#abenaki — Public Fediverse posts

Good ol' #RioTinto. Building a dangerous #LithiumHydroxide plant near some of my ancestral lands (#Wolinak #Abenaki). They seem to have a pattern of polluting and destroying #IndigenousLands -- whether in #Canada, the #UnitedStates , #Australia, etc., etc.!

#RioTinto takes majority control of #Canada’s #Nemaska #Lithium

By Thomson Reuters Feb 18, 2026 | 8:35 AM

Feb 18 (Reuters) – "Rio Tinto said on Wednesday it has gained majority control of Canada’s Nemaska Lithium, advancing its push ​to build an integrated lithium business ‌in #Quebec.

"The Anglo-Australian miner now holds a 53.9% stake in the lithium producer and will assume direct management, while the Government of Quebec holds 46.1%.

"Rio ‌Tinto ​is seeking to establish ⁠a fully integrated lithium ⁠supply chain in Quebec, from mining raw ore to chemical processing, to supply the North American electric vehicle market.

"Rio Tinto and ​the eastern Canadian province, through its economic development agency Investissement Quebec, have been ⁠investing in Nemaska Lithium ⁠since March 2025.

"The partners will continue ​to fund the project, including the #LithiumHydroxide ​plant in #Becancour, with first production expected ‌in 2028, it added.

"Quebec will invest up to an additional $200 million in Nemaska Lithium through share subscriptions, the company said, on ⁠top of an investment of more than $300 million by Rio Tinto in 2026 to further develop its ⁠lithium sector ‌in the province.

"Through its acquisition ⁠of #Arcadium in March 2025, ​Rio Tinto ‌acquired a 50% interest in ​Nemaska Lithium, ⁠which includes the lithium hydroxide plant in Becancour, Quebec, and the #Whabouchi spodumene mine in the #EeyouIstchee #JamesBay region of Quebec."

https://kelo.com/2026/02/18/rio-tinto-takes-majority-control-of-canadas-nemaska-lithium/

#CanadaPol #LithiumMining #LithiumProcessing #EnvironmentalRacism #Pollution

#NiweskokCollective Advances #FoodSovereignty and Obtains Land

"#Niweskok (From the Stars to Seeds) is a nonprofit collaboration of #Wabanaki farmers, health professionals, and educators working to revitalize food systems for tribes in northeast #Wabanakik (#Maine). The collection is responsible for reclaiming traditional foods & healing for their communities, their peoples of the #WabanakiConfederacy (#Penobscot, #Wolastoqiyik, #Mikmaq, #Passamaquoddy, #Abenaki), by practicing and promoting traditional crop cultivation, land-based education, and fisheries revitalization.

"From Tribal Business News’ article Wabanaki food sovereignty group secures no-strings land deal by Chez Oxendine, Niweskok has secured 245 acres of a piece of land called the #GooseRiverFarm in Wabanakik through innovative methods. This effort is an example of #Indigenous Sovereignty and self-determination through unconventional means. For the first time, Niweskok will have a permanent base for its programs after years of operating on borrowed and leased lands, according to co-director Alivia Moore to Tribal Business News.

Partners and Funding

"A coalition of 12 organizations and several private donors, including the #MaineFarmlandTrust and the #CoastalMountainsLandTrust, helped secure the land for Niweskok without easements, giving the Wabanaki nonprofit sovereignty over the property. Easements frequently accompany land returns or transfers which are often well-meaning. However, they can create barriers to Indigenous sovereignty and land management by preventing practices such as prescribed burning and fishing or zoning preventing buildings or infrastructure. Without restriction, Niwekok can continue to practice self-determination and food sovereignty, preserve the culture and traditions of the Wabanaki Confederation, and create a strong community."

https://www.indigenouscop.org/food-systems-agriculture/niweskok

#SolarPunkSunday #TraditionalFoods #Sovereignty #IndigenousFoodSovereignty #IndigeousAgriculture #BuildingCommunity #CulturalPreservation #LandConservation #IndigenousPeoplesDay

#AshTree Protection Collaboration Across #Wabanakik

"Ash trees, in particular brown ash (used interchangeably with black ash, Fraxinus nigra), are a cultural keystone species for Wabanaki communities and a crucial part of wetland ecosystems in the Northeast. The spread of the invasive forest pest EAB has caused 99% brown ash tree mortality in other areas of Turtle Island, and will have a considerable effect on ecosystems and traditions as it spreads through the Dawnland.

"Partners of the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik’s (APCAW) have been working for 20 years to prepare for the onset of EAB in Northeastern forests. We are committed to identifying research-informed strategies to protect the future of ash in the Dawnland that align with Wabanaki priorities. The purpose of this website is to share practical knowledge with those who seek to take actions to maintain ash on the landscape. If you’d like to receive event announcements in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter here. Read on to find information about the cultural importance of ash, seed collection efforts, and emerald ash borer (EAB) management.

Why are we called the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik?

"Our name emerged from collaborative conversations about the goals of our shared work. We decided to use the word #Wabanakik to refer to the place where we are located in an effort to center Wabanaki language and ways of knowing. Wabanakik is a term with slightly different meanings in each eastern #Algonquin language, but can be understood in English to mean either 'in the location of the land which is referred to as the #Dawnland' or 'in the location of the People of the Dawn.' Wabanakik stretches from Newfoundland in the north, to mid-Maine in the south, and parts of Quebec in the west.

"APCAW members acknowledge that we are located in the homeland of the #WabanakiConfederacy, which includes the #Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot Tribal Nations. Wabanakik has a ongoing legacy of #colonialism, of #StolenLand, broken treaties, forced removal and genocide of Wabanaki peoples which have fragmented Wabanaki relationships to land. The People of the Dawn maintain a sacred relationship with brown ash trees since time immemorial. APCAW’s work is to center, protect, and restore this ongoing relationship between Wabanaki peoples and ash ecosystems.

Who are we?

"The Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik (APCAW) is a group of Indigenous and non-indigenous researchers, Tribal members, and forest caretakers working together to bring more awareness of the cultural and ecological significance of ash trees and efforts to conserve them. APCAW continues the initiative set forth by the EAB and Brown Ash Taskforce, which began in the early 2000s to facilitate the collaborative capacity of Wabanaki basketmakers, Tribal Nations, state and federal foresters, and others to prevent, detect, and respond to the EAB. APCAW gives platform to the work of a broad range of partners, including:

• University of Maine School of Forest Resources

• Tribal Nations
#MikmaqNation, Presque Isle
#HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, Houlton
#PassamaquoddyTribe at #IndianTownship
Passamaquoddy Tribe at #PleasantPoint #Sipayik
#PenobscotNation, Indian Island

• Wabanaki basketmakers and the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance

• State and Federal Forestry Agencies
USDA APHIS
State of Maine Department of Agriculture & Forestry
State, Private, and Tribal Forest Service

• Conservation organizations and seed saving organizations
The #WildSeedProject
#MaineLandTrustNetwork

Learn more (includes links to resources):
https://umaine.edu/apcaw/

#Maine #MFS #EAB #EmeraldAshBorer #AshTree #AshTrees #APCAW #InvasiveSpecies #Wabanaki #ProtectTheForests #MaineNews #Maine #SaveTheTrees #WabanakiCulture #WabanakiBasketry #WabanakiTradition #Forestry #ProtectTheSacred #SolarPunkSunday