| Formation | 2020 (Elnu Abenaki Incorporated)[1] |
|---|---|
| Founded at | Brattleboro, Vermont[1] |
| Type | state-recognized tribe, nonprofit organizations |
| EIN 84-3882521[1] | |
| Legal status | arts, culture, and humanities nonprofit; charity[1] |
| Purpose | A23: Cultural, Ethnic Awareness[1] |
| Headquarters | Jamaica, Vermont |
| Location | |
Membership (2016) | 60[2] |
Official language | English |
| Website | elnuabenakitribe |
The Elnu Abenaki Tribe is a state-recognized tribeinVermont,[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]
Roger Longtoe Sheehan served as chief since at least 2016.[2]
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]
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]
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]
They participate in Abenaki Heritage Weekend, held at the Lake Champlain Maritime MuseuminVergennes, Vermont.[7]
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]
