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That’s as the state recognition law faces increasingly vocal criticism from the only two federally recognized Western Abenaki Nations, which say Vermont has legitimized people who haven’t adequately demonstrated their Abenaki heritage.

The project dates to the fall of 2022, when the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs announced it was getting $50,000 from the foundation of the Burlington-based company Seventh Generation to create materials about Abenaki peoples for K-12 students.

Representatives of two Abenaki First Nations headquartered in Quebec spoke at the Vermont Statehouse about Indigenous identity theft, which they say is being committed by Vermont’s state-recognized tribes.

Events in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine mark the holiday today and throughout the week.

Her decades of work aims to tell the truth about Indigenous peoples in the education system, and to dispel racism, she told ¿ªÔÆÌåÓý last year. Her exhibition is called “The Children Have to Hear Another Story.â€�

“Of Baskets and Borers� weaves the stories of early 20th century Abenaki basket-makers with contemporary art, and examines the environmental changes that are threatening the very existence of the craft.

Odanak and Wôlinak First Nations said in a written statement last week that Vermont state-recognized tribes are contributing to the “loss of decision-making power over our ancestral territory, the Ndakina.�

Abenaki and other Indigenous perspectives took center stage in the nation’s capital last weekend when the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band headlined the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center.

Two young citizens of Odanak First Nation described what they call Indigenous identity theft, particularly in Vermont, at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The Abenaki Councils of Odanak and W8linak bought a billboard in Times Square to highlight the topic.

Two Abenaki First Nations headquartered in Canada are contesting the legitimacy of Vermont’s state-recognized tribes. How are Vermont lawmakers responding?