| Koasek Band of the Koas Abenaki Nation | |
| Named after | Cowasuck, Abenaki word for "young pine tree", Abenaki people |
|---|---|
| Type | state-recognized tribe |
| Location | |
| Official language | English |
| Website | koasekofthekoas |
The Koasek Abenaki Tribe is a state-recognized tribe in Vermont, who claim descent from Abenaki people.
They are not federally recognized as a Native American tribe. Vermont does not have any federally recognized Native American tribes.
This organization should not be confused with the Ko'asek (Co'wasuck) Traditional Band of the Sovereign Abenaki Nation, an unrecognized tribe based in New Hampshire, or the many other groups who use the term Cowasuck.
Name
The term Koasek is an Abenaki language term that translates as "young pine tree." Another version of the word, Cowasuck, was applied to a brook that was a tributary to the Sudbury River in Massachusetts.
State-recognition
Vermont recognized the Koasek Abenaki Tribe as in 2012. The other state-recognized tribes in Vermont are the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, Elnu Abenaki Tribe, and the Mississquoi Abenaki Tribe.
Heritage
The Koasek Abenaki Tribe are one of four state-recognized tribes in Vermont. They had 60 members in 2016.
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."
In 2002, the State of Vermont reported that the Abenaki people had migrated north to Quebec by the end of the 18th century.
Activities
They participate in Abenaki Heritage Weekend, held at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vermont.
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.
Notable members
- Billy Kidd, former alpine ski racer
Notes
- "State Recognized Tribes". Vermont Commission on Native America Affairs. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Laurent, Joseph (1884). New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues. Quebec City, QC: Léger Brousseau. p. 208.
- ^ "Federal and State Recognized Tribes". National Conference of State Legislatures. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- Temple, Josiah Howerd (1887). History of Framingham, Massachusetts. Framingham, MA: Town of Framingham. p. 7. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Darryl Leroux, Distorted Descent, page 246.
- Evancie, Angela (November 4, 2016). "Abenaki Native Americans In Vermont Today?". Brave Little State. Vermont Public News. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- Dillon, John (20 March 2002). "State Says Abenaki Do Not Have "Continuous Presence"". Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- "2019 Abenaki Heritage Weekend". Crazy Crow. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- "H.556". Vermont General Assembly. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- Boyd, Janet. "Famous Abenaki - Snow Riders". www.snow-riders.org. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
References
- Leroux, Darryl (2019). Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. ISBN 978-0887558979.