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MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2002

The St. Francis Abenaki Tribe of Vermont, like many others, is seeking federal recognition from the United States.

The tribe is seeing the usual opposition: fear of gaming, the state's attorney general and questions about ancestry. Chief April St. Francis Rushlow discounts the doubts over heritage.

"In high school, they called us dumb savages, so I guess they knew, huh?" she tells The Washington Post.

The tribe has been recognized by the state since 1976. There are relatives in Quebec, Canada, where the Abenaki, or People of the Dawn, are recognized. There are also relatives in Maine.

Get the Story:
Vermont's Abenaki Fight for Recognition, Heritage (The Washington Post 12/8)

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Abenaki Tribe defends recognition (03/08)
Abenaki Tribe fights opposition to status (1/21)
Gov. urges against Abenaki recognition (1/18)