenaki, and a former head of the Abenakis Tribal Council, has been rejected by the Tribal Council now, both as a member of the Indian Commission and as a member of the alleged Abenaki tribe. Another tribal official said Sunday that Hoag's genealogy was suspicious and there was doubt now that he was in fact an Abenaki. Hoag has charged the Abenakis Tribal Council with undemocratic procedures and unexplained use of federal funds. IN CONNECTION with the alleged Abenakis' claims to having inherited Vermont from God, Snelling observed that he has not been able to find the recorded deed.

Step 6 Forward Along The Yellow Brick Road of the Reinvented Abenakis of Vermont and New Hampshire:

Document 01: December 29, 1976 Page 27 in the Berkshire Eagle Newspaper. Governor Thomas Salmon hits Richard Snelling on Indian statement. "Last week Richard Snelling said it could be considered a form of 'racism' to grant special privileges to the state's alleged Abenaki Indians. Tuesday, Gov. Thomas Salmon said Snelling's choice of words was "highly ill-chosen." At a news conference, on of his last before leaving office next week, Salmon defended his proclamation setting up an Indian Affairs Commission. The panel, he said will provide "an orderly framework to consider the alleged Abenakis problems and complaints. The governor urged Snelling to read the proclamation carefully before deciding whether to abolish the commission, which he threatened to do last week. The alleged Abenakis, Salmon said, could gain by "the symbolism of recognition" conferred by the proclamation.

January 03, 1977: Appendix C. of The Original Vermonters by Haviland and Power. Odanak and Becancour (Wolinak) Abenaki Band Council Resolution of 1977 do hereby resolve "That we, the Abenakis of Odanak and Becancour, recognize the Band Council of the St. Francis and Sokoki Bands of Abenakis in the State of Vermont and their duly elected successors as the legal government of the Abenaki Nation of Vermont, and we recognize the Tribal Chairman or his designate and his duly elected successor as the representative and spokesman for the Abenakis of the State of Vermont. Signed by Odanak Band Council Walter Watso; Jean Marie Sadaques; Louise O'bomsawin; Jacques Gill; Rita Nolet. From Becancour (Wolinak) the same persons were signers as the document on August 20, 1976. This document was recieved on this date January 08, 1977 from Chief Walter Watso by hand at Swanton, Vermont by Homer St. Francis. On this, the 10th day of January, A.D. 1977, personally appeared Homer St. Francis and acknowledged the foregoing instrument to be his free act and deed. Signed by Kent Ouimette, Notary Public. Also in the Haviland and Power book entitled The Original Vermonts; Native Inhabitants Past and Present see page 257 at the photograph. Was this or the one signed in August 20, 1976 actually legal or ratified by the Band Councils of Odanak or Wolinak?

Document 02: January 13, 1977 Page 10 Bennington Banner. Abenakis get federal grant. "Vermont's alleged Abenaki Indians apparently have started reaping the benefits of offical state recognition, bestowed on them in November 1976 by then Gov. Thomas Salmon. Salmon's actions paved the way for the alleged Abenakis to recieve a $30,000.00 federal grant from the Community Services Administration, formerly the Office of Economic Opprotunity, to establish a food cooperative for low-income Indian families, spokesment said. ASHAI. Gov. Richard Snelling has questioned Salmon's decision to recognize the alleged Abenakis and establish an Indian Affairs Commission to study their problems. Snelling has hinted he might rescind Salmon's order."

Document 03: January 19, 1977 Page 09. Abenaki grant protested. "A former member of the Abenaki Tribal Council is trying to block a $30,000.00 federal grant the alleged tribe has recieved to set up a food cooperative for low-income Indian families. In a complaint to Gov. Richard Snelling, Wayne Hoague charged the Tribal Council is secretive and has not told tribal members how the money will be spent. The grant was awarded recently from the Community Services Administration, formerly the Office of Economic Opprotunity. Wayne Hoague and two other Abenakis dropped out of tribal matters last week to protest what they felt were unwarranted complaints by some Indians against Swanton police, stemming from a street brawl in December 1976." SEE and READ this link's content: http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=820.10;wap2 On page 103 (of the Summary under the Criteria for the Proposed Finding on the St. Francis/Sokoki Band of Abenakis of Vermont, prepared in response to a petition submitted to the Associate Deputy Secretary for Federal acknowledgement

that this group does not exist as an Indian Tribe Appoved on November 09, 2005 by James E. Cason, Associate Deputy Secretary of the Interior) it states, "The first chairman of ASHAI, Wayne Hoague, served only a few months before he resigned. The reason or reasons for his resignation are not entirely clear, but Hoague may have objected to actions taken by some members of the group to "reclaim" the land where a monument erected in honor of the first Jesuit mission to the Abenakis stood (SSA 1982.10.00 Petition, 105). Other information indicates Hoague was also unhappy with the actions of council members Homer St. Francis, Ronnie Cannes, and Kent Ouimette, particularly the filing of harassment charges against the police with Cannes acting as the "Attorney General" for the group (Abenaki Council Ex-member 1997.01.07, 1). Upon his resignation, Homer St. Francis assumed the position of Chairman, and when the group formed the actual "Abenaki Tribal Council" in late 1976, St. Francis was the first leader listed in 1977.
In 1977, Chief Homer St. Francis threatened to kick people out of the tribe. Wayne Hoague, the first chief of the reconstituted Abenaki Tribal Council, filed a complaint with the State about the tribe’s mishandling of funds. According to the Burlington Free Press: In his complaint, Hoague said, “People who are card holding members (of the tribe) are being told by Homer St. Francis (present Tribal Council chairman) that if they don’t like the way things are being done he will take their Indian cards away.” (Burlington Free Press 1/17/1977). Chief St. Francis’s method of dealing with Hoague was repeated in his treatment of another political opponent ten years later, as seen in the following news report of a tribal meeting: There were allegations of misuse of funds and power tossed back and forth. One voice could be heard to say: “The bylaws say if the chief or anyone else is a nuisance, you can throw him out.” Another voice, this one female, yelled: “Throw Joan (St. Pierre).” Someone apparently made a motion to that effect. The screamed yeas and nays sounded of equal volume but St. Francis announced that St. Pierre had just been kicked out of the tribe. (Rutland Herald 11/2/1987; compare Burlington Free Press 5/1977). This was not simply ouster from a meeting; a year later, Joan St. Pierre was not allowed to vote at an Abenaki election, because, according to Homer St. Francis, she had been “thrown out of the tribe” (Burlington Free Press 10/10/1988).
There is also a significant question as to whether the mid-1970s Abenaki Tribal Council was a voluntary membership organization or the governing body of a pre-existing tribal structure. Jane Baker described the Tribal Council as a “two year old membership organization” that issues cards “verify[ing] that the holder is an Abenaki Indian or descendant of Abenakis” (Baker 1976:11). She reported to Governor Salmon in 1976 that there were 1700 Abenakis in Vermont. However, she also stated there were only 400 card-carrying members (Baker 1976:11). Thus the Abenaki Tribal Council could not even count as members a quarter of the individuals claiming Abenaki heritage. Moreover, Wayne Hoague, the first chair of the Abenaki Tribal Council, stated in 1977 that there were only 176 adult voting members of the group, plus 120 children (Hoague 1/12/1977). In the 1970’s support and membership in the petitioner’s organization was not widespread. Even the petitioner concedes that the creation of a governing body for the group was artificial and unnatural: Families and individuals long accustomed to taking care of themselves have only gradually come to reckon with the Tribal Council as a significant factor in their lives. (Petition:126).
During the first time period that Homer St. Francis was chief, Wayne Hoague charged that leaders of the tribe were secretive and that tribe members were not told how the federal money is being spent. (Burlington Free Press 1/17/1977; Hoague 1/12/1977). As a result of Hoague’s criticisms, he was ostracized from the St. Francis/Sokoki Abenaki organization. Not only did Chief Homer St. Francis and Kent Ouimette obtain his removal from the Governor’s Commission on Indian Affairs, but they denied him membership in the tribe. This was reported by Mrs. Hoague: When her husband reapplied for tribal membership—which requires a card issued by the council—“they replied he couldn’t prove he was Indian.” Mrs. Hoague said. “How can they say he’s not an Abenaki if the rest of them are all related to him?” she asked. (Burlington Free Press 5/1977). 154 Mrs. Hoague charged in 1977 that Homer St. Francis was elected “tribal chairman” in an election that was not widely publicized to Abenaki members. She said, “St. Francis was elected tribal chairman by the St. Francises, who were the only ones informed of the meeting” (Burlington Free Press 5/1977). Wayne Hoague also complained that several people were named to positions of authority to represent the Abenaki Tribal Council without ever being voted on by the membership (Hoague 1/12/1977).
Kent Ouimette, who had helped Homer W. St. Francis oust Wayne Hoague, himself decided to split off from St. Francis’s group. He left his position as administrator of the St. Francis band and joined the “Missisquoi Council,” headed by Chief Arthur ‘Bill’ Seymour (Burlington Free Press 10/21/1977). Ouimette wrote to Governor Richard Snelling, saying, "Some of us have found that the present governmental structure of the St. Francis band is incapable of protecting the constitutional rights of the individual, to say nothing of aboriginal rights. "(Burlington Free Press 10/21/1977). In fact three of the original organizers broke off in 1977 to form separate groups claiming to represent Vermont Abenakis (Wiseman 2001:157). In 1979, another dissenter, Richard Phillips, also broke away and formed a separate group, The Eastern Woodlands Band of the Abenaki Nation (Petition:131). 155 Homer St. Francis only stepped down as chief in 1980 when he had to serve a jail sentence (Burlington Free Press 9/13/1987).

Now, remember these names within this post, as they will be spoken about in the future "Steps", down this so-called "Yellow Brick Road of the Reinvented Abenaki of Vermont and New Hampshire".