A Letter of Rectification to the UVM Administration

Following is the full text of an open letter written by Jeffrey Benay, Ed. D., (Director of Indian Education at Franklin Northwest Supervisory Union (VT) and Member and past Chair of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs) and sent to the Offices of UVM President Suresh Garimella, Ph. D., University Provost Patricia Prelock, Ph. D., and Chair of the Board of Trustees Ron Lumbra. Shared with permission.

June 27th, 2022

Hello,

On April 29th, I sat in the audience of the "Beyond Borders" presentation. Several of us with ties to Missisquoi wanted to learn how a once strong and viable relationship had denigrated into something vastly different. Unfortunately, the morning's diatribe had little to do with shifting political ideology. Rather, it was an all-out assault on the four State-Recognized tribes in Vermont, with an overt attack on Missisquoi not for the faint of heart. In particular, Jacques Watso and Mali Obomsawin were cruel and mocking in their caricature of the Missisquoi community. Quite frankly, I was stunned by their remarks' callousness and outraged by the inaccuracies and outright lies they put forth. For the record, Missisquoi has always maintained a formidable genealogy office, as the tribe knew to be competitive in their submission of a Federal recognition petition, they needed to be as accurate as possible when submitting membership documents. The Abenaki Research Project, funded for several years by the Administration of Native Americans ( ANA ), hired certified genealogists to staff the project.

While some Missisquoi citizens voiced their displeasure about needing more documentation, everyone knew it was to strengthen the tribe's petition. A letter mailed in 1995 to all Missisquoi members said the following:

The Nation has hired certified genealogists in order to facilitate acceptance by the Federal Government. In some instances, the genealogists have requested documents before they will certify the Abenaki heritage (October 1995)

One gross distortion, in particular, that supposedly transpired over forty years ago must be addressed. According to the Odanak representatives, the late Chief Homer St. Francis was known to "sell memberships for the price of a drink." This is an outright lie that has absolutely no place in any discourse, certainly not one sponsored by a University that purports to a standard of truth and academic rigor. A rogue Abenaki who belonged to no tribe did sell membership cards to anyone who would buy him a drink. His creation, the "Green Mountain Boys", was ephemeral. Anyone familiar with Missisquoi would have dismissed this claim as the specious lie and preposterous rumor that it was. Instead, the University allowed visitors from over the border to spread this "fake news" without any evidence or counterargument from scholars and members of Missisquoi themselves.

Just as upsetting was how Watso and Obomsawin claimed that Missisquoi stole Odanak's culture. A healthy relationship existed between the two for decades. Governor Richard Snelling rescinded the State Recognition granted to the Missisquoi Abenaki on Thanksgiving Day, 1976, by then Governor Thomas Salmon. On January 22nd, 1977, Snelling rescinded recognition, saying, "I asked the Abenaki how they acquired land. They told me that the Creator granted it, and I asked them where He registered the deed." This disrespect and sarcasm, which accompanied Snelling's abrupt decision, devastated Missisquoi. It would take another thirty-three years for Missisquoi to regain VT State Recognition. In the meantime, Missisquoi lacked any formal relationships with other tribes and Native organizations. Odanak first issued a tribal proclamation recognizing its Vermont brothers and sisters. The Abenaki Nation at Missisquoi began a cultural exchange as many Vermont Abenaki wanted to visit the Odanak reservation and tribal museum. Of note was the relationship between Chief Homer St. Francis of Missisquoi and Chief Walter Watso of Odanak. As the Missisquoi leadership realized very few remaining Elders spoke its native tongue, they turned to Odanak where the legendary traditional speaker Cecile Wawanolet lived with her son Eli Joubert. A cultural exchange began with Cecile and Eli traveling every Saturday to give children and adult members of Missisquoi language lessons. Wawanolet, an Odanak Elder, was very concerned that no one on her reservation was interested in speaking conversational Abenaki. Initially, she wanted to accept no payment for her services as she was satisfied knowing Missisquoi would keep the language alive. In a manner that was respectful to ari Elder, Missisquoi paid Wawanocet $150 per lesson, with an additional $150 per trip paid to Eli for travel expenses. At that time, the fees were very generous, yet Missisquoi considered them appropriate.

This relationship between Missisquoi and Odanak was only strengthened when Chief St. Francis, in conversation with other Native leaders, decided to name his friend and mentor Chief Walter Watso the "Grand Chief." There was nothing but love and respect afforded to the people of Odanak from those of Missisquoi. The revisionist rantings by Jacques Watso and Mali Obomsawin have no grounding in the actual history of events and relationships from over four decades past. Yet what about the University of Vermont ( UVM ) wanting to host an event that was sure to stir controversy? A college that had for years worked tirelessly to apologize for its role in the infamous Eugenics Survey of the 1920s and 1930s now saw organizers from the Canadian History department willing to risk so much when they should have been more sensitive to the topic at hand. This event's organizers did not vet Jacques and Mali. These two have been spewing their toxic rhetoric for years. The Wabanaki Confederacy and the Odanak leadership have refused to support or endorse their extremist views. Yet, the University of Vermont's Canadian History department decided to overlook these cautionary signs and allow Jacques and Mali an audience. In an era of "clickbait," "fake news," and radical extremism spreading rapidly across the internet, one might have hoped that UVM would exercise greater discretion and balance.

The Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, on which I serve, invited Professor David Massell to a meeting so he could explain his thinking in creating this "symposium." Massell dissembled from the start. The minutes of the meeting are available for your review. He told the Commission this was to be an informative session. Please know that at the very time he was meeting with us, he was distributing symposium posters all over campus. Very clearly, the posters stated the members of Odanak refused to acknowledge that the Vermont Abenaki were valid Native representatives. Thus, Massell paid lip service to the Vermont Abenaki while spreading false and unsupported allegations against the very group he was speaking to.

When UVM professors William Haviland and Marjorie Powers wrote their seminal book, "The Original Vermonters" in 1981, these highly respected and well-credentialed scholars had collaborated on their research with Missisquoi leadership for years. No one has ever questioned the text's accuracy or veracity. The continuous presence of the Vermont Abenaki became widely accepted by Vermont's academic community. When Missisquoi strategized differently after Governor Snelling rescinded recognition, the leadership chose a judicial route to State Recognition. To hear its case, Missisquoi chose a route that would land them in court.

Thus, the Missisquoi community turned out for a "fish in," an act of civil disobedience that would end up with 77 members cited by Fish and Wildlife wardens for fishing without licenses. "Eliot v State of Vermont" became a much-observed court case where Missisquoi had to prove a claim to aboriginal hunting and fishing rights. With the support of pro bona lawyers, anthropologists, and other academics, Missisquoi mounted a spirited defense. In the years to come, the case garnered national and international interest. The State of Vermont took a highly questionable yet gutsy offensive. When Missisquoi finished its testimony, Howard VanBenthysen, then Franklin County's State's Attorney, said the state believed the Abenaki had failed to prove its case. Thus, the state rested without calling a single witness. In every lower court decision, the Abenaki won their case. Vermont's legendary judges, Joseph Wolchek and Frank Mahady, ruled in favor of the Abenaki. Aboriginal hunting and fishing had been painstakingly proven, and in decisions that exceeded 200 pages, each judge affirmed the Abenaki claim. Aboriginal rights for Missisquoi were proven in court. The Missisquoi felt this decision would finally lead to judiciary state recognition. I take the time to explicate here because the Missisquoi leadership had proven beyond doubt their continuous presence in Vermont for over 10,000 years. Without substantial funds to mount their case, Missisquoi put together the pro bona services of some of Vermont's best legal minds. While Vermont's executive and legislative leaders feared recognition would lead to land claims and casinos, Missisquoi Abenaki were only interested in their rights. This was not a mission of greed, it was a mission for social justice and equity.

Unfortunately for the Abenaki, when the State failed in every lower court, it finally appealed to the State Supreme Court, where the Abenaki lost. Once more thwarted in its attempts of securing State Recognition, Missisquoi was shattered. Realizing that legislative recognition was now the only route left to them, Missisquoi leadership realized this effort would take several years as there was virtually no support for the tribe among Vermont legislators. Therefore, the leadership now turned to the social service and educational arenas where the tribe had suffered tremendous inequities.

Indeed, historical data tells us that no Vermonters were more marginalized than the Abenaki. In 1980, a comprehensive needs assessment found that 31.7% of the Abenaki households were classified as "low income," according to Health and Human Services (HHS) guidelines. Another 37.3% were classified as "very low income." Still another 10.8% could not be grouped accurately due to a lack of specificity about actual income. This group occupied a range between low and very low income. Income in Missisquoi Abenaki households came from a variety of sources. Working families whose income came solely from employment comprised about 31% of the population. 69% received some form of public support. Nearly 40% of the Abenaki families had no income from employment ( Abenaki Self-Help Association, 1981 ).

While these statistics were gathered for a 1980 needs assessment, the 1990 census (Vermont State Data Center, 1990) was consistent with the grim portrait of the 1980 figures. In Franklin County, the per capita income for Native Americans was $7,846. This compared with $11,777 among non-Indians. 25% of Franklin County Native Americans lived below the poverty level, compared to 10% of non-Native residents.  Here it is noteworthy that Swanton and Highgate, two of the largest towns in Franklin County, are the ancestral homeland of the Missisquoi Abenaki. Economic concerns, so salient in these decades, remain a concern for Missisquoi leadership today. Concomitant education figures revealed that only 34% of Native heads of household had either a high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma ( GED ). Nearly 16% left school between the ninth and twelfth grades, while 50% left school before the eighth grade ( Abenaki Self-Help Association, 1981•• ).

Through the hard work of Missisquoi and a willingness to partner with Vermont agencies and nonprofits, employment and education statistics for the tribe have improved significantly in the past 40 years. Still, the community remains marginalized. There is a reason why the University of Vermont has engaged in numerous initiatives with Missisquoi. When wanting to confront social justice and equity issues, UVM has often turned to the tribe. The University has been a reliable partner in working with Missisquoi to ameliorate the dire socio-economic conditions and has supported Missisquoi in its quest for continuous improvement. For example, in 1981, fewer than 5% of graduating Missisquoi students went to college. Faced with grim education statistics, Missisquoi leadership realized it had to develop a continuum of educational support services. As a non-reservation rural tribe, there was but a single Federal program the tribe could turn to. Title IV of the Indian Education Act of 1972 provided competitive grants through the Federal Department of Education. The comprehensive needs assessment referred to above was developed by an Adelphi School of Social Work graduate student as his final project. Thus, Missisquoi and Adelphi began an important relationship before UVM had yet started its own Social Work program. One of the education questions asked of respondents was whether they had accessed the State of Vermont's Adult Basic Education Program located in St. Albans, a mere six miles south of Swanton. While hundreds of community members indicated a need for basic reading and writing skills and GED tutoring, only four Missisquoi community members accessed the State program. Reasons including transportation, intimidation, childcare, and perceived cultural differences were cited as barriers. Thus the nascent educational offering of Missisquoi was an adult literacy initiative. As the State of Vermont did not offer public kindergarten until 1986, Missisquoi families had no access to high-quality early education programs. The tribe applied for another Federal Indian Education grant and secured funding to open a preschool and kindergarten for their youngest members. Thus, the continuum of services began to take shape with education offered to preschool and adult education students. Still, leadership was alarmed by the dropout rate and knew it needed to do more. A possible source of funding was identified through the Federal Department of Education that was aimed at "academic, cultural, and parental empowerment." In order to apply for these funds, 'Missisquoi would need to partner with a local school system to serve as the "LEA" (local education agency). An historical agreement was reached between the Missisquoi Tribal Council and the Board of the Franklin Northwest Supervisory Union (FNWSU). The FNWSU would provide fiscal services, while an Abenaki Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) would manage hiring, provision of educational and cultural services, and the day-to-day operations of the programs funded by the grant.

At times, the partnership was tense. When Missisquoi leaders approached the local high school, where 34% of the student body were identified as Abenaki, the principal stated, "Over my dead body are you going to work with these johnny-come-lately welfare bums." While he was replaced shortly after, the damage had been done. Many of the non-Indigenous students also questioned the legitimacy of the tribe, taunting Abenaki students that the State of Vermont didn't even recognize them, so they could not possibly be "real" Indians. This overt racism only jumpstarted the Missisquoi leadership to use new resources to benefit its children. Missisquoi started an Abenaki Youth Group, which grew into the current "Circle of Courage" after-school program; offered in-school counseling for high school students; and made academic tutoring available to all eligible children.

In turning to the cultural needs of Missisquoi children, one ramification of the Eugenics movement, which had targeted several Franklin County Missisquoi members, was that several Missisquoi Abenaki hid their heritage, and pieces of cultural and linguistic history were lost.

Through the PAC, efforts were being made to capture and revive the cultural legacy of the aboriginal residents of the Swanton-Highgate homeland. In doing so, folks sometimes turned to their brothers and sisters at Odanak, which freely shared its songs, dance, crafts, and language. After all, the "border" separating Missisquoi from Odanak was always considered a remnant of the European occupiers. The Vermont and Canadian Abenaki frequently shared their cultures. Competition was never an issue; indeed, cooperation and collaboration were hallmarks of a healthy exchange.

Thus, Missisquoi helped turn from the shame and secrecy of the Eugenics era to a new time of pride in its Abenaki ancestry. Administrators began to visit from the University of Vermont.

Linda Kraemer, Director of Admissions; Keith Miser, Dean of Students; and Barry Mansfield, Living and Learning Coop Director, initiated visits to the PAC. As none of the parents had attended college, there was a certain suspiciousness toward these early outreach efforts. After all, these were representatives from the same institution that had sent Henry Perkins to sterilize their relatives. Soon, however, the UVM visitors convinced the Abenaki of their sincerity. These remarkable administrators said they wanted the Missisquoi community to better familiarize itself with college life and the possibilities that UVM could offer Abenaki youth. The UVM administrators said that while Abenaki attendance at the University would no doubt please them, their primary focus was to interest Abenaki students to consider attending any of Vermont's several colleges. This unselfish declaration became a hallmark between UVM and Missisquoi.

As the tribe struggled in its quest for socio-economic opportunities, it was the University of Vermont that was the first Vermont institution to open its doors to the Missisquoi community.

As the PAC began traveling down to Burlington, members were worried. The children of Missisquoi had limited experience going anywhere south of St. Albans. A trip to Burlington meant an adventure to the University Mall. For the first time, community members were exploring the possibility of their children going to college, which meant leaving the Swanton/Highgate area. In response to these concerns, UVM administrators and the PAC collaborated on the idea of having middle and high school youngsters socialized to the college experience by traveling to Burlington during the summer where they lived in UVM dorms, and attended college classes. This effort was the genesis of what is now called the UVM-Abenaki Summer Happening which is in its 38th year. During the Summer Happening up to sixteen Missisquoi students travel via a UVM bus to campus, accompanied by PAC members. Once on campus, UVM personnel from the Center for Cultural Pluralism lead the events associated with the Happening. Each summer the journey begins with Missisquoi hands-on cultural offerings.

Before the pandemic, Missisquoi Chief Dick Menard gave lessons in traditional woodworking. By including the Missisquoi culture from the onset, the PAC conveys that wherever the youth travel, their culture will always a part of them and will be internalized as they explore a wider world. At the conclusion of the Happening, the PAC holds a family barbeque where UVM admissions and financial aid counselors are available to discuss any parent questions. This event is often capped off with a visit from a Vermont dignitary. In the past, Governor Howard Dean, UVM President Judith Ramaley, and Interim President Ed Colodny have participated.

Where the Summer Happening initiative has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of Missisquoi students, so too have the other collaborative projects. When we first began the UVM-Abenaki relationship, it was important that the college personnel become familiar faces in the Missisquoi community. Thus, we began a UVM mentoring project where college administrators were assigned to Missisquoi students whom they visited up in Swanton on a bi-weekly basis. Some of the time together would be spent in Swanton, where administrators could learn about Missisquoi and particular sites of interest. Other times, UVM officials transported the students to Burlington for a day of college visits, meals out, and conversations on campus and in the city. This commitment shown by UVM administrators was astonishing. Barry Mansfield remained a mentor for almost ten years. The popularity of this mentoring initiative was expanded to become the Missisquoi Mentoring Project, a PAC-sponsored program that years later would be known as "Watershed Mentoring," one of the longest mentoring programs in Vermont. This successful and impactful program started because of UVM administrative efforts to reach out and support Vermont's Abenaki population. Both the mentoring initiative and the Summer Happening project are considered "Best Practices" by diverse federal programs. They are deemed landmark projects when working with students of color.

The efforts to support the Abenaki have been visible and practical manifestations of UVM's commitment to social justice and equity. UVM's School of Social Work has played a special role in this relationship between the University and the Missisquoi Abenaki. The tribe began meeting with Gary Widrick, Dean of the Social Work program, in the early part of this century. Gary recognized that few Franklin County social service providers had any knowledge about the tribe. In turn, tribal community members felt isolated or at times hostile when forced to interact with health and social service providers. A decision was made for the School of Social Work to develop cultural competency trainings that would sensitize local professionals to the unique needs of Vermont's Abenaki population. The University hired a Missisquoi community member who was given a full-time position with a generous salary, health benefits, and tuition waiver benefits. A committee comprised of UVM faculty, local social service providers, and Missisquoi tribal leaders, developed hands-on trainings. Within a few years, most Franklin County school systems and social service agencies participated in these cultural competency trainings.

Concomitantly, the Missisquoi community member became a member of the UVM faculty, and she began team-teaching undergraduate and graduate Social Work courses with Gary Widrick. This incredibly creative and worthwhile collaboration lasted over ten years.

To date, at least a dozen initiatives have been undertaken by UVM in collaboration with Missisquoi. A few weeks back, the inaugural "First Nations" scholarship was awarded to two Abenaki graduates who will be enrolling in UVM. Katie Shepherd, Dean of the College of Education and Social Services ( GESS ), and Tiffany Tuttle, Belonging, Diversity, and Inclusion Coordinator for CESS, presented the awards to the Missisquoi Valley Union High School (MVUHS) students. The fruition of a 40-year collaborative relationship between the Missisquoi Abenaki and UVM was realized when these Abenaki students, both financially challenged, finalized plans to attend UVM. This was the first time in history that two Missisquoi students from the same class had been accepted to UVM.

Thus, it is so difficult to segue into the April 29th event. Abenaki UVM students were in attendance at the "Beyond Borders" presentation. To say they were stunned would be an understatement. The animosity displayed by Master of Ceremonies David Massei! and a few of the Odanak speakers was an effrontery to the relationship that has been developed. Professor Massei taught at Harwood Union High School in the 1990s before beginning as a visiting professor at UVM in 1997. While he has been associated with the University for the past 25 years, he apparently knows nothing of the 40-year collaboration between UVM and Missisquoi. Neither Jacques Watso nor Mali Obomsawin were familiar with the grassroots endeavors that had truly defined Missisquoi. They were simply uttering the venom of a well-known "blogger'' who has spent his life castigating the Vermont Abenaki. As troublesome as Massei was, Missisquoi was further devastated by a "Commentary" in "VT Digger'' written by 10 UVM faculty members in support of their colleague and in sympathy with Odanak. It was obvious these professors had absolutely no context for understanding the history and plight of Missisquoi, nor did they understand the decades of work accomplished by UVM personnel in efforts to heal the relationship between the University and Vermont's Abenaki population. That most of the signatories were history professors, the very scholars who should have known something about Vermont's history and the UVM complicity around Eugenics, apparently were ignorant on all scores. When David Massell's students in the audience began yelling and imploring those on stage to instruct them how to attack Vermont's Abenaki, the local Native visitors were dismayed and frightened by the ugliness on display.

Within days of the symposium, all of the State-Recognized tribes began fielding calls from community members who had relatives attending or working at UVM. Folks wanted to know if their children and other family members were safe at the University. Just two weeks ago, the current Missisquoi PAC held an emergency session to discuss what had transpired. PAC members wanted to know if they should begin outreach with alternative Vermont colleges. While it was decided to first reach out through written correspondence, members were clearly upset.

These Missisquoi community members - one a PAC member for 39 years - were hurt. This was the University of Vermont whose relationship with Missisquoi had been a source of recent pride. Folks continued to implore: "How could something like this have happened at UVM?" PAC members asked whether any of the "Gang of 10 UVM faculty members" had ever visited us in Swanton. They could not fathom how UVM could possibly hold a symposium that depicted Missisquoi Abenaki as an oppressor and Odanak as a marginalized victim.

At this time, I ask you for an opportunity to meet and discuss this hurtful event. More importantly, I feel we need to determine how to ameliorate the damage. Ours has been a relationship built on trust and understanding. We have collaborated assiduously in the realization of a better tomorrow for Vermont's Abenaki youth. Our next steps will be critical, indeed.

Sincerely,

Jeff Benay, Ed.D.