The chickens are coming home to roost. Members of an indigenous tribe who are descendants of Native Americans, have expressed their interest in reclaiming the land currently occupied by the popular ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s. This follows the company’s controversial July 4th call for America to return what it deems as “stolen” land. Don Stevens, Chief of the Nulhegan Band of The Coosuk Abenaki Nation, said in an interview with Newsweek that his tribe has always been interested in reclaiming stewardship of their ancestral lands. However, Ben & Jerry’s has not yet made any contact with them regarding the land on which its headquarters currently resides. This comes in the wake of Ben & Jerry’s tweet on Independence Day, in which the company asserted that it was “high time” to recognize that the United States exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it. The tweet also included a link to the company’s website, where they further elaborated on their call to action, suggesting that America should begin by returning Mount Rushmore. These words sparked significant controversy and resulted in widespread backlash, including calls for boycotts and a decline in the company’s stock value. According to historical records cited by Newsweek, the Abenaki Nation, a confederacy of tribes that united to resist rival tribes’ encroachment, once controlled a substantial area of land spanning from northern Massachusetts to New Brunswick, Canada. Consequently, the land where Ben & Jerry’s headquarters now stands in South Burlington, Vermont, was reportedly part of the Abenaki Nation’s territory. Critics have pointed to this fact and accused the ice cream company of hypocrisy for not returning the land it occupies while advocating for others to do so. As of now, Ben & Jerry’s has not publicly responded to the calls for returning its headquarters’ land. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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