Elnu Abenaki Tribe

Elnu Abenaki Tribe
Elnu Abenaki Incorporated
Formation2020 (Elnu Abenaki Incorporated)[1]
Founded atBrattleboro, Vermont[1]
Typestate-recognized tribe, nonprofit organizations
EIN 84-3882521[1]
Legal statusarts, culture, and humanities nonprofit; charity[1]
PurposeA23: Cultural, Ethnic Awareness[1]
HeadquartersJamaica, Vermont
Location
Membership60[2] (2016)
Official language
English
Websiteelnuabenakitribe.org

The Elnu Abenaki Tribe is a state-recognized tribe in Vermont,[3] who claim descent from Abenaki people. They are not federally recognized as a Native American tribe.[3] Vermont has no federally recognized tribes.[3] They are the smallest of Vermont's four state-recognized tribes with 60 members in 2016.[2]

Leadership

Elnu Abenaki Chief Roger Longtoe Sheehan, 2009

Roger Longtoe Sheehan served as chief since at least 2016.[2]

State recognition

Vermont recognized the Elnu Abenaki Tribe as a state-recognized tribe in 2011.[4] The other state-recognized tribes in Vermont are the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, Koasek Abenaki Tribe, and the Mississquoi Abenaki Tribe.[3]

Nonprofit organization

In 2020, the group created 'Elnu Abenaki Incorporated, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, based in Brattleboro, Vermont.[1] Their registered agent is Rich Holshuh.[5]

Heritage

St. Mary's University associate professor Darryl Leroux's genealogical and historical research found that the members of this and the other three state-recognized tribes in Vermont were composed primarily of "French descendants who have used long-ago ancestry in New France to shift into an 'Abenaki' identity."[4]

The State of Vermont reported in 2002 that the Abenaki people migrated north to Quebec at the end of the 18th century.[6]

Activities

They participate in Abenaki Heritage Weekend, held at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vermont.[7]

Property tax

Vermont H.556, "An act relating to exempting property owned by Vermont-recognized Native American tribes from property tax," passed on April 20, 2022.[8]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Elnu Abenaki Incorporated". Cause IQ. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Evancie, angela (November 4, 2016). "Abenaki Native Americans In Vermont Today?". Brave Little State. Vermont Public News. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Federal and State Recognized Tribes". National Conference of State Legislatures. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b Darryl Leroux, Distorted Descent, page 246.
  5. ^ "Elnu Abenaki Incorporated". TaxExemptWorld. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  6. ^ Dillon, John (20 March 2002). "State Says Abenaki Do Not Have "Continuous Presence"". Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  7. ^ "2019 Abenaki Heritage Weekend". Crazy Crow. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  8. ^ "H.556". Vermont General Assembly. Retrieved 10 May 2022.

References