The Koasek Abenaki Tribe is a state-recognized tribe in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, 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 New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

Name

The term ''Koasek'' is an

Abenaki language Abenaki (''Eastern: Alənαpαtəwéwαkan, Western: Alnôbaôdwawôgan'') is an endangered Algonquian language of Quebec and the northern states of New England. The language has Eastern and Western forms which differ in vocabulary and phonolog ...

term that translates as "young pine tree."

State-recognition

Vermont recognized the Koasek Abenaki Tribe as in 2012.Darryl Leroux, ''Distorted Descent'', page 246. The other state-recognized tribes in Vermont are the

Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation The Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation is a state-recognized tribe and nonprofit organization, called AHA "Abenaki Helping Abenaki", whose headquarters and land are based in Vermont. They are often referred to as the Nulhegan Abenaki Trib ...

, 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 Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

by the end of the 17th century.

Activities

They participate in Abenaki Heritage Weekend, held at the

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) is a non-profit museum located in Vergennes, Vermont, US. It preserves and shares the history and archaeology of Lake Champlain. As a maritime museum practicing archaeology, LCMM studies the shipwrecks ...

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 {{Infobox alpine ski racer , name = Billy Kidd , image = Billy Kidd skier 1970.jpg , image_size = 220 , caption = Kidd after winning the world title in 1970 , birth_date = {{birth date and ag ...

, former alpine ski racer

Notes

References

External links

Koasek Traditional Band of the Koas Abenaki Nation

Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koasek Abenaki Tribe Abenaki heritage groups Cultural organizations based in Vermont French American Native American tribes in Vermont State-recognized tribes in the United States