More than 270 acres of land restored to Abenaki tribe in Vermont

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A large plot of land in Vermont has been returned to the local Abenaki Nation after more than 200 years.

The New England Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church formally deeded a 270.5-acre plot of land that was the former Covenant Hills Christian Camp back to the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation this week. The deed has been transferred to the tribe’s nonprofit division, Abenaki Helping Abenaki, after nearly three years of planning.

The land formerly served as a joint United Methodist and United Church of Christ camping ministry from 1989 until those programs were suspended in 2015. Since then, it has been used as a local retreat and rental facility, according to the church.

“This land will become a sanctuary where we pass down our language, our traditions, and our values to ensure that we leave no Abenaki behind, while protecting the trees, the animals, and every living thing that shares this space with us,” said Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation in a statement.

The New England Conference said it voted overwhelmingly to approve the restitution and restore the land to the Abenaki.

“While there is natural grief for the closing of a chapter of camp history that meant so much to our community, there is profound, genuine joy in witnessing this land return to the descendants of its original inhabitants,” a statement from the New England Conference Visioning and Leadership Team said.