Biography
April St. Francis-Merrill also known as April Rushlow was born in Vermont in 1968. She's now lives in Swanton, Vermont. April St. Francis is known as the first Vermont female Abenaki Chief and daughter of former chief Homer St Francis. April St. Frances-Merrill grew up watching her father fight for state and federal recognition through protests such as fish-ins. As she grew up she lived off the land as some of her ancestors did; learning the way of Abenaki life. At the age of 16, April St. Frances-Merrill ran for a seat on the Abenaki tribal council and became acting chief at 28 when her father contracted cancer. In 1996, she took over all duties as Chief of the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi - St. Francis/Sokoki Band. Her father died in 2001.
St. Francis Merrill strives to preserve the ethnicity of the Missisquoi and help members take advantage of opportunities in education, employment, housing and healthcare. She and her members started a kindergarten and sent children to Vermont public schools when kindergarten was mandated for Vermont. The dropout rate in the 1980's for Abenaki was 80% and now is only 3%.
St. Francis-Merrill led a fight to stop excavation of an ancient Abenaki burial ground along the Missisquoi River in Swanton-Highgate. A reburial ceremony was held.
St. Francis-Merrill worked with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Affairs to preserve a three acre Abenaki Cemetery and Village in Grande Isle County. As St.Francis Merrill said, "My people hunted, fished, trapped, and lived off of the land here. Burial issues are very important to my people; we believe that if our ancestors are at unrest then this interrupts the well being of our entire community. We need to protect our ancestors for the well being of the Abenaki Nation."
Embezzlement charges, later dropped, led to St. Francis-Merrill's replacement as Chief in 2012.Occupation
Abenaki Chief
Activist