In a statement released on July 4th, Ben and Jerry’s, the woke ice cream company, said that America was “founded on stolen Indigenous land,” writing, “Ah, the Fourth of July. Who doesn’t love a good parade, some tasty barbecue, and a stirring fireworks display? The only problem with all that, though, is that it can distract from an essential truth about this nation’s birth: The US was founded on stolen Indigenous land.”
Continuing, the brand said, “This 4th of July, it’s high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it. This year, let’s commit to returning it. Here’s why we need to start with Mount Rushmore.”
Well, now that the ice cream company has come out on the side of returning “stolen” land, meaning land conquered in war or handed over by treaty, to the tribes that controlled it thanks to their own wars of conquest, the tribe that controlled the land in Vermont that Ben & Jerry’s is on wants it back.
Such is what Don Stevens, the chief of the Nulhegan Band of The Coosuk Abenaki Nation, which is one of the four “bands” descended from the Abenaki Nation that are now recognized in Vermont, told Newsweek. Stevens said that the Nulhegan Band is “always interested” in the opportunity to take its former land back, saying, “We are always interested in reclaiming the stewardship of our lands throughout our traditional territories and providing opportunities to uplift our communities.”
However, Stevens added, the woke ice cream company is yet to take the log out of its own eye and hand over the “stolen” land in Vermont on which it runs its operation. He said that his tribe “has not been approached in regards to any land back opportunities from Ben & Jerry’s,” but that “If and when we are approached, many conversations and discussions will need to take place to determine the best path forward for all involved.”
That then led to the predictably attacks online, with one poster on Twitter, for example, saying, “BEN & JERRYS SHOULD GIVE ALL THEIR ICE CREAM FACTORIES BACK TO THE NATIVE INDIANS. IF THEY DON’T THEN THEY ARE HYPOCRITES.”
Similarly, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah joined in and said, “.@benandjerrys will now have the chance to show us whether they mean it.” He added, “This gives off Li’l Sebastian vibes.”
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.@benandjerrys will now have the chance to show us whether they mean it. https://t.co/lUyTJcLJ1P
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 9, 2023
Also joining in was the Washington Examiner’s Tim Young, who said, “Hey @benandjerrys , remember how you said you want to return ‘stolen land’to native Americans… The tribe your HQ is built on wants that land back now. Are you hypocrites or are you going to give them their land back?”
Robby Starbuck of Tennessee joined in as well, writing, “This is amazing. Hey @benandjerrys y’all asked for this. When are you returning your land to the tribe that used to own it?”
John Rich hopped on the mockery train too, writing, “. @benandjerrys should give all their stores to the Native American tribes that originally owned those zip codes. Cmon Ben and Jerry, be leaders. Retweet if you agree✔️👇“