A Native American chief claimed that Ben & Jerry’s corporate headquarters in South Burlington, Vermont, are situated on Western Abenaki territory, days after the progressive ice cream maker asked for the restoration of “stolen Indigenous land” from the United States.
Chief Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Band of The Coosuk Abenaki Nation, told the New York Post in an interview, “If you look at the [Abenaki] traditional way of being, we are place-based people. Before recognized tribes in the state, we were the ones who were in this place.”
The chief said that he “looks forward to any kind of correspondence with the brand to see how they can better benefit Indigenous people.”
According to Stevens, the tribe ought to be informed about the land if the firm is “sincere” about supporting Native Americans.
Ben & Jerry’s received criticism for a post on July 4th that said, “The United States was founded on stolen Indigenous land. This Fourth of July, let’s commit to returning it.”
The article includes a link that takes readers to a website where it is claimed that South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore should be returned by the United States.
“What is the meaning of Independence Day for those whose land this country stole, those who were murdered and forced with brutal violence onto reservations, those who were pushed from their holy places and denied their freedom?” the site reads. “The faces on Mount Rushmore are the faces of men who actively worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and ways of life, to deny Indigenous people their basic rights.”
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are among the figures atop Mount Rushmore.
This 4th of July, it's high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it. Learn more and take action now: https://t.co/45smaBmORH pic.twitter.com/a6qp7LXUAE
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) July 4, 2023
In response to the article, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) blasted the company’s radical activist founders for being ignorant of their “history.”
“I’m not going to listen to a bunch of liberal Vermont businessmen who think they know everything about this country and haven’t studied our history,” Noem said on Thursday. “Right now, Mount Rushmore is the greatest symbol of our freedom and history of the United States of America.”
“We can learn from the men on that mountain,” the governor continued. “We can do better. But, boy, they led us through some challenging times. And I think Americans in this country need some inspiration, and we can gain it from a monument like that.”
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