Northeast Woodland Tribal presence of this region existed long before European settlement, as evidenced by a nearly 13,000-year-old Indigenous village found in
Keene, New Hampshire demonstrating that
Paleo-Indians were present in the region from around the end of the last ice age.
16th century Indigenous peoples lived along the Kwenitekw (
Connecticut River/Long River) and its tributaries, along what is known today as the central borderlands of Vermont and New Hampshire. They are written about in colonial documents dating from the 17th century.
17th century French colonists wrote early accounts of the Western Abenaki, but the French preoccupation consisted of proselytizing and fighting the English. However, the French practice of calling the Cowasuck by the name
Penacook, led to misunderstandings in their reports.This however is not mentioned in another authoritative source on the Penacook. The tribes of the Western Abenaki were referred to by the names of each individual group. Cowasuck and Pennacook appeared to be distinct groups. The first French priests of the
Jesuit Order came to
New France around 1611. Unlike the grey-robed
Puritans in New England, the Jesuits did not try to assimilate Native people into French society. From Abenaki
oral history suggests that French missionaries were active since 1615 in Abenaki villages on the shores of
Lake Champlain. Jesuit Fathers often acted both as military and political agents of the French crown and as servants of God. They traveled alone in the Indigenous land, visited the villages of the Abenaki, and took part in the life of the Indigenous people. Some of them, like Father
Sébastien Rale, became intimate connoisseurs of Native American culture. He produced an extensive dictionary of the Abenaki language. The missionaries learned the language of the Native Americans, adopted their style of speech, and tried as far as possible to follow their customs and manners. They had no interest in the Abenaki land, in their women, or in the fur trade. Their poverty and devotion were respected and their courage, as well as their apparent immunity to the diseases that the communities healers faced helplessly, was admired by the natives. They shared the lives of the Indigenous peoples and earned their trust, although their missionary vocation demanded that they renounce Native American culture, the disempowerment of religious leaders, and the spiritual and social revolution. The missionaries were the lawyers for the Abenaki and helped them to better overcome the differences between Native American and European cultures. Sometimes they also represented the Abenaki in negotiations with the English. Men like Sébastien Rale became central figures in the Abenaki story. Soon the Abenaki were reputed to be the most pious
Catholics and to be among the most loyal Native American friends of New France.
18th century The Cowasuck numbered around 300 in the early 18th century, but this includes different groups passing through the Cowass area, an important area connecting Canada and the Coastal United States. In 1704, Cowasucks sent representatives to meet with the Governor-General of
New France Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil in Quebec. He suggested they move north to Quebec to avoid the English; however, they declined this opportunity. Cowasucks likely fled to a remote area. At that time
Mohegans attached residents of Cowass. Historian
Colin G. Calloway wrote: "Traditionally, the final quarter of the eighteenth century stands as the time when the last western Abenaki disappeared from Vermont and New Hampshire, when the few survivors finally pulled up their roots and followed their relatives to Canada." However, he points out that some remained in Vermont during the Revolutionary War.
19th century Joseph Laurent, an Abenaki chief (
sôgmô) from
Odanak, Quebec, moved to
Intervale, New Hampshire in the late 19th century, maintained an Indian trading post and became a local postmaster. His former trading post is now a U.S. historical site. Laurent also wrote an Abenaki English dialogs dictionary. == State-recognized tribes and heritage groups ==