Indigenous Peoples of Vermont

United States Vermont  American Indian Research  Indians_of_Vermont

The most prominent early Indian tribes in Vermont were the Abénaki and Mahican. The western Abénaki Indians were composed of subdivisions including Sokoki, Missisquoi, and Cowasuck. Most of the Indian tribes have disappeared from Vermont through warfare, disease, or migration.

Tribes and Bands of Vermont
The following list of American Indians who have lived in Vermont has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.


 * Abenaki
 * Mahican
 * Missiassik
 * Pennacook
 * Pocomtuc

Tribes Recognized by the State of Vermont

Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, and Elnu Abenaki Tribe (See Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe of northeast Vermont.)

History

For the history of American Indians in Vermont, see:


 * Calloway, Colin G. The Western Abenakis of Vermont, 1600–1800. The Civilization of the American Indian Series, v.197. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1990. This contains a chronology of the tribe and a good bibliography of sources.
 * Haviland, William A. The Original Vermonters. Hanover, New Hampshire: Published for University of Vermont by University Press of New England, 1981.  This history includes information on the Abénaki and Mahican tribes in Vermont, an index, and a bibliography.

Repositories
The New England Historic Genealogical Society has resources on New England Native peoples.

Vermont Historical Society Library - You can find articles about Vermont Indians in the VHS publications Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society (1860–1943), Vermont Quarterly (1944–1953), and Vermont History (1954–present). These periodicals and the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), which could be used to find articles on Indians, are discussed in Vermont Periodicals.