Geneva, Switzerland, 11 July 2024 — The W8banaki Nation represented by councillors from the Abenaki Council of Odanak has called upon the United Nations to investigate identity fraud and cultural theft in Vermont, which was made during the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples session held from July 8 to 12 in Geneva.
This action follows the W8banaki Nation’s participation in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York last April and during the forum, the Nation highlighted the adverse effects of Vermont’s recognition of four self-proclaimed groups since 2011 and 2012.
According to the W8banaki Nation, the recognition constitutes a serious misrepresentation of true Indigenous identity and violates the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Additionally, Councillors Jacques T. Watso and Martin Gill emphasised the challenges posed by identity fraud in Vermont and the lack of federal recognition of these groups.
UNDRIP: Indigenous Identity Fraud
Watso explained “”When talking about the measures that States must take to achieve the objectives of the Declaration, we must take into account the actions taken at all levels of government. The
point we are making today lies in the fact that a growing number of individuals and groups are
falsely proclaiming themselves to be Indigenous and, as in the U.S. state of Vermont, are
succeeding in obtaining recognition from the federated state, despite the fact that there is no
official recognition from the federal state”.
In their formal request, the councillors asked the Expert Mechanism and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to investigate these identity fraud cases in Vermont and similar occurrences across Canada and the United States.
Martin Gill stated “The fact that our governments, as well as the Abenaki Councils of WBlinak and Odanak have been excluded from the process of determining whether or not the four groups in Vermont should be recognized, in addition to the fact that we continue to be consistently overlooked in decisions that affect us in the State of Vermont, constitute, in our opinion, an unequivocal violation of many of the principles stipulated in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”.
The W8banaki representatives also urged the central government of the United States to ensure full compliance with the UNDRIP at all government levels and called upon the Canadian government to support their appeal to the U.S.
