#dawnland — Public Fediverse posts

From #MaineMorningStar: Governor, #Maine Democratic Party on Health Care, Immigration Enforcement, Housing, Energy, Taxes, #TribalSovereignty

"Tribal Sovereignty

What is your position on tribal sovereignty?

#ShennaBellows (D)
Shenna Bellows supports restoring full sovereignty to the #WabanakiNations.

#TroyJackson (D)
Troy Jackson supports restoring full sovereignty to the #WabanakiNations, a position reflected in his legislative record. Despite the setbacks, he said he is proud that Maine was able to pass laws to support economic development, improve access to clean drinking water, recognize the exclusive jurisdiction of tribal courts, and enshrine protections for Wabanaki children and their families into state law.

#AngusKingIII (D)
No response. [NO SURPRISE!]

#HannahPingree (D)
Hannah Pingree supports restoring full sovereignty to the Wabanaki Nations and believes the Wabanaki Nations deserve the same rights and opportunities as every other federally recognized tribe. She said she has partnered with Tribal leaders and governments on issues like climate resilience and clean energy, and she would work to expand collaboration on economic development, health care, infrastructure, natural resources, and environmental protection.

#NiravShah (D)
Nirav Shah supports restoring full sovereignty to the Wabanaki Nations. At the Maine CDC, Shah said he worked side by side with #WabanakiLeaders, including on #PFAS and #EnvironmentalThreats, and saw firsthand that our state does its best work when it listens first and #collaborates with the Tribes in good faith and in true partnership.

Read more:
https://mainemorningstar.com/voter-guides/contests/2026-gubernatorial-democratic-primary/#issue-tribal-sovereignty

#MaineGovernor #MainePol #Elections2026 #TribalRights #Wabanakik #WabanakiSovereignty
#LandBack #Dawnland #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #WabanakiConfederacy

#Maine - Gubernatorial Candidates Take Part in #WabanakiAlliance Forum

"Eight gubernatorial candidates and more than 150 people attended the Wabanaki Alliance 2026 Gubernatorial Forum March 19 at the Houlton Community Resource Center. Hosted by the #HoultonBandOfMalisset Indians, the forum included eight candidates who responded to questions from moderators and forum attendees about nonpartisan issues and policy affecting the #WabanakiNations.

"Candidates received questions from #MaulianBryant, citizen of the #PenobscotNation and executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance; #MalleahBrown, a citizen of the #PassamaquoddyTribe at #Motahkomikuk and youth lead with the #WabanakiYouth Policy Initiative; and #OsihkiyolCroftonMacdonald, #HoultonBand of Maliseet Indians Ambassador and president of the Wabanaki Alliance Board. #ClarissaSabattis, Tribal Chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, made opening and closing remarks.

"Participating candidates included (in alphabetical order)

- #ShennaBellows (D)
- #RickBennett (I)
- #JohnGlowa (I)
- #TroyJackson (D)
- #DerekLevasseur (I)
- #HannahPingree (D)
- #NiravShah (D)
- #AngusKingIII (D)

"The primary election for Democratic and Republican candidates is Tuesday, June 9. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3."

Source:
https://wabanakialliance.com/gubernatorial-candidates-forum-2026/

Recording of the forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLzaxN-YE7k&t=29s

#MaineGovernor #MainePol #Elections2026 #TribalRights #Wabanakik #WabanakiSovereignty
#LandBack #Dawnland #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #WabanakiConfederacy

Dems in #Maine’s #2ndDistrict race tackle #tribal topics in #PresqueIsleME

By Cameron Levasseur, May 13, 2026

"The four Democrats competing in a June primary to face former Gov. #PaulLePage for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District met Wednesday night in Presque Isle at a forum put on by the #WabanakiAlliance to discuss tribal sovereignty and other issues facing the state’s native population.

"Hosted by the #MikmaqNation, one of Maine’s four #WabanakiNations, the event lasted two hours and covered a broad range of topics, from #WaterRights to gaming legislation to the teaching of #NativeHistory in Maine’s schools.

"The candidates — State Auditor #MattDunlap, state Sen. #JoeBaldacci, former political operative #JordanWood and social worker #PaigeLoud — agreed on nearly everything, chiefly in their wholehearted support of #TribalSovereignty.

"#Sovereignty has dominated the political conversation around Maine’s tribes for years, with majority support for its expansion in the state legislature countered by opposition from the state’s executive leaders, including LePage and then Gov. #JanetMills.

" 'Only when I worked on these issues federally … did I understand how wrong Maine has been to its tribes and the need to rectify that #injustice,' Wood said.
If elected, all four said they would reintroduce a 2022 bill put forth by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, to amend the #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct of 1980 and give the Wabanaki the same rights under federal law as the 570 #FederallyRecognizedTribes.

"Golden currently represents the 2nd District but abruptly announced last fall that he would not seek reelection. His bill failed in the Senate after it was blocked by Sen. #AngusKing, another Maine politician who has expressed skepticism at tribal rights expansions."

Read more:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/05/13/politics/dems-in-maines-2nd-district-race-tackle-tribal-topics-in-presque-isle/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/zXhzT

#MainePol #Elections2026 #TribalRights #Wabanakik #WabanakiSovereignty #LandBack #Dawnland #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #WabanakiConfederacy

#WabanakiAlliance: Spring 2026 Update

by #MaulianBryant, #PenobscotNation Citizen
March 27, 2026

"We want to share some of the powerful stories highlighting our work since January. From the halls of the State House to #Maliseet homelands in #HoultonME, the movement for #Wabanaki #sovereignty is growing stronger every day.

Advocacy in Action
We recently held a Lobby Day focused on two critical pieces of legislation:

#LD785: Restoring tribal self-government.
#LD395: Ensuring #WabanakiNations have access to future federal laws.

The bills have since been amended and, while they do not represent the original form, the Chiefs agreed the amendment from the governor’s office provided for incremental but important movement forward.

[...]

We remain committed to ensuring that people across our homelands now called Maine understand why it is vital that Wabanaki Nations are no longer treated differently than the other 570+ federally recognized tribes."

Read more:
https://mailchi.mp/wabanakialliance/wabanaki-alliance-newsletter-11040921?e=7e7095a76c

#IndigenousSovereignty #Dawnland #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews #MaineLegislation #MaineSettlementAct #TribalSovereignty #LandBack

#MaineTribes - #FoodAssistance / #FoodPantries

#IndianIslandME: St. Ann / #PenobscotNation DHS Food Pantry
Location: 16 Wabanaki Way, Indian Island
Days and Hours: Fridays 9:00 am. - 1:00 pm.
Contact: Natasha Fields 207-817-7492 or (cell) 207-745-2907 for emergencies

#LittletonME: #HoultonBandOfMaliseetIndians
Location: 88 Bell road, Littleton
Days and Hours: Monday - Friday 7:00 - 4:30
Contact: Ashley Foster-Kinney 207-694-5254

Littleton: Maliseet Housing Authority
Location: 13 Clover Court, Littleton
Days and Hours: By Appointment
Contact: Amanda Sabattus 207-532-7260

#PerryME: #Passamaquoddy Food Pantry
Location: 22 Bayview Dr., Perry
Days and Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday Noon - 4:30 pm. & Wednesday 9:00 am. - 3:00 pm.
Contact: Diane Libby 207-853-5139

#PresqueIsleME: #Mikmaq Food Pantry
Location: 37 Midway Drive, Presque Isle
Days and Hours: Call Monday - Friday 8:00 - 4:00 pm. Pantry Monday - Friday - By Appointment
Contact: Roxanne Shaw & Kandi Sock 207-764-1972

#Wabanaki #Wabanakik #FoodInsecurity #FoodSecurity #Dawnland #WabanakiAlliance #MaineFoodPantries #SNAP #SNAPCuts #FoodPantries #Mainers

#IndigenousPeoplesDay - Monday, October 13

This Indigenous Peoples' Day take some time to learn about the history of the #WabanakiNations.

Event: Inter-Tribal drum group #RezDogs drums for Indigenous Peoples' Day

#AbbeMuseum - October 13, 10:30 - Noon.

Abbe Museum
26 Mount Desert Street
Bar Harbor, ME, 04609

"About the Photo: John Neptune, Lieutenant Governor (1767-1865). John Neptune was a Penobscot Representative to the Legislature in 1823, 1824, 1831, 1835, 1837, 1844, and 1861, and he was the Lieutenant Governor/Sub-Chief in 1847. Source: Maine State Archives and Maine State Museum."
- Jocelyn Hubbell, Interpretive Specialist, BPL

FMI - https://www.abbemuseum.org/events/2025/10/13/inter-tribal-drum-group-rez-dogs-drums-for-indigenous-peoples-day

Select Resources:

#WabanakiReach page about Indigenous Peoples' Day
https://www.wabanakireach.org/indigenous_peoples_day

Wabanaki Reach educational resources
https://www.wabanakireach.org/educational_resources

Online Resource Library by First Light
https://dawnlandreturn.org/first-light/resources

#NativeAmericanHistory #MaineFirstNations #WabankiHistory #CulturalPreservation #IndigenousPeople #IndigenousNews #MaineEvents #Maine #Dawnland #PeopleOfTheDawn

[Short film] Weckuwapasihtit (Those Yet to Come)

#GeoNeptune and #BriannaSmith (#Passamaquoddy)

“Our film is about where we fit in within our communities and regaining everything that was taken from us, including our language, our culture, our ceremonies, and our identities as Passamaquoddy people. We’ve had to do a lot of retracing of our ancestors’ steps. It’s okay to be Passamaquoddy, and it’s okay to not know what it means to be Passamaquoddy, but we can do the work to figure it out together. I’m making this film with my good friend Geo, because it’s usually other people telling our stories for us or telling us what to share and what not to share. This time, we are telling our story in our own way. It’s especially important for us to do this for the young in our community." - Brianna Smith.

"On the Eastern reaches of the occupied territory now referred to as North America, the children of Koluskap call upon ancestral teachings to guide them. Revitalizing cultural practices kept from their elders, Peskotomuhkati young people lead an intergenerational process of healing through the reclamation of athasikuwi-pisun, 'tattoo medicine.'"

Watch:
https://www.reciprocity.org/films/weckuwapasihtit

#WabanakiConfederacy #WabanakiPeople #DCEFF #IndigenousStorytellers
#IndigenousFilms #ReciprocityProject
#Reciprocity #IndigenousFilmMakers #IndigenousWisdom #AthasikuwiPisun #TattooMedicine #Tattoos #Peskotomuhkati #Dawnland #PeopleOfTheDawn