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PRESS RELEASE - April 3, 2008 |
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Nationally-significant Abenaki Nation Archeological Resource Protected Three-acre Abenaki Cemetery and Village site in Grande Isle County with archeological and cultural features and human burials dating back to 1400 A.D. placed under conservation easement Grand Isle County, Vermont – After eight years of work focused on burial site preservation, including critical archeological and geological analyses, an important Abenaki Nation archeological resource and cemetery was protected with a perpetual easement, the Vermont Land Trust and the Natural Resource Conservation Service announced today. The land will remain in private ownership and the Vermont Land Trust and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board will co-hold the easement. The Abenaki Cemetery and Village site contains at least seven graves, four were protected in place and the other three were reinterred, as well as numerous intact cultural features such as fire pits, pottery, and remnants of a lodge. This site was likely the “refuge village” dating back to the Late Woodland Period between 1400 A.D. and 1600 A.D. according to Abenaki oral history. Visitation rights solely held by the Abenaki nation of Missisquoi, St. Francis/Sokoki band will allow the Abenaki to pay homage to their ancestors and show appreciation for the land and its exceptional significance in their history. “This area of land is another place that shows that my people existed here for a very long time,” said Chief April St. Francis Merrill. “The Abenaki always knew that such a site existed and now we have it protected from being disturbed forever, with the help of the Vermont Land Trust and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. My ancestors can rest in peace without the possibility of being unearthed. The Abenaki Nation can be at ease knowing this. Without everyone’s cooperation this would have never taken place. I’m thankful to many for the help with this highly sensitive issue.” This effort to protect the land was co-led by members of the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) division for historic preservation. NRCS Archeologist Dave Skinas contributed critical archeological technical expertise and was critical in putting the partnership together between the Abenaki, the landowner and the State. The University of Vermont Consulting Archeological Program also volunteered staff and lab time to the project and provided a radiocarbon date confirming the age of the site. “The success of this project could not have been achieved without the strong and lasting partnership between the landowner, the Abenaki community and the State of Vermont,” said Dave Skinas. “The landowner showed great faith and fortitude during the project without knowing how the burial site might effect his livelihood. The success of this project shows us all what can be accomplished when we take the time to understand each other’s points of view on burial site protection and work hard together to satisfy those concerns.” The St. Francis/Sokoki Band of the Abenaki Nation has called the Masipskiwibi (Missisquoi or “Crooked River”) in Northwestern Vermont home for thousands of years. The nation includes around 2,500 members concentrated in Franklin County. Others live throughout the state and in New Hampshire. The tribe is connected to the Eastern Abenaki of Maine, including the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet and Micmac. All are Algonquin-speaking people. Abenaki means ''people of the dawn.'' Their tribal headquarters is located in Swanton, Vermont where the Masipskiwibi flows into Bitawbagok (Lake Champlain or “Lake Between”). The community has kept their cultural heritage strong despite challenges; they continue many of their traditions of hunting, fishing, gardening, music and other art forms. “My people hunted, fished, trapped, and lived off of the land here,” said Chief April St. Francis Merrill. “Burial issues are very important to my people; we believe that if our ancestors are at unrest than this interrupts the well being of our entire community. We need to protect our ancestors for the well being of the Abenaki Nation.” Landowners and communities use easements to voluntarily limit development on productive farmland and forestland, historic lands and buildings, and other meaningful natural and community places. Landowners continue to own, manage, and pay taxes on the land and can sell their land; however, the conservation easement permanently remains on the property. "We were presented with a rare opportunity—playing a part in protecting a culturally significant area for future generations,” said Bob Linck of the Vermont Land Trust. “This is both a sacred site and one that has historic values of national significance. The high level of cooperation with the landowner, the Abenaki, and our many partners made this a particularly gratifying project to work on."
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