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The Original Vermonters: Native Inhabitants, Past And Present
"In a thoroughly enjoyable and readable book Haviland and Power effectively shatter the myth that Indians never lived in Vermont."--Library Journal
- GenresArchaeologyHistory
324 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 16, 2025
Although 'The Original Vermonters' delves deeply into the archeological history of Vermont's indigenous people, it retains a broad perspective on native Americans as a people. The artifacts found at the various archeological sites give clues to how early native societies were organized and how daily life was conducted. Haviland and Power argue that the archaic peoples of around 9000 BCE were the ancestors of the Western Abenaki people residing in VT when Europeans arrived on the scene. The authors find continuity in the culture evidenced by artifacts over millennia, an extraordinarily deep connection with place that newcomer Europeans find hard to fathom.
When the first Paleoindians arrived in what is now North American over 18 millennia ago, New England was still covered in ice over 4 miles deep in places. Evidence of occupation of VT begins around 9000 BCE by a hunting people tracking the large game such as mastodon and caribou. When they arrived, Lake Champlain was still connected to the ocean, with whales, seal and porpoises. The sites that have been found are on high places with sweeping views where the people could see game long distances away. Forests had not fully arrived so the land was largely tundra, ideal for large grazing animals.
As the landscape became more forested, the culture shifted to hunting smaller game and increased foraging for plants. Although linguistically similar to other proto-Algonquin speaking people who settled the coast of Maine and the Canadian Maritimes, the people in VT also traded with peoples living to the west and south (some of whom may have been proto-Iroquois). With the introduction of maize around 1000 BCE and subsequent adoption of the bow and arrow around 1000 years later, the civilization flourished. Although agriculture, mainly focused on the three sisters (maize, beans, and squash), was important, the primary food sources remained hunting, fishing and foraging, unlike Algonquin peoples in more lush locations further south. Botanical and animal remains found at sites are diverse, indicating a well-balanced and sophisticated diet.
Roles were divided by gender, with men primarily hunting and women responsible for most of the rest (planting, foraging, cooking, making clothing, raising children). Women's remains show extensive wear on their teeth while men's do not, indicating that women were grinding down their teeth, perhaps in food preparation and/or processing hide.
Once contact with Europeans began in the 1500's there are written records, and the book draws on them extensively. Settlements, principally along rivers, were mainly comprised of family bands. Several related nuclear families constituted a household. Housing was in long houses with multiple central fires, one for each family. Family bands, associated with a specific animal such as bears, beavers, otters, might be comprised from between fifteen and forty individuals. A settlement included multiple family bands and is thought to have averaged around 1,000 people.
Each family band had a defined and marked hunting territory that was subdivided into four sections by trails heading parallel and perpendicular to the river. Hunting in each season was restricted to one quadrant to ensure adequate game and to reduce the shyness of game. The society was relatively egalitarian with decisions made by consensus. Leaders were primarily consensus-builders rather than authoritarians.
The book also documents the European takeover of Vermont. Contact with Europeans was lethal both literally and figuratively as European diseases ravaged native populations and indigenous culture was undermined by new technology such as metals, cloth and glass and aggressive proselytizing by missionaries. The book ends with a more hopeful description of indigenous renewal and regeneration.
The book is thoroughly researched, well written and accessible to lay readers. The only significant negative is that it was first published in 1980 and revised in 1994, so it does not include the latest archeological findings. Nevertheless it remains a foundational document for the native American legacy in Vermont.
When the first Paleoindians arrived in what is now North American over 18 millennia ago, New England was still covered in ice over 4 miles deep in places. Evidence of occupation of VT begins around 9000 BCE by a hunting people tracking the large game such as mastodon and caribou. When they arrived, Lake Champlain was still connected to the ocean, with whales, seal and porpoises. The sites that have been found are on high places with sweeping views where the people could see game long distances away. Forests had not fully arrived so the land was largely tundra, ideal for large grazing animals.
As the landscape became more forested, the culture shifted to hunting smaller game and increased foraging for plants. Although linguistically similar to other proto-Algonquin speaking people who settled the coast of Maine and the Canadian Maritimes, the people in VT also traded with peoples living to the west and south (some of whom may have been proto-Iroquois). With the introduction of maize around 1000 BCE and subsequent adoption of the bow and arrow around 1000 years later, the civilization flourished. Although agriculture, mainly focused on the three sisters (maize, beans, and squash), was important, the primary food sources remained hunting, fishing and foraging, unlike Algonquin peoples in more lush locations further south. Botanical and animal remains found at sites are diverse, indicating a well-balanced and sophisticated diet.
Roles were divided by gender, with men primarily hunting and women responsible for most of the rest (planting, foraging, cooking, making clothing, raising children). Women's remains show extensive wear on their teeth while men's do not, indicating that women were grinding down their teeth, perhaps in food preparation and/or processing hide.
Once contact with Europeans began in the 1500's there are written records, and the book draws on them extensively. Settlements, principally along rivers, were mainly comprised of family bands. Several related nuclear families constituted a household. Housing was in long houses with multiple central fires, one for each family. Family bands, associated with a specific animal such as bears, beavers, otters, might be comprised from between fifteen and forty individuals. A settlement included multiple family bands and is thought to have averaged around 1,000 people.
Each family band had a defined and marked hunting territory that was subdivided into four sections by trails heading parallel and perpendicular to the river. Hunting in each season was restricted to one quadrant to ensure adequate game and to reduce the shyness of game. The society was relatively egalitarian with decisions made by consensus. Leaders were primarily consensus-builders rather than authoritarians.
The book also documents the European takeover of Vermont. Contact with Europeans was lethal both literally and figuratively as European diseases ravaged native populations and indigenous culture was undermined by new technology such as metals, cloth and glass and aggressive proselytizing by missionaries. The book ends with a more hopeful description of indigenous renewal and regeneration.
The book is thoroughly researched, well written and accessible to lay readers. The only significant negative is that it was first published in 1980 and revised in 1994, so it does not include the latest archeological findings. Nevertheless it remains a foundational document for the native American legacy in Vermont.
May 20, 2010
This book covered everything from artifact evidence of the first known people in the area (with helpful analysis) to present day and future concerns. It also had contrasting and comparative views of nearby related people and civilizations. A lot of research went into this but it is also just good reading. I particularly enjoyed the details of everyday life prior to European contact.
Anyone interested in early inhabitants of the American continent, Native Americans from the extreme northeast, or the contrast between all of the other Native peoples and the (Algonquian) Abenaki, should check this book out.
Anyone interested in early inhabitants of the American continent, Native Americans from the extreme northeast, or the contrast between all of the other Native peoples and the (Algonquian) Abenaki, should check this book out.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews