#mainesettlementact — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #mainesettlementact, aggregated by home.social.
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#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
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#MaineSettlementAct was a raw deal for #Maine #FirstNations... And #GeorgeMitchell helped to write it! Just leaving that here...
"Two key players in the passage of the legislation were U.S. Sens. Bill Cohen and George Mitchell. Attorney Tim Woodcock, who was from Bangor, was appointed by Cohen to the Indian Affairs Committee."
George J. Mitchell Papers · The Drafting and Enactment of the Maine Settlement Act
Memo from James Case (staffer to Senator Muskie, and then to Senator Mitchell). This memo is probably addressed to Senator George J. Mitchell, and has a White House analysis of Bill S. 2829 attached. (06/13/1980)
https://maineindianclaims.omeka.net/items/show/6
#EpsteinFiles #USPol #LandBack #Wabanakik #MaineTribes #WabanakiConfederacy
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#PenobscotNation #Elder ‘Butch’ Phillips dies at 85
A celebrated #CultureBearer and artist, Reuben Elliot 'Butch' Phillips also was part of the team that negotiated the #Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.
Reuben M. Schafir, July 29, 2025
"Reuben Elliot “Butch” Phillips, a Penobscot elder, artist, culture-bearer and the former lieutenant governor of the tribe, died Sunday at the age of 85.
Phillips was a leader within his tribe, an accomplished birch bark artist known for crafting moose calls adorned with intricate etchings, an athlete and a masterful hunter.Scott Phillips, one of the elder Phillips’ three sons, said his father was a “very patient, very soulful” hunter who successfully hunted moose until just two years ago.
Phillips was often called upon to perform ceremonies and lead prayers at events. He cherished his role as a tribal elder, family members said, and was a living advocate for Penobscot traditions.
“He was a proponent of the Penobscot Nation,” Scott Phillips said. “All the traditions and customs, he wanted to keep that going for future generations, and he tried to pass a lot of that knowledge on to me and my brothers, his grandchildren and the people of the nation.”
“He never opened a ceremony without recalling the ancestors and ensuring that we honored them in our daily lives,” said #BarryDana, Phillips’ nephew and former two-term chief of the Penobscot Nation. “When you’re an elder and you preserve a value, you repeat it as early and as often as needed, and he didn’t hesitate to repeat it all the time. And now he’s an ancestor.”
#MaulianBryant, Dana’s daughter, recalled her great-uncle as well-spoken, diplomatic and warm, yet stalwart in his convictions. Known for his impeccable presentation, Bryant said he sported a neatly combed coif of dark hair well into old age and was often present at tribal ceremonies in full regalia.
Phillips was born May 7, 1940, and grew up on Indian Island, the seat of the Penobscot Nation’s government. He served in the U.S. Army and had a lengthy career in telecommunications, in addition to the various positions he held within the Penobscot Nation and associated causes, according to an obituary written by his family. He served as lieutenant governor, a position now known as vice chief, of the Penobscot Nation from 1992 to 1994. He lived in his later years on Penobscot ancestral homelands known today as Milford, across the river from the tribe’s headquarters.
In the 1970s, Philips was one of the Penobscot representatives on the team that negotiated the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement of 1980. The legislation was viewed by many at the time as the only way for tribes to secure limited compensation for stolen land. It also subjected tribal nations to state government control and excepted them from the sovereignty all other federally recognized tribes have.
The law was a divisive topic internally among tribal members during negotiations. Its impacts have shaped the work of Dana and Bryant, who served as Penobscot tribal ambassador before she became executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance in January 2025. Bryant’s work today is largely dedicated to unraveling many of the restrictions imposed by the settlement act. Conversations with her great-uncle caused her to shift her thinking of the law and of the negotiators who partook in its crafting.
“I never wanted those tribal leaders to feel ashamed or that they did a bad thing, because it was a historic thing and there were good things for the tribe and they were between a rock and a hard place,” she said. “I really credit him with me shifting my approach to the whole thing and seeing it in a wholesale way and just remembering the humanity of everyone involved.”
Dana and Phillips never spoke of the negotiations outside of a single town-hall meeting — but Dana said he knew his uncle was fully behind him when he went head-to-head with the state on several occasions.
By working on the negotiating team, Phillips was fulfilling a duty asked of him by his government, said John Dieffenbacher-Krall, the former executive director of the Wabanki Alliance.
“There can be no greater example of citizenship,” he said.
Phillips was also an outspoken advocate of the #PenobscotRiver restoration.
“My generation, we saw the Penobscot River at its worst. It was like an open sewer,” he told #WERU Community Radio and #SunlightMediaCollective in 2018. “And as children, it really didn’t mean too much to us. We still swam in it, we still ate the fish, we still canoed in it and so forth. But I also witnessed the cleansing of the river.”He was part of a group in 2002 that built the first birch bark canoe on Indian Island in 60 years and helped paddle the boat up the Penobscot River to Katahdin.
Butch Phillips at his Milford home in 1997. (John Ewing/Staff Photographer)
“It was a really strong moment in the revitalization of our culture,” Dana said.
Phillips was married for 40 years to Linda Ann Stewart, who died in 2001. He is survived by his three sons, four siblings and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends.In his final days, family members say Phillips asked those around him to show love.
“He hoped people would put their differences aside and just love each other,” Scott Phillips said."
Source:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/07/29/penobscot-elder-butch-phillips-dies-at-85/Archived version:
https://archive.md/Dmby4#Penobscot #PenobscotElder #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #PenobscotRiver #WaterKeeper #NativeAmericanArtist #CultureKeeper
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#PenobscotNation #Elder ‘Butch’ Phillips dies at 85
A celebrated #CultureBearer and artist, Reuben Elliot 'Butch' Phillips also was part of the team that negotiated the #Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.
Reuben M. Schafir, July 29, 2025
"Reuben Elliot “Butch” Phillips, a Penobscot elder, artist, culture-bearer and the former lieutenant governor of the tribe, died Sunday at the age of 85.
Phillips was a leader within his tribe, an accomplished birch bark artist known for crafting moose calls adorned with intricate etchings, an athlete and a masterful hunter.Scott Phillips, one of the elder Phillips’ three sons, said his father was a “very patient, very soulful” hunter who successfully hunted moose until just two years ago.
Phillips was often called upon to perform ceremonies and lead prayers at events. He cherished his role as a tribal elder, family members said, and was a living advocate for Penobscot traditions.
“He was a proponent of the Penobscot Nation,” Scott Phillips said. “All the traditions and customs, he wanted to keep that going for future generations, and he tried to pass a lot of that knowledge on to me and my brothers, his grandchildren and the people of the nation.”
“He never opened a ceremony without recalling the ancestors and ensuring that we honored them in our daily lives,” said #BarryDana, Phillips’ nephew and former two-term chief of the Penobscot Nation. “When you’re an elder and you preserve a value, you repeat it as early and as often as needed, and he didn’t hesitate to repeat it all the time. And now he’s an ancestor.”
#MaulianBryant, Dana’s daughter, recalled her great-uncle as well-spoken, diplomatic and warm, yet stalwart in his convictions. Known for his impeccable presentation, Bryant said he sported a neatly combed coif of dark hair well into old age and was often present at tribal ceremonies in full regalia.
Phillips was born May 7, 1940, and grew up on Indian Island, the seat of the Penobscot Nation’s government. He served in the U.S. Army and had a lengthy career in telecommunications, in addition to the various positions he held within the Penobscot Nation and associated causes, according to an obituary written by his family. He served as lieutenant governor, a position now known as vice chief, of the Penobscot Nation from 1992 to 1994. He lived in his later years on Penobscot ancestral homelands known today as Milford, across the river from the tribe’s headquarters.
In the 1970s, Philips was one of the Penobscot representatives on the team that negotiated the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement of 1980. The legislation was viewed by many at the time as the only way for tribes to secure limited compensation for stolen land. It also subjected tribal nations to state government control and excepted them from the sovereignty all other federally recognized tribes have.
The law was a divisive topic internally among tribal members during negotiations. Its impacts have shaped the work of Dana and Bryant, who served as Penobscot tribal ambassador before she became executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance in January 2025. Bryant’s work today is largely dedicated to unraveling many of the restrictions imposed by the settlement act. Conversations with her great-uncle caused her to shift her thinking of the law and of the negotiators who partook in its crafting.
“I never wanted those tribal leaders to feel ashamed or that they did a bad thing, because it was a historic thing and there were good things for the tribe and they were between a rock and a hard place,” she said. “I really credit him with me shifting my approach to the whole thing and seeing it in a wholesale way and just remembering the humanity of everyone involved.”
Dana and Phillips never spoke of the negotiations outside of a single town-hall meeting — but Dana said he knew his uncle was fully behind him when he went head-to-head with the state on several occasions.
By working on the negotiating team, Phillips was fulfilling a duty asked of him by his government, said John Dieffenbacher-Krall, the former executive director of the Wabanki Alliance.
“There can be no greater example of citizenship,” he said.
Phillips was also an outspoken advocate of the #PenobscotRiver restoration.
“My generation, we saw the Penobscot River at its worst. It was like an open sewer,” he told #WERU Community Radio and #SunlightMediaCollective in 2018. “And as children, it really didn’t mean too much to us. We still swam in it, we still ate the fish, we still canoed in it and so forth. But I also witnessed the cleansing of the river.”He was part of a group in 2002 that built the first birch bark canoe on Indian Island in 60 years and helped paddle the boat up the Penobscot River to Katahdin.
Butch Phillips at his Milford home in 1997. (John Ewing/Staff Photographer)
“It was a really strong moment in the revitalization of our culture,” Dana said.
Phillips was married for 40 years to Linda Ann Stewart, who died in 2001. He is survived by his three sons, four siblings and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends.In his final days, family members say Phillips asked those around him to show love.
“He hoped people would put their differences aside and just love each other,” Scott Phillips said."
Source:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/07/29/penobscot-elder-butch-phillips-dies-at-85/Archived version:
https://archive.md/Dmby4#Penobscot #PenobscotElder #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #PenobscotRiver #WaterKeeper #NativeAmericanArtist #CultureKeeper
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#PenobscotNation #Elder ‘Butch’ Phillips dies at 85
A celebrated #CultureBearer and artist, Reuben Elliot 'Butch' Phillips also was part of the team that negotiated the #Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.
Reuben M. Schafir, July 29, 2025
"Reuben Elliot “Butch” Phillips, a Penobscot elder, artist, culture-bearer and the former lieutenant governor of the tribe, died Sunday at the age of 85.
Phillips was a leader within his tribe, an accomplished birch bark artist known for crafting moose calls adorned with intricate etchings, an athlete and a masterful hunter.Scott Phillips, one of the elder Phillips’ three sons, said his father was a “very patient, very soulful” hunter who successfully hunted moose until just two years ago.
Phillips was often called upon to perform ceremonies and lead prayers at events. He cherished his role as a tribal elder, family members said, and was a living advocate for Penobscot traditions.
“He was a proponent of the Penobscot Nation,” Scott Phillips said. “All the traditions and customs, he wanted to keep that going for future generations, and he tried to pass a lot of that knowledge on to me and my brothers, his grandchildren and the people of the nation.”
“He never opened a ceremony without recalling the ancestors and ensuring that we honored them in our daily lives,” said #BarryDana, Phillips’ nephew and former two-term chief of the Penobscot Nation. “When you’re an elder and you preserve a value, you repeat it as early and as often as needed, and he didn’t hesitate to repeat it all the time. And now he’s an ancestor.”
#MaulianBryant, Dana’s daughter, recalled her great-uncle as well-spoken, diplomatic and warm, yet stalwart in his convictions. Known for his impeccable presentation, Bryant said he sported a neatly combed coif of dark hair well into old age and was often present at tribal ceremonies in full regalia.
Phillips was born May 7, 1940, and grew up on Indian Island, the seat of the Penobscot Nation’s government. He served in the U.S. Army and had a lengthy career in telecommunications, in addition to the various positions he held within the Penobscot Nation and associated causes, according to an obituary written by his family. He served as lieutenant governor, a position now known as vice chief, of the Penobscot Nation from 1992 to 1994. He lived in his later years on Penobscot ancestral homelands known today as Milford, across the river from the tribe’s headquarters.
In the 1970s, Philips was one of the Penobscot representatives on the team that negotiated the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement of 1980. The legislation was viewed by many at the time as the only way for tribes to secure limited compensation for stolen land. It also subjected tribal nations to state government control and excepted them from the sovereignty all other federally recognized tribes have.
The law was a divisive topic internally among tribal members during negotiations. Its impacts have shaped the work of Dana and Bryant, who served as Penobscot tribal ambassador before she became executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance in January 2025. Bryant’s work today is largely dedicated to unraveling many of the restrictions imposed by the settlement act. Conversations with her great-uncle caused her to shift her thinking of the law and of the negotiators who partook in its crafting.
“I never wanted those tribal leaders to feel ashamed or that they did a bad thing, because it was a historic thing and there were good things for the tribe and they were between a rock and a hard place,” she said. “I really credit him with me shifting my approach to the whole thing and seeing it in a wholesale way and just remembering the humanity of everyone involved.”
Dana and Phillips never spoke of the negotiations outside of a single town-hall meeting — but Dana said he knew his uncle was fully behind him when he went head-to-head with the state on several occasions.
By working on the negotiating team, Phillips was fulfilling a duty asked of him by his government, said John Dieffenbacher-Krall, the former executive director of the Wabanki Alliance.
“There can be no greater example of citizenship,” he said.
Phillips was also an outspoken advocate of the #PenobscotRiver restoration.
“My generation, we saw the Penobscot River at its worst. It was like an open sewer,” he told #WERU Community Radio and #SunlightMediaCollective in 2018. “And as children, it really didn’t mean too much to us. We still swam in it, we still ate the fish, we still canoed in it and so forth. But I also witnessed the cleansing of the river.”He was part of a group in 2002 that built the first birch bark canoe on Indian Island in 60 years and helped paddle the boat up the Penobscot River to Katahdin.
Butch Phillips at his Milford home in 1997. (John Ewing/Staff Photographer)
“It was a really strong moment in the revitalization of our culture,” Dana said.
Phillips was married for 40 years to Linda Ann Stewart, who died in 2001. He is survived by his three sons, four siblings and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends.In his final days, family members say Phillips asked those around him to show love.
“He hoped people would put their differences aside and just love each other,” Scott Phillips said."
Source:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/07/29/penobscot-elder-butch-phillips-dies-at-85/Archived version:
https://archive.md/Dmby4#Penobscot #PenobscotElder #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #PenobscotRiver #WaterKeeper #NativeAmericanArtist #CultureKeeper
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#PenobscotNation #Elder ‘Butch’ Phillips dies at 85
A celebrated #CultureBearer and artist, Reuben Elliot 'Butch' Phillips also was part of the team that negotiated the #Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.
Reuben M. Schafir, July 29, 2025
"Reuben Elliot “Butch” Phillips, a Penobscot elder, artist, culture-bearer and the former lieutenant governor of the tribe, died Sunday at the age of 85.
Phillips was a leader within his tribe, an accomplished birch bark artist known for crafting moose calls adorned with intricate etchings, an athlete and a masterful hunter.Scott Phillips, one of the elder Phillips’ three sons, said his father was a “very patient, very soulful” hunter who successfully hunted moose until just two years ago.
Phillips was often called upon to perform ceremonies and lead prayers at events. He cherished his role as a tribal elder, family members said, and was a living advocate for Penobscot traditions.
“He was a proponent of the Penobscot Nation,” Scott Phillips said. “All the traditions and customs, he wanted to keep that going for future generations, and he tried to pass a lot of that knowledge on to me and my brothers, his grandchildren and the people of the nation.”
“He never opened a ceremony without recalling the ancestors and ensuring that we honored them in our daily lives,” said #BarryDana, Phillips’ nephew and former two-term chief of the Penobscot Nation. “When you’re an elder and you preserve a value, you repeat it as early and as often as needed, and he didn’t hesitate to repeat it all the time. And now he’s an ancestor.”
#MaulianBryant, Dana’s daughter, recalled her great-uncle as well-spoken, diplomatic and warm, yet stalwart in his convictions. Known for his impeccable presentation, Bryant said he sported a neatly combed coif of dark hair well into old age and was often present at tribal ceremonies in full regalia.
Phillips was born May 7, 1940, and grew up on Indian Island, the seat of the Penobscot Nation’s government. He served in the U.S. Army and had a lengthy career in telecommunications, in addition to the various positions he held within the Penobscot Nation and associated causes, according to an obituary written by his family. He served as lieutenant governor, a position now known as vice chief, of the Penobscot Nation from 1992 to 1994. He lived in his later years on Penobscot ancestral homelands known today as Milford, across the river from the tribe’s headquarters.
In the 1970s, Philips was one of the Penobscot representatives on the team that negotiated the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement of 1980. The legislation was viewed by many at the time as the only way for tribes to secure limited compensation for stolen land. It also subjected tribal nations to state government control and excepted them from the sovereignty all other federally recognized tribes have.
The law was a divisive topic internally among tribal members during negotiations. Its impacts have shaped the work of Dana and Bryant, who served as Penobscot tribal ambassador before she became executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance in January 2025. Bryant’s work today is largely dedicated to unraveling many of the restrictions imposed by the settlement act. Conversations with her great-uncle caused her to shift her thinking of the law and of the negotiators who partook in its crafting.
“I never wanted those tribal leaders to feel ashamed or that they did a bad thing, because it was a historic thing and there were good things for the tribe and they were between a rock and a hard place,” she said. “I really credit him with me shifting my approach to the whole thing and seeing it in a wholesale way and just remembering the humanity of everyone involved.”
Dana and Phillips never spoke of the negotiations outside of a single town-hall meeting — but Dana said he knew his uncle was fully behind him when he went head-to-head with the state on several occasions.
By working on the negotiating team, Phillips was fulfilling a duty asked of him by his government, said John Dieffenbacher-Krall, the former executive director of the Wabanki Alliance.
“There can be no greater example of citizenship,” he said.
Phillips was also an outspoken advocate of the #PenobscotRiver restoration.
“My generation, we saw the Penobscot River at its worst. It was like an open sewer,” he told #WERU Community Radio and #SunlightMediaCollective in 2018. “And as children, it really didn’t mean too much to us. We still swam in it, we still ate the fish, we still canoed in it and so forth. But I also witnessed the cleansing of the river.”He was part of a group in 2002 that built the first birch bark canoe on Indian Island in 60 years and helped paddle the boat up the Penobscot River to Katahdin.
Butch Phillips at his Milford home in 1997. (John Ewing/Staff Photographer)
“It was a really strong moment in the revitalization of our culture,” Dana said.
Phillips was married for 40 years to Linda Ann Stewart, who died in 2001. He is survived by his three sons, four siblings and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends.In his final days, family members say Phillips asked those around him to show love.
“He hoped people would put their differences aside and just love each other,” Scott Phillips said."
Source:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/07/29/penobscot-elder-butch-phillips-dies-at-85/Archived version:
https://archive.md/Dmby4#Penobscot #PenobscotElder #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #PenobscotRiver #WaterKeeper #NativeAmericanArtist #CultureKeeper
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When it comes to standing up to #Trump, I laud #Maine Governor #JanetMills. But when it comes to #Wabanaki #Sovereignty, building wind terminals on undeveloped islands (#SearsIsland / #Wahsumkik ), destroying untouched forests to supply #WesternMass with electricity, or building highways through farmland (#MDOT), we definitely DO NOT always see eye-to-eye!
Governor opposed to latest change to #SettlementAct backed by #WabanakiNations
by Emma Davis
Wed, April 9, 2025"Discussion of legislation to afford the Wabanaki Nations more authority over their land revealed that Gov. Janet Mills does not support the change, presenting a steep path for a plan that otherwise has bipartisan support.
"After not testifying during the public hearing last week, the governor’s counsel, Jerry Reid, told the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Mills’ concerns stem from the inability to predict the future needs of state government, an issue also raised in written testimony from the #MaineDepartmentOfTransportation, which was made available after the hearing.
"When pressed by committee members, Reid said he doesn’t have a specific example of an infrastructure project that would warrant seizing tribal land but that, 'We need to write the law mindful of the potential for problems.'
"While Reid and Wabanaki leaders noted that progress has and continues to be made to improve the relationship between the state and Wabanaki Nations, Reid added, 'the fact that we have such a good relationship right now might not always be true.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, a principle known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"The 1834 federal Indian Nonintercourse Act prohibited land transactions with tribes unless authorized by Congress. However, the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act specified that that federal law was not applicable to the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation.
"This is the act that has overall resulted in the Tribes being treated more akin to #municipalities than #SovereignNations. So far, sweeping changes to the act have failed due to opposition from Mills, but the governor, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"The legislation being considered this session, #LD958, would amend the Settlement Act to prohibit the state from exercising eminent domain on trust and reservation land, which is protected under federal law, though fee land — or private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to the state taking.
"The bill would also amend the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct to make this change for the Mi’kmaq Nation, which wasn’t included in the Settlement Act.
"On Tuesday, the Taxation Committee unanimously voted in favor of a bill to ensure equal tax treatment among all of the Wabanaki Nations, which Mills supports. #LD982 would provide the #MikmaqNation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 through an amendment to the Settlement Act.
State hasn’t exercised this authority in decades, but argues it’s necessary"The state hasn’t exercised eminent domain over #TribalLands since the #SettlementAct. However, testimony from Wabanaki leaders and state government officials underscore that it is a possibility."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-opposed-latest-change-settlement-185134791.html#MaineSettlementAct #EminentDomain #LandTheft #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol
#NativeAmericanNews #TribalSovereignty #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SaveTheForests #MainePol #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
When it comes to standing up to #Trump, I laud #Maine Governor #JanetMills. But when it comes to #Wabanaki #Sovereignty, building wind terminals on undeveloped islands (#SearsIsland / #Wahsumkik ), destroying untouched forests to supply #WesternMass with electricity, or building highways through farmland (#MDOT), we definitely DO NOT always see eye-to-eye!
Governor opposed to latest change to #SettlementAct backed by #WabanakiNations
by Emma Davis
Wed, April 9, 2025"Discussion of legislation to afford the Wabanaki Nations more authority over their land revealed that Gov. Janet Mills does not support the change, presenting a steep path for a plan that otherwise has bipartisan support.
"After not testifying during the public hearing last week, the governor’s counsel, Jerry Reid, told the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Mills’ concerns stem from the inability to predict the future needs of state government, an issue also raised in written testimony from the #MaineDepartmentOfTransportation, which was made available after the hearing.
"When pressed by committee members, Reid said he doesn’t have a specific example of an infrastructure project that would warrant seizing tribal land but that, 'We need to write the law mindful of the potential for problems.'
"While Reid and Wabanaki leaders noted that progress has and continues to be made to improve the relationship between the state and Wabanaki Nations, Reid added, 'the fact that we have such a good relationship right now might not always be true.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, a principle known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"The 1834 federal Indian Nonintercourse Act prohibited land transactions with tribes unless authorized by Congress. However, the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act specified that that federal law was not applicable to the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation.
"This is the act that has overall resulted in the Tribes being treated more akin to #municipalities than #SovereignNations. So far, sweeping changes to the act have failed due to opposition from Mills, but the governor, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"The legislation being considered this session, #LD958, would amend the Settlement Act to prohibit the state from exercising eminent domain on trust and reservation land, which is protected under federal law, though fee land — or private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to the state taking.
"The bill would also amend the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct to make this change for the Mi’kmaq Nation, which wasn’t included in the Settlement Act.
"On Tuesday, the Taxation Committee unanimously voted in favor of a bill to ensure equal tax treatment among all of the Wabanaki Nations, which Mills supports. #LD982 would provide the #MikmaqNation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 through an amendment to the Settlement Act.
State hasn’t exercised this authority in decades, but argues it’s necessary"The state hasn’t exercised eminent domain over #TribalLands since the #SettlementAct. However, testimony from Wabanaki leaders and state government officials underscore that it is a possibility."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-opposed-latest-change-settlement-185134791.html#MaineSettlementAct #EminentDomain #LandTheft #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol
#NativeAmericanNews #TribalSovereignty #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SaveTheForests #MainePol #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
When it comes to standing up to #Trump, I laud #Maine Governor #JanetMills. But when it comes to #Wabanaki #Sovereignty, building wind terminals on undeveloped islands (#SearsIsland / #Wahsumkik ), destroying untouched forests to supply #WesternMass with electricity, or building highways through farmland (#MDOT), we definitely DO NOT always see eye-to-eye!
Governor opposed to latest change to #SettlementAct backed by #WabanakiNations
by Emma Davis
Wed, April 9, 2025"Discussion of legislation to afford the Wabanaki Nations more authority over their land revealed that Gov. Janet Mills does not support the change, presenting a steep path for a plan that otherwise has bipartisan support.
"After not testifying during the public hearing last week, the governor’s counsel, Jerry Reid, told the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Mills’ concerns stem from the inability to predict the future needs of state government, an issue also raised in written testimony from the #MaineDepartmentOfTransportation, which was made available after the hearing.
"When pressed by committee members, Reid said he doesn’t have a specific example of an infrastructure project that would warrant seizing tribal land but that, 'We need to write the law mindful of the potential for problems.'
"While Reid and Wabanaki leaders noted that progress has and continues to be made to improve the relationship between the state and Wabanaki Nations, Reid added, 'the fact that we have such a good relationship right now might not always be true.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, a principle known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"The 1834 federal Indian Nonintercourse Act prohibited land transactions with tribes unless authorized by Congress. However, the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act specified that that federal law was not applicable to the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation.
"This is the act that has overall resulted in the Tribes being treated more akin to #municipalities than #SovereignNations. So far, sweeping changes to the act have failed due to opposition from Mills, but the governor, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"The legislation being considered this session, #LD958, would amend the Settlement Act to prohibit the state from exercising eminent domain on trust and reservation land, which is protected under federal law, though fee land — or private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to the state taking.
"The bill would also amend the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct to make this change for the Mi’kmaq Nation, which wasn’t included in the Settlement Act.
"On Tuesday, the Taxation Committee unanimously voted in favor of a bill to ensure equal tax treatment among all of the Wabanaki Nations, which Mills supports. #LD982 would provide the #MikmaqNation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 through an amendment to the Settlement Act.
State hasn’t exercised this authority in decades, but argues it’s necessary"The state hasn’t exercised eminent domain over #TribalLands since the #SettlementAct. However, testimony from Wabanaki leaders and state government officials underscore that it is a possibility."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-opposed-latest-change-settlement-185134791.html#MaineSettlementAct #EminentDomain #LandTheft #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol
#NativeAmericanNews #TribalSovereignty #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SaveTheForests #MainePol #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
When it comes to standing up to #Trump, I laud #Maine Governor #JanetMills. But when it comes to #Wabanaki #Sovereignty, building wind terminals on undeveloped islands (#SearsIsland / #Wahsumkik ), destroying untouched forests to supply #WesternMass with electricity, or building highways through farmland (#MDOT), we definitely DO NOT always see eye-to-eye!
Governor opposed to latest change to #SettlementAct backed by #WabanakiNations
by Emma Davis
Wed, April 9, 2025"Discussion of legislation to afford the Wabanaki Nations more authority over their land revealed that Gov. Janet Mills does not support the change, presenting a steep path for a plan that otherwise has bipartisan support.
"After not testifying during the public hearing last week, the governor’s counsel, Jerry Reid, told the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Mills’ concerns stem from the inability to predict the future needs of state government, an issue also raised in written testimony from the #MaineDepartmentOfTransportation, which was made available after the hearing.
"When pressed by committee members, Reid said he doesn’t have a specific example of an infrastructure project that would warrant seizing tribal land but that, 'We need to write the law mindful of the potential for problems.'
"While Reid and Wabanaki leaders noted that progress has and continues to be made to improve the relationship between the state and Wabanaki Nations, Reid added, 'the fact that we have such a good relationship right now might not always be true.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, a principle known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"The 1834 federal Indian Nonintercourse Act prohibited land transactions with tribes unless authorized by Congress. However, the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act specified that that federal law was not applicable to the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation.
"This is the act that has overall resulted in the Tribes being treated more akin to #municipalities than #SovereignNations. So far, sweeping changes to the act have failed due to opposition from Mills, but the governor, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"The legislation being considered this session, #LD958, would amend the Settlement Act to prohibit the state from exercising eminent domain on trust and reservation land, which is protected under federal law, though fee land — or private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to the state taking.
"The bill would also amend the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct to make this change for the Mi’kmaq Nation, which wasn’t included in the Settlement Act.
"On Tuesday, the Taxation Committee unanimously voted in favor of a bill to ensure equal tax treatment among all of the Wabanaki Nations, which Mills supports. #LD982 would provide the #MikmaqNation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 through an amendment to the Settlement Act.
State hasn’t exercised this authority in decades, but argues it’s necessary"The state hasn’t exercised eminent domain over #TribalLands since the #SettlementAct. However, testimony from Wabanaki leaders and state government officials underscore that it is a possibility."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-opposed-latest-change-settlement-185134791.html#MaineSettlementAct #EminentDomain #LandTheft #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol
#NativeAmericanNews #TribalSovereignty #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SaveTheForests #MainePol #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
When it comes to standing up to #Trump, I laud #Maine Governor #JanetMills. But when it comes to #Wabanaki #Sovereignty, building wind terminals on undeveloped islands (#SearsIsland / #Wahsumkik ), destroying untouched forests to supply #WesternMass with electricity, or building highways through farmland (#MDOT), we definitely DO NOT always see eye-to-eye!
Governor opposed to latest change to #SettlementAct backed by #WabanakiNations
by Emma Davis
Wed, April 9, 2025"Discussion of legislation to afford the Wabanaki Nations more authority over their land revealed that Gov. Janet Mills does not support the change, presenting a steep path for a plan that otherwise has bipartisan support.
"After not testifying during the public hearing last week, the governor’s counsel, Jerry Reid, told the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Mills’ concerns stem from the inability to predict the future needs of state government, an issue also raised in written testimony from the #MaineDepartmentOfTransportation, which was made available after the hearing.
"When pressed by committee members, Reid said he doesn’t have a specific example of an infrastructure project that would warrant seizing tribal land but that, 'We need to write the law mindful of the potential for problems.'
"While Reid and Wabanaki leaders noted that progress has and continues to be made to improve the relationship between the state and Wabanaki Nations, Reid added, 'the fact that we have such a good relationship right now might not always be true.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, a principle known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"The 1834 federal Indian Nonintercourse Act prohibited land transactions with tribes unless authorized by Congress. However, the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act specified that that federal law was not applicable to the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation.
"This is the act that has overall resulted in the Tribes being treated more akin to #municipalities than #SovereignNations. So far, sweeping changes to the act have failed due to opposition from Mills, but the governor, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"The legislation being considered this session, #LD958, would amend the Settlement Act to prohibit the state from exercising eminent domain on trust and reservation land, which is protected under federal law, though fee land — or private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to the state taking.
"The bill would also amend the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct to make this change for the Mi’kmaq Nation, which wasn’t included in the Settlement Act.
"On Tuesday, the Taxation Committee unanimously voted in favor of a bill to ensure equal tax treatment among all of the Wabanaki Nations, which Mills supports. #LD982 would provide the #MikmaqNation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 through an amendment to the Settlement Act.
State hasn’t exercised this authority in decades, but argues it’s necessary"The state hasn’t exercised eminent domain over #TribalLands since the #SettlementAct. However, testimony from Wabanaki leaders and state government officials underscore that it is a possibility."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-opposed-latest-change-settlement-185134791.html#MaineSettlementAct #EminentDomain #LandTheft #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol
#NativeAmericanNews #TribalSovereignty #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SaveTheForests #MainePol #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
Bipartisan lawmakers, Wabanaki leaders propose next change to Settlement Act
by Emma Davis
Fri, April 4, 2025"A bipartisan group of lawmakers presented legislation on Friday to prevent the state from being able to seize #Wabanaki land for public use without consultation.
"For the past several Legislative sessions, leaders of the Wabanaki Nations have worked with lawmakers to try to overhaul the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct that has resulted in the tribes being treated more akin to municipalities than #SovereignNations.
"So far, sweeping change has failed due to opposition from Gov. #JanetMills, but the executive, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"#LD958 represents the next area of focus, although an omnibus bill is still expected to be considered during the second regular session of the Legislature next year.
"Sponsored by House Minority leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) and bipartisan co-sponsors, LD 958 would amend the #SettlementAct and the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct — as the Mi’kmaq Nation hadn’t been included in the earlier act — to prohibit eminent domain, a protection already afforded to almost all other federally recognized tribes.
" 'Much of our land contains irreplaceable cultural, spiritual and ecological resources,' said #Passamaquoddy Tribal Rep. Aaron Dana, a co-sponsor of the bill who sits on the Judiciary Committee. 'This bill ensures those places are safeguarded and are not subject to #destruction or #appropriation. Too often in our history, our #TribalLands have been taken, divided and exploited under the guise of progress.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the #FifthAmendment U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"Rep. Rachel Henderson (R-Rumford), a co-sponsor who sits on the Judiciary Committee, questioned whether the bill is in conflict with the Constitution. It is not, Faulkingham, tribal leaders and attorneys explained, because the Constitution outlines when eminent domain can be exercised but not that it can’t be further restricted.
" 'There’s nothing in the Fifth Amendment that prohibits a state from enacting laws that says we won’t do that,' Faulkingham said.
"LD 958 applies to land protected under federal law — trust and reservation land — but fee lands — private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to state power of eminent domain. A constitutional amendment allows states to condemn individually owned plots within tribal reservations.
"Maine has seized Wabanaki land from the start of their intertwined histories, as the state territory today had first been inhabited by the Wabanaki people."
Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bipartisan-lawmakers-wabanaki-leaders-propose-204713964.html#MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews #LandTheft
#PenobscotNation #PassamaquoddyTribe #HoultonBand of #Maliseets #MikmaqNation #Dawnland #TribalSovereignty -
Bipartisan lawmakers, Wabanaki leaders propose next change to Settlement Act
by Emma Davis
Fri, April 4, 2025"A bipartisan group of lawmakers presented legislation on Friday to prevent the state from being able to seize #Wabanaki land for public use without consultation.
"For the past several Legislative sessions, leaders of the Wabanaki Nations have worked with lawmakers to try to overhaul the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct that has resulted in the tribes being treated more akin to municipalities than #SovereignNations.
"So far, sweeping change has failed due to opposition from Gov. #JanetMills, but the executive, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"#LD958 represents the next area of focus, although an omnibus bill is still expected to be considered during the second regular session of the Legislature next year.
"Sponsored by House Minority leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) and bipartisan co-sponsors, LD 958 would amend the #SettlementAct and the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct — as the Mi’kmaq Nation hadn’t been included in the earlier act — to prohibit eminent domain, a protection already afforded to almost all other federally recognized tribes.
" 'Much of our land contains irreplaceable cultural, spiritual and ecological resources,' said #Passamaquoddy Tribal Rep. Aaron Dana, a co-sponsor of the bill who sits on the Judiciary Committee. 'This bill ensures those places are safeguarded and are not subject to #destruction or #appropriation. Too often in our history, our #TribalLands have been taken, divided and exploited under the guise of progress.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the #FifthAmendment U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"Rep. Rachel Henderson (R-Rumford), a co-sponsor who sits on the Judiciary Committee, questioned whether the bill is in conflict with the Constitution. It is not, Faulkingham, tribal leaders and attorneys explained, because the Constitution outlines when eminent domain can be exercised but not that it can’t be further restricted.
" 'There’s nothing in the Fifth Amendment that prohibits a state from enacting laws that says we won’t do that,' Faulkingham said.
"LD 958 applies to land protected under federal law — trust and reservation land — but fee lands — private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to state power of eminent domain. A constitutional amendment allows states to condemn individually owned plots within tribal reservations.
"Maine has seized Wabanaki land from the start of their intertwined histories, as the state territory today had first been inhabited by the Wabanaki people."
Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bipartisan-lawmakers-wabanaki-leaders-propose-204713964.html#MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews #LandTheft
#PenobscotNation #PassamaquoddyTribe #HoultonBand of #Maliseets #MikmaqNation #Dawnland #TribalSovereignty -
Bipartisan lawmakers, Wabanaki leaders propose next change to Settlement Act
by Emma Davis
Fri, April 4, 2025"A bipartisan group of lawmakers presented legislation on Friday to prevent the state from being able to seize #Wabanaki land for public use without consultation.
"For the past several Legislative sessions, leaders of the Wabanaki Nations have worked with lawmakers to try to overhaul the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct that has resulted in the tribes being treated more akin to municipalities than #SovereignNations.
"So far, sweeping change has failed due to opposition from Gov. #JanetMills, but the executive, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"#LD958 represents the next area of focus, although an omnibus bill is still expected to be considered during the second regular session of the Legislature next year.
"Sponsored by House Minority leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) and bipartisan co-sponsors, LD 958 would amend the #SettlementAct and the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct — as the Mi’kmaq Nation hadn’t been included in the earlier act — to prohibit eminent domain, a protection already afforded to almost all other federally recognized tribes.
" 'Much of our land contains irreplaceable cultural, spiritual and ecological resources,' said #Passamaquoddy Tribal Rep. Aaron Dana, a co-sponsor of the bill who sits on the Judiciary Committee. 'This bill ensures those places are safeguarded and are not subject to #destruction or #appropriation. Too often in our history, our #TribalLands have been taken, divided and exploited under the guise of progress.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the #FifthAmendment U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"Rep. Rachel Henderson (R-Rumford), a co-sponsor who sits on the Judiciary Committee, questioned whether the bill is in conflict with the Constitution. It is not, Faulkingham, tribal leaders and attorneys explained, because the Constitution outlines when eminent domain can be exercised but not that it can’t be further restricted.
" 'There’s nothing in the Fifth Amendment that prohibits a state from enacting laws that says we won’t do that,' Faulkingham said.
"LD 958 applies to land protected under federal law — trust and reservation land — but fee lands — private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to state power of eminent domain. A constitutional amendment allows states to condemn individually owned plots within tribal reservations.
"Maine has seized Wabanaki land from the start of their intertwined histories, as the state territory today had first been inhabited by the Wabanaki people."
Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bipartisan-lawmakers-wabanaki-leaders-propose-204713964.html#MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews #LandTheft
#PenobscotNation #PassamaquoddyTribe #HoultonBand of #Maliseets #MikmaqNation #Dawnland #TribalSovereignty -
Bipartisan lawmakers, Wabanaki leaders propose next change to Settlement Act
by Emma Davis
Fri, April 4, 2025"A bipartisan group of lawmakers presented legislation on Friday to prevent the state from being able to seize #Wabanaki land for public use without consultation.
"For the past several Legislative sessions, leaders of the Wabanaki Nations have worked with lawmakers to try to overhaul the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct that has resulted in the tribes being treated more akin to municipalities than #SovereignNations.
"So far, sweeping change has failed due to opposition from Gov. #JanetMills, but the executive, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"#LD958 represents the next area of focus, although an omnibus bill is still expected to be considered during the second regular session of the Legislature next year.
"Sponsored by House Minority leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) and bipartisan co-sponsors, LD 958 would amend the #SettlementAct and the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct — as the Mi’kmaq Nation hadn’t been included in the earlier act — to prohibit eminent domain, a protection already afforded to almost all other federally recognized tribes.
" 'Much of our land contains irreplaceable cultural, spiritual and ecological resources,' said #Passamaquoddy Tribal Rep. Aaron Dana, a co-sponsor of the bill who sits on the Judiciary Committee. 'This bill ensures those places are safeguarded and are not subject to #destruction or #appropriation. Too often in our history, our #TribalLands have been taken, divided and exploited under the guise of progress.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the #FifthAmendment U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"Rep. Rachel Henderson (R-Rumford), a co-sponsor who sits on the Judiciary Committee, questioned whether the bill is in conflict with the Constitution. It is not, Faulkingham, tribal leaders and attorneys explained, because the Constitution outlines when eminent domain can be exercised but not that it can’t be further restricted.
" 'There’s nothing in the Fifth Amendment that prohibits a state from enacting laws that says we won’t do that,' Faulkingham said.
"LD 958 applies to land protected under federal law — trust and reservation land — but fee lands — private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to state power of eminent domain. A constitutional amendment allows states to condemn individually owned plots within tribal reservations.
"Maine has seized Wabanaki land from the start of their intertwined histories, as the state territory today had first been inhabited by the Wabanaki people."
Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bipartisan-lawmakers-wabanaki-leaders-propose-204713964.html#MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews #LandTheft
#PenobscotNation #PassamaquoddyTribe #HoultonBand of #Maliseets #MikmaqNation #Dawnland #TribalSovereignty -
Bipartisan lawmakers, Wabanaki leaders propose next change to Settlement Act
by Emma Davis
Fri, April 4, 2025"A bipartisan group of lawmakers presented legislation on Friday to prevent the state from being able to seize #Wabanaki land for public use without consultation.
"For the past several Legislative sessions, leaders of the Wabanaki Nations have worked with lawmakers to try to overhaul the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct that has resulted in the tribes being treated more akin to municipalities than #SovereignNations.
"So far, sweeping change has failed due to opposition from Gov. #JanetMills, but the executive, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"#LD958 represents the next area of focus, although an omnibus bill is still expected to be considered during the second regular session of the Legislature next year.
"Sponsored by House Minority leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) and bipartisan co-sponsors, LD 958 would amend the #SettlementAct and the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct — as the Mi’kmaq Nation hadn’t been included in the earlier act — to prohibit eminent domain, a protection already afforded to almost all other federally recognized tribes.
" 'Much of our land contains irreplaceable cultural, spiritual and ecological resources,' said #Passamaquoddy Tribal Rep. Aaron Dana, a co-sponsor of the bill who sits on the Judiciary Committee. 'This bill ensures those places are safeguarded and are not subject to #destruction or #appropriation. Too often in our history, our #TribalLands have been taken, divided and exploited under the guise of progress.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the #FifthAmendment U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"Rep. Rachel Henderson (R-Rumford), a co-sponsor who sits on the Judiciary Committee, questioned whether the bill is in conflict with the Constitution. It is not, Faulkingham, tribal leaders and attorneys explained, because the Constitution outlines when eminent domain can be exercised but not that it can’t be further restricted.
" 'There’s nothing in the Fifth Amendment that prohibits a state from enacting laws that says we won’t do that,' Faulkingham said.
"LD 958 applies to land protected under federal law — trust and reservation land — but fee lands — private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to state power of eminent domain. A constitutional amendment allows states to condemn individually owned plots within tribal reservations.
"Maine has seized Wabanaki land from the start of their intertwined histories, as the state territory today had first been inhabited by the Wabanaki people."
Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bipartisan-lawmakers-wabanaki-leaders-propose-204713964.html#MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews #LandTheft
#PenobscotNation #PassamaquoddyTribe #HoultonBand of #Maliseets #MikmaqNation #Dawnland #TribalSovereignty -
Legislators seek equal tax treatment among #Wabanaki Nations
Emma Davis, Maine Morning Star
Wed, April 16, 2025"Legislators are trying again to ensure equal treatment for the #MikmaqNation.
"Last session, legislation to provide the Mi’kmaq Nation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 received favorable committee and floor votes, but got caught up in end-of-session procedural fights and ultimately died without final action when lawmakers adjourned.
"That measure was back before the Taxation Committee on Wednesday with the support of Gov. Janet Mills’ administration.
" 'This bill addresses a clear gap in state tax law,' said bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (Democrat from Cumberland).
"In 2022, the Legislature revised tax laws for the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation to afford them many of the same tax rules that apply to tribal nations throughout the country. This law also formalized regular dialogue practices between the Wabanaki Nations and the state and established a regulatory framework for sports betting.
"The law ended up looking drastically different than the legislation had first been proposed by Talbot Ross.
"Talbot Ross’ bill originally sought to amend aspects of the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct, which has left the Wabanaki Nations with authority more akin to municipalities than sovereign nations, putting them on different footing than all other federally recognized tribes. However, the bill was changed as a result of negotiations between three of the tribes and the governor’s office and overhauling the #SettlementAct remains an ongoing battle.
"The Mi’kmaq Nation was not referred to in the Settlement Act and only received federal recognition later in 1991. Last session, the Legislature passed a law known as The Mi’kmaq Nation Restoration Act that put the Tribe on par with the rest of the Wabanaki Nations.
"Talbot Ross’ bill this session, LD 982, co-sponsored by Rep. Daniel Sayre (D-Kennebunk), builds upon this previous work and mirrors the earlier attempt to seek parity for the Mi’kmaq Nation when it comes to tax treatment, which had been proposed by State Treasurer Joseph Perry, then representing Bangor in the Maine House.
"#LD982 would specifically exempt the Mi’kmaq Nation from state sales and income tax for activities occurring on tribal trust or reservation lands and allow the Tribe to generate sales tax revenues from sales on their own lands — the same rights afforded to the other Wabanaki Nations."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/legislators-seek-equal-tax-treatment-220000073.html#MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy #MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews
-
Legislators seek equal tax treatment among #Wabanaki Nations
Emma Davis, Maine Morning Star
Wed, April 16, 2025"Legislators are trying again to ensure equal treatment for the #MikmaqNation.
"Last session, legislation to provide the Mi’kmaq Nation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 received favorable committee and floor votes, but got caught up in end-of-session procedural fights and ultimately died without final action when lawmakers adjourned.
"That measure was back before the Taxation Committee on Wednesday with the support of Gov. Janet Mills’ administration.
" 'This bill addresses a clear gap in state tax law,' said bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (Democrat from Cumberland).
"In 2022, the Legislature revised tax laws for the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation to afford them many of the same tax rules that apply to tribal nations throughout the country. This law also formalized regular dialogue practices between the Wabanaki Nations and the state and established a regulatory framework for sports betting.
"The law ended up looking drastically different than the legislation had first been proposed by Talbot Ross.
"Talbot Ross’ bill originally sought to amend aspects of the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct, which has left the Wabanaki Nations with authority more akin to municipalities than sovereign nations, putting them on different footing than all other federally recognized tribes. However, the bill was changed as a result of negotiations between three of the tribes and the governor’s office and overhauling the #SettlementAct remains an ongoing battle.
"The Mi’kmaq Nation was not referred to in the Settlement Act and only received federal recognition later in 1991. Last session, the Legislature passed a law known as The Mi’kmaq Nation Restoration Act that put the Tribe on par with the rest of the Wabanaki Nations.
"Talbot Ross’ bill this session, LD 982, co-sponsored by Rep. Daniel Sayre (D-Kennebunk), builds upon this previous work and mirrors the earlier attempt to seek parity for the Mi’kmaq Nation when it comes to tax treatment, which had been proposed by State Treasurer Joseph Perry, then representing Bangor in the Maine House.
"#LD982 would specifically exempt the Mi’kmaq Nation from state sales and income tax for activities occurring on tribal trust or reservation lands and allow the Tribe to generate sales tax revenues from sales on their own lands — the same rights afforded to the other Wabanaki Nations."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/legislators-seek-equal-tax-treatment-220000073.html#MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy #MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews
-
Legislators seek equal tax treatment among #Wabanaki Nations
Emma Davis, Maine Morning Star
Wed, April 16, 2025"Legislators are trying again to ensure equal treatment for the #MikmaqNation.
"Last session, legislation to provide the Mi’kmaq Nation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 received favorable committee and floor votes, but got caught up in end-of-session procedural fights and ultimately died without final action when lawmakers adjourned.
"That measure was back before the Taxation Committee on Wednesday with the support of Gov. Janet Mills’ administration.
" 'This bill addresses a clear gap in state tax law,' said bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (Democrat from Cumberland).
"In 2022, the Legislature revised tax laws for the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation to afford them many of the same tax rules that apply to tribal nations throughout the country. This law also formalized regular dialogue practices between the Wabanaki Nations and the state and established a regulatory framework for sports betting.
"The law ended up looking drastically different than the legislation had first been proposed by Talbot Ross.
"Talbot Ross’ bill originally sought to amend aspects of the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct, which has left the Wabanaki Nations with authority more akin to municipalities than sovereign nations, putting them on different footing than all other federally recognized tribes. However, the bill was changed as a result of negotiations between three of the tribes and the governor’s office and overhauling the #SettlementAct remains an ongoing battle.
"The Mi’kmaq Nation was not referred to in the Settlement Act and only received federal recognition later in 1991. Last session, the Legislature passed a law known as The Mi’kmaq Nation Restoration Act that put the Tribe on par with the rest of the Wabanaki Nations.
"Talbot Ross’ bill this session, LD 982, co-sponsored by Rep. Daniel Sayre (D-Kennebunk), builds upon this previous work and mirrors the earlier attempt to seek parity for the Mi’kmaq Nation when it comes to tax treatment, which had been proposed by State Treasurer Joseph Perry, then representing Bangor in the Maine House.
"#LD982 would specifically exempt the Mi’kmaq Nation from state sales and income tax for activities occurring on tribal trust or reservation lands and allow the Tribe to generate sales tax revenues from sales on their own lands — the same rights afforded to the other Wabanaki Nations."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/legislators-seek-equal-tax-treatment-220000073.html#MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy #MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews
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Legislators seek equal tax treatment among #Wabanaki Nations
Emma Davis, Maine Morning Star
Wed, April 16, 2025"Legislators are trying again to ensure equal treatment for the #MikmaqNation.
"Last session, legislation to provide the Mi’kmaq Nation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 received favorable committee and floor votes, but got caught up in end-of-session procedural fights and ultimately died without final action when lawmakers adjourned.
"That measure was back before the Taxation Committee on Wednesday with the support of Gov. Janet Mills’ administration.
" 'This bill addresses a clear gap in state tax law,' said bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (Democrat from Cumberland).
"In 2022, the Legislature revised tax laws for the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation to afford them many of the same tax rules that apply to tribal nations throughout the country. This law also formalized regular dialogue practices between the Wabanaki Nations and the state and established a regulatory framework for sports betting.
"The law ended up looking drastically different than the legislation had first been proposed by Talbot Ross.
"Talbot Ross’ bill originally sought to amend aspects of the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct, which has left the Wabanaki Nations with authority more akin to municipalities than sovereign nations, putting them on different footing than all other federally recognized tribes. However, the bill was changed as a result of negotiations between three of the tribes and the governor’s office and overhauling the #SettlementAct remains an ongoing battle.
"The Mi’kmaq Nation was not referred to in the Settlement Act and only received federal recognition later in 1991. Last session, the Legislature passed a law known as The Mi’kmaq Nation Restoration Act that put the Tribe on par with the rest of the Wabanaki Nations.
"Talbot Ross’ bill this session, LD 982, co-sponsored by Rep. Daniel Sayre (D-Kennebunk), builds upon this previous work and mirrors the earlier attempt to seek parity for the Mi’kmaq Nation when it comes to tax treatment, which had been proposed by State Treasurer Joseph Perry, then representing Bangor in the Maine House.
"#LD982 would specifically exempt the Mi’kmaq Nation from state sales and income tax for activities occurring on tribal trust or reservation lands and allow the Tribe to generate sales tax revenues from sales on their own lands — the same rights afforded to the other Wabanaki Nations."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/legislators-seek-equal-tax-treatment-220000073.html#MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy #MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews
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Legislators seek equal tax treatment among #Wabanaki Nations
Emma Davis, Maine Morning Star
Wed, April 16, 2025"Legislators are trying again to ensure equal treatment for the #MikmaqNation.
"Last session, legislation to provide the Mi’kmaq Nation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 received favorable committee and floor votes, but got caught up in end-of-session procedural fights and ultimately died without final action when lawmakers adjourned.
"That measure was back before the Taxation Committee on Wednesday with the support of Gov. Janet Mills’ administration.
" 'This bill addresses a clear gap in state tax law,' said bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (Democrat from Cumberland).
"In 2022, the Legislature revised tax laws for the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation to afford them many of the same tax rules that apply to tribal nations throughout the country. This law also formalized regular dialogue practices between the Wabanaki Nations and the state and established a regulatory framework for sports betting.
"The law ended up looking drastically different than the legislation had first been proposed by Talbot Ross.
"Talbot Ross’ bill originally sought to amend aspects of the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct, which has left the Wabanaki Nations with authority more akin to municipalities than sovereign nations, putting them on different footing than all other federally recognized tribes. However, the bill was changed as a result of negotiations between three of the tribes and the governor’s office and overhauling the #SettlementAct remains an ongoing battle.
"The Mi’kmaq Nation was not referred to in the Settlement Act and only received federal recognition later in 1991. Last session, the Legislature passed a law known as The Mi’kmaq Nation Restoration Act that put the Tribe on par with the rest of the Wabanaki Nations.
"Talbot Ross’ bill this session, LD 982, co-sponsored by Rep. Daniel Sayre (D-Kennebunk), builds upon this previous work and mirrors the earlier attempt to seek parity for the Mi’kmaq Nation when it comes to tax treatment, which had been proposed by State Treasurer Joseph Perry, then representing Bangor in the Maine House.
"#LD982 would specifically exempt the Mi’kmaq Nation from state sales and income tax for activities occurring on tribal trust or reservation lands and allow the Tribe to generate sales tax revenues from sales on their own lands — the same rights afforded to the other Wabanaki Nations."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/legislators-seek-equal-tax-treatment-220000073.html#MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy #MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol #NativeAmericanNews
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Here is a link to the story I wrote for #MaineWellBeing back in 2001. The publisher and editor, Judith Southworth, let me take the time needed to research this story -- including attending a conference at the #PenobscotNation on Indian Island, and interviewing the #WabanakiConfederacy leaders to get their side of the #MaineSettlementAct. I had some friends at the nearby Law School library help me to translate some of the "legalese" used in the Settlement Act (deliberately so). My story, though only in a newspaper with a small run (though statewide in its reach), helped to bring awareness to issues that the Wabanaki Confederacy -- especially the Penobscot Nation -- still face to this day.
Protecting Maine’s Life-Giving Rivers
First published in 2001, in Maine Well-Being
An excerpt:
TRIBAL GOVERNORS TAKE A STAND
The State of Maine and three major paper companies assert that the Settlement Act of 1980 makes the three tribes involved (the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot and Houlton Maliseets) different from other sovereign Indian nations, claiming that they do not have the same rights as the other nations in the United States. There is language in the Settlement Act’s enforcement piece — the Implementing Act — which has been interpreted by the state as meaning the tribes are actually municipalities under state control. Because of this, the paper companies are bringing lawsuits against the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribal governments for access on their internal documents on water quality regulation. The paper companies claim that the Penobscot Nation and Passamaquoddy Nation are subject to the Freedom of Access Act, a state law requiring municipalities to provide such information on demand.
Passamaquoddy Governors Richard M. Doyle and Richard Stevens, as well as newly-elected Governor Dana of the Penobscot Nation, were threatened with daily $1000 fines and a year in jail for refusing to hand over the documents. The Penobscot and Passamaquoddy leaders claim that the health of their waters, which is life to them, is a matter of the health and welfare of their people and an internal matter, not subject to state regulations. The tribal governments are appealing to the Maine Judicial Supreme Court, but if they fail, the governors face imprisonment. Governor Dana asserted, “The paper companies don’t just want our documents... they’re after the continued right to pollute the river.”
Read more:
https://doomsdayscw.blogspot.com/2022/12/protecting-maines-life-giving-rivers.html#WaterIsLife #LandBack #Wabanaki #Maine #TraditionalCaretakers #MaineRivers #Pollution #Sovereignty #FirstNations #MaineFirstNations #IndigenousPeoplesDay
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#WabanakiAlliance testifies in Washington about the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women [#MMIW]
Maine Public | By Carol Bousquet
Published November 21, 2024"Murdered and missing indigenous women were the focus of a hearing before House Interior Appropriations leaders Wednesday in Washington.
"Wabanaki Alliance Executive Director Maulian Bryant testified that one in three indigenous women will be the victim of a violent crime in her lifetime. And she said stereotypes about indigenous people silence victims and make their cases more challenging to address.
"'When an Indigenous woman goes missing there's not the same attention and action as when a Caucasian woman does. The primary reasons for this are threefold: societal indifference, jurisdictional and coordination issues, and a lack of resources for tribal law enforcement agencies. The false conceptions of our people lead to victim blaming and attitudes that minimize attention given to these cases,' Bryant said.
"The 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, Bryant said, has led to the dismissal of tribal cases because they were 'kicked out to state courts' and resulted in 'zero convictions.'
"'The state was very adept at their negotiating, and it's kept us oppressed and held back from our full experience as federally recognized tribal nations," she said. 'We are heavily restricted by this settlement, and it impacts this crisis as well.'
"Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2022 means Maine tribes are now able to handle criminal cases on tribal lands.
"But Bryant said more resources are needed for tribal law enforcement training and ensuring that data on indigenous crimes against women are collected and shared with state and federal agencies that can help to bring justice to victims.
"Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, ranking member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, invited Bryant to testify.
"In a statement, Pingree said there is a need for additional funding for staffing and public safety, and justice programs that can comprehensively address this crisis. 'That's why it's imperative we pass a full year Interior Appropriations bill and not have programs constrained by operating under a Continuing Resolution,' she said.
"The 2023 launch of the Department of Justice Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person Regional Outreach Program has placed ten attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to help respond to cases, according to Pingree."
#MaulianBryant #Wabanaki #Maine #MMIWG #MaineSettlementAct #WabanakiNations #VAWA #FullSoveigntyNow #WabanakiConfederacy #SettlementAct #IndigenousPeoplesDay
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Reflecting on Change, by the #WabanakiREACH Board
August 8, 2024
"REACH has been through many changes and transitions over the years, evolving from an idea of #decolonization to becoming an official non-profit with a board, staff and many volunteers. It has been quite the journey thus far and we continue to transform to meet the emerging needs of the people in the #Dawnland.
"Many of the same individuals who formed #Wabanaki REACH gathered in 1999 to improve the state’s compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act (#ICWA). When tribal and state child welfare professionals first came together for that purpose, they did not envision the impact they would continue to have twenty-five years later.
"The Tribal-State ICWA Workgroup initiated the historic #Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission to further the work of increasing ICWA compliance and honoring tribal self-determination. As the Commission was launched, REACH began to form as an organization, first with a fiscal sponsor to help us gain access funding and administrative support for our work. Then in 2018, REACH became an official non-profit organization.
"In 2015, the Truth Commission’s final report spoke to the importance of the Tribal-State Workgroup and Wabanaki REACH. The Commission's recommendations continue to guide their respective work.
"The Tribal-State ICWA Workgroup continues to meet regularly to practice co-case management of ICWA cases and provide support to tribal child welfare partners; they recruit, train, and support community members to serve as ICWA Qualified Expert Witnesses; they provide a day-long educational experience for caseworkers, assess and update state child welfare policy, provide #ICWA education to Guardians ad Litem, attorneys, judges, and other service providers, and they helped create the new state law Maine Indian Child Welfare Act in 2023.
"REACH’s decolonization work centers on how to restore Wabanaki lands, water, culture, and people by:
- Continuing truth-telling initiatives. Beyond the Claims:Stories from the Land and the Heart is completing its work that sought to deepen understanding of the experiences and impacts of the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act. We are focusing on what needs to come next.
- Supporting Wabanaki wellbeing through education, building and celebrating community, reclaiming Wabanaki ways, and protecting the earth we share. REACH supports Native inmates with newsletters, books, peace and healing circles, and sweat lodge ceremonies. Food sovereignty work has been focused on creating medicine gardens, restoring clam beds, supporting food pantries, and partnering on events to increase awareness of protecting the fisheries. We hold wellness gatherings and provide direct support to community members in need. This summer, REACH supported sending 21 Wabanaki youth to summer camp.
- REACH has developed and provides impactful educational programming, believing that when people more deeply understand what happened in this territory they wish to be part of writing a different history for our grandchildren.
"The truth and reconciliation commission has truly helped people understand intergenerational trauma and strength and the process of truth, healing, and change that is now taking place in many forms in both Wabanaki and non-native spaces. We are so heartened to see these planted seeds of decolonization sprouting all over Wabanaki territory."
https://www.wabanakireach.org/reflecting_on_change_wabanaki_reach_board
#IndigenousPeoplesDay #WabanakiAlliance #TruthAndReconcilation
#Colonization #BoardingSchools #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #PenobscotNation
#Maliseet #Passamaquoddy #Mikmaq #FirstNations #MaineTribes #TruthTelling -
I won't be crying any tears for #MaineSettlementAct #JoeBrennan. Sorry... He negotiated in bad faith! #MaineTribes still don't have full #Sovereignty!
"As attorney general, Brennan participated in negotiations with Wabanaki tribes and the federal government on what became the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1980, which was signed by President Jimmy Carter when Brennan was governor."
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I won't be crying any tears for #MaineSettlementAct #JoeBrennan. Sorry... He negotiated in bad faith! #MaineTribes still don't have full #Sovereignty!
"As attorney general, Brennan participated in negotiations with Wabanaki tribes and the federal government on what became the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1980, which was signed by President Jimmy Carter when Brennan was governor."
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I won't be crying any tears for #MaineSettlementAct #JoeBrennan. Sorry... He negotiated in bad faith! #MaineTribes still don't have full #Sovereignty!
"As attorney general, Brennan participated in negotiations with Wabanaki tribes and the federal government on what became the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1980, which was signed by President Jimmy Carter when Brennan was governor."
-
I won't be crying any tears for #MaineSettlementAct #JoeBrennan. Sorry... He negotiated in bad faith! #MaineTribes still don't have full #Sovereignty!
"As attorney general, Brennan participated in negotiations with Wabanaki tribes and the federal government on what became the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1980, which was signed by President Jimmy Carter when Brennan was governor."
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I won't be crying any tears for #MaineSettlementAct #JoeBrennan. Sorry... He negotiated in bad faith! #MaineTribes still don't have full #Sovereignty!
"As attorney general, Brennan participated in negotiations with Wabanaki tribes and the federal government on what became the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1980, which was signed by President Jimmy Carter when Brennan was governor."
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Understanding #TribalSovereignty
"For more than 40 years, the state of #Maine has used legislation passed in 1980 to deny the #WabanakiNations’ inherent tribal sovereignty, excluding the Houlton Band of #Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, #PassamaquoddyTribe, and #PenobscotNation from many rights and protections guaranteed by Federal Indian Law. This has resulted in decades of social and economic barriers for the #Wabanaki people and surrounding communities."
Who We Are
"In June of 2020 the tribes in Maine (Mi’kmaq Nation, #HoultonBandOfMaliseetIndians, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation) formed the #WabanakiAlliance. The Wabanaki Alliance was formed to educate people of Maine about the need for securing sovereignty of the tribes in Maine.
"In 1980, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act was passed by Congress and ratified by the tribes and the State of Maine. The Settlement Act was supposed to be a living document that would be improved upon. Under political duress the tribes agreed to the Settlement Act but with the hope to continue improving the relationship between the State of Maine and the tribes. For forty years this has not happened.
"Because of the 1980 Settlement Act the Tribes in Maine have had their sovereignty stripped from them. The promise of improving the Settlement Act has never been fulfilled. Now the Tribes in Maine are treated less than every other federally recognized tribe in America. The Wabanaki Alliance is not asking for special privileges but fairness by having the same or similar sovereignty as the more than 500 other tribes across America.
"We ask all those who support the sovereignty of the Tribes in Maine to educate themselves on the issues, why they are important and join us in securing sovereignty.
"Use the resources on this page to learn more about the issue and its history, and then visit our Take Action page to find out how you can support Wabanaki sovereignty."
https://www.wabanakialliance.com/sovereignty/
#MaineSettlementAct #IndigenousSovereignty #WabanakiTribes #Micmac #Miqmak #IndigenousActivism
#FirstNations #MaineTribes -
Understanding #TribalSovereignty
"For more than 40 years, the state of #Maine has used legislation passed in 1980 to deny the #WabanakiNations’ inherent tribal sovereignty, excluding the Houlton Band of #Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, #PassamaquoddyTribe, and #PenobscotNation from many rights and protections guaranteed by Federal Indian Law. This has resulted in decades of social and economic barriers for the #Wabanaki people and surrounding communities."
Who We Are
"In June of 2020 the tribes in Maine (Mi’kmaq Nation, #HoultonBandOfMaliseetIndians, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation) formed the #WabanakiAlliance. The Wabanaki Alliance was formed to educate people of Maine about the need for securing sovereignty of the tribes in Maine.
"In 1980, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act was passed by Congress and ratified by the tribes and the State of Maine. The Settlement Act was supposed to be a living document that would be improved upon. Under political duress the tribes agreed to the Settlement Act but with the hope to continue improving the relationship between the State of Maine and the tribes. For forty years this has not happened.
"Because of the 1980 Settlement Act the Tribes in Maine have had their sovereignty stripped from them. The promise of improving the Settlement Act has never been fulfilled. Now the Tribes in Maine are treated less than every other federally recognized tribe in America. The Wabanaki Alliance is not asking for special privileges but fairness by having the same or similar sovereignty as the more than 500 other tribes across America.
"We ask all those who support the sovereignty of the Tribes in Maine to educate themselves on the issues, why they are important and join us in securing sovereignty.
"Use the resources on this page to learn more about the issue and its history, and then visit our Take Action page to find out how you can support Wabanaki sovereignty."
https://www.wabanakialliance.com/sovereignty/
#MaineSettlementAct #IndigenousSovereignty #WabanakiTribes #Micmac #Miqmak #IndigenousActivism
#FirstNations #MaineTribes -
Understanding #TribalSovereignty
"For more than 40 years, the state of #Maine has used legislation passed in 1980 to deny the #WabanakiNations’ inherent tribal sovereignty, excluding the Houlton Band of #Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, #PassamaquoddyTribe, and #PenobscotNation from many rights and protections guaranteed by Federal Indian Law. This has resulted in decades of social and economic barriers for the #Wabanaki people and surrounding communities."
Who We Are
"In June of 2020 the tribes in Maine (Mi’kmaq Nation, #HoultonBandOfMaliseetIndians, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation) formed the #WabanakiAlliance. The Wabanaki Alliance was formed to educate people of Maine about the need for securing sovereignty of the tribes in Maine.
"In 1980, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act was passed by Congress and ratified by the tribes and the State of Maine. The Settlement Act was supposed to be a living document that would be improved upon. Under political duress the tribes agreed to the Settlement Act but with the hope to continue improving the relationship between the State of Maine and the tribes. For forty years this has not happened.
"Because of the 1980 Settlement Act the Tribes in Maine have had their sovereignty stripped from them. The promise of improving the Settlement Act has never been fulfilled. Now the Tribes in Maine are treated less than every other federally recognized tribe in America. The Wabanaki Alliance is not asking for special privileges but fairness by having the same or similar sovereignty as the more than 500 other tribes across America.
"We ask all those who support the sovereignty of the Tribes in Maine to educate themselves on the issues, why they are important and join us in securing sovereignty.
"Use the resources on this page to learn more about the issue and its history, and then visit our Take Action page to find out how you can support Wabanaki sovereignty."
https://www.wabanakialliance.com/sovereignty/
#MaineSettlementAct #IndigenousSovereignty #WabanakiTribes #Micmac #Miqmak #IndigenousActivism
#FirstNations #MaineTribes -
Understanding #TribalSovereignty
"For more than 40 years, the state of #Maine has used legislation passed in 1980 to deny the #WabanakiNations’ inherent tribal sovereignty, excluding the Houlton Band of #Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, #PassamaquoddyTribe, and #PenobscotNation from many rights and protections guaranteed by Federal Indian Law. This has resulted in decades of social and economic barriers for the #Wabanaki people and surrounding communities."
Who We Are
"In June of 2020 the tribes in Maine (Mi’kmaq Nation, #HoultonBandOfMaliseetIndians, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation) formed the #WabanakiAlliance. The Wabanaki Alliance was formed to educate people of Maine about the need for securing sovereignty of the tribes in Maine.
"In 1980, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act was passed by Congress and ratified by the tribes and the State of Maine. The Settlement Act was supposed to be a living document that would be improved upon. Under political duress the tribes agreed to the Settlement Act but with the hope to continue improving the relationship between the State of Maine and the tribes. For forty years this has not happened.
"Because of the 1980 Settlement Act the Tribes in Maine have had their sovereignty stripped from them. The promise of improving the Settlement Act has never been fulfilled. Now the Tribes in Maine are treated less than every other federally recognized tribe in America. The Wabanaki Alliance is not asking for special privileges but fairness by having the same or similar sovereignty as the more than 500 other tribes across America.
"We ask all those who support the sovereignty of the Tribes in Maine to educate themselves on the issues, why they are important and join us in securing sovereignty.
"Use the resources on this page to learn more about the issue and its history, and then visit our Take Action page to find out how you can support Wabanaki sovereignty."
https://www.wabanakialliance.com/sovereignty/
#MaineSettlementAct #IndigenousSovereignty #WabanakiTribes #Micmac #Miqmak #IndigenousActivism
#FirstNations #MaineTribes -
Understanding #TribalSovereignty
"For more than 40 years, the state of #Maine has used legislation passed in 1980 to deny the #WabanakiNations’ inherent tribal sovereignty, excluding the Houlton Band of #Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, #PassamaquoddyTribe, and #PenobscotNation from many rights and protections guaranteed by Federal Indian Law. This has resulted in decades of social and economic barriers for the #Wabanaki people and surrounding communities."
Who We Are
"In June of 2020 the tribes in Maine (Mi’kmaq Nation, #HoultonBandOfMaliseetIndians, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation) formed the #WabanakiAlliance. The Wabanaki Alliance was formed to educate people of Maine about the need for securing sovereignty of the tribes in Maine.
"In 1980, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act was passed by Congress and ratified by the tribes and the State of Maine. The Settlement Act was supposed to be a living document that would be improved upon. Under political duress the tribes agreed to the Settlement Act but with the hope to continue improving the relationship between the State of Maine and the tribes. For forty years this has not happened.
"Because of the 1980 Settlement Act the Tribes in Maine have had their sovereignty stripped from them. The promise of improving the Settlement Act has never been fulfilled. Now the Tribes in Maine are treated less than every other federally recognized tribe in America. The Wabanaki Alliance is not asking for special privileges but fairness by having the same or similar sovereignty as the more than 500 other tribes across America.
"We ask all those who support the sovereignty of the Tribes in Maine to educate themselves on the issues, why they are important and join us in securing sovereignty.
"Use the resources on this page to learn more about the issue and its history, and then visit our Take Action page to find out how you can support Wabanaki sovereignty."
https://www.wabanakialliance.com/sovereignty/
#MaineSettlementAct #IndigenousSovereignty #WabanakiTribes #Micmac #Miqmak #IndigenousActivism
#FirstNations #MaineTribes -
Letter: #MaineTribes deserve #sovereignty, #justice
February 26, 2024
"The Legislature is holding a public hearing this week [last week] on a bill regarding the sovereignty of Maine tribes. I hope it will eventually pass with enough votes to convince Gov. #JanetMills to sign it.
"I am a supporter of #RestorativeJustice, which seeks to repair the harm done by crimes both legal and political. One of #Maine’s most effective practitioners of restorative justice is the #TribalCourt run by the #PenobscotNation.
"The tribes, of course, have been treated abysmally by the ruling white culture of Maine for centuries. There was a time, for example, when a bounty was placed on the heads of tribal members, and discriminatory conduct continues.
"The federally recognized tribes in Maine are unique in a demeaning way: They alone do not have #sovereignty on the lands they occupy. I have heard the governor indicate that the 1980s #LandClaimsSettlementAc makes it difficult to accommodate sovereignty in Maine. But just think: The bounty was erased after a time, women gained the right to vote, Black people were recognized as fully human and on and on. Change is a fact of political life, and the time has come to grant sovereignty to Maine tribes. Please pass #LD2007 and let’s have some justice for a change."
Jay Davis
BelfastLink to LD2007 - An Act to Advance Self-determination for #WabanakiNations
https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bill/display_ps.asp?LD=2007&snum=131#LandBack #MaineSettlementAct #MaineTribes #IndigenousSovereignty #WabanakiTribes #WabanakiNations #Micmac #Miqmak #IndigenousNews #MaineLegislature
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Letter: #MaineTribes deserve #sovereignty, #justice
February 26, 2024
"The Legislature is holding a public hearing this week [last week] on a bill regarding the sovereignty of Maine tribes. I hope it will eventually pass with enough votes to convince Gov. #JanetMills to sign it.
"I am a supporter of #RestorativeJustice, which seeks to repair the harm done by crimes both legal and political. One of #Maine’s most effective practitioners of restorative justice is the #TribalCourt run by the #PenobscotNation.
"The tribes, of course, have been treated abysmally by the ruling white culture of Maine for centuries. There was a time, for example, when a bounty was placed on the heads of tribal members, and discriminatory conduct continues.
"The federally recognized tribes in Maine are unique in a demeaning way: They alone do not have #sovereignty on the lands they occupy. I have heard the governor indicate that the 1980s #LandClaimsSettlementAc makes it difficult to accommodate sovereignty in Maine. But just think: The bounty was erased after a time, women gained the right to vote, Black people were recognized as fully human and on and on. Change is a fact of political life, and the time has come to grant sovereignty to Maine tribes. Please pass #LD2007 and let’s have some justice for a change."
Jay Davis
BelfastLink to LD2007 - An Act to Advance Self-determination for #WabanakiNations
https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bill/display_ps.asp?LD=2007&snum=131#LandBack #MaineSettlementAct #MaineTribes #IndigenousSovereignty #WabanakiTribes #WabanakiNations #Micmac #Miqmak #IndigenousNews #MaineLegislature
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Letter: #MaineTribes deserve #sovereignty, #justice
February 26, 2024
"The Legislature is holding a public hearing this week [last week] on a bill regarding the sovereignty of Maine tribes. I hope it will eventually pass with enough votes to convince Gov. #JanetMills to sign it.
"I am a supporter of #RestorativeJustice, which seeks to repair the harm done by crimes both legal and political. One of #Maine’s most effective practitioners of restorative justice is the #TribalCourt run by the #PenobscotNation.
"The tribes, of course, have been treated abysmally by the ruling white culture of Maine for centuries. There was a time, for example, when a bounty was placed on the heads of tribal members, and discriminatory conduct continues.
"The federally recognized tribes in Maine are unique in a demeaning way: They alone do not have #sovereignty on the lands they occupy. I have heard the governor indicate that the 1980s #LandClaimsSettlementAc makes it difficult to accommodate sovereignty in Maine. But just think: The bounty was erased after a time, women gained the right to vote, Black people were recognized as fully human and on and on. Change is a fact of political life, and the time has come to grant sovereignty to Maine tribes. Please pass #LD2007 and let’s have some justice for a change."
Jay Davis
BelfastLink to LD2007 - An Act to Advance Self-determination for #WabanakiNations
https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bill/display_ps.asp?LD=2007&snum=131#LandBack #MaineSettlementAct #MaineTribes #IndigenousSovereignty #WabanakiTribes #WabanakiNations #Micmac #Miqmak #IndigenousNews #MaineLegislature
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Letter: #MaineTribes deserve #sovereignty, #justice
February 26, 2024
"The Legislature is holding a public hearing this week [last week] on a bill regarding the sovereignty of Maine tribes. I hope it will eventually pass with enough votes to convince Gov. #JanetMills to sign it.
"I am a supporter of #RestorativeJustice, which seeks to repair the harm done by crimes both legal and political. One of #Maine’s most effective practitioners of restorative justice is the #TribalCourt run by the #PenobscotNation.
"The tribes, of course, have been treated abysmally by the ruling white culture of Maine for centuries. There was a time, for example, when a bounty was placed on the heads of tribal members, and discriminatory conduct continues.
"The federally recognized tribes in Maine are unique in a demeaning way: They alone do not have #sovereignty on the lands they occupy. I have heard the governor indicate that the 1980s #LandClaimsSettlementAc makes it difficult to accommodate sovereignty in Maine. But just think: The bounty was erased after a time, women gained the right to vote, Black people were recognized as fully human and on and on. Change is a fact of political life, and the time has come to grant sovereignty to Maine tribes. Please pass #LD2007 and let’s have some justice for a change."
Jay Davis
BelfastLink to LD2007 - An Act to Advance Self-determination for #WabanakiNations
https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bill/display_ps.asp?LD=2007&snum=131#LandBack #MaineSettlementAct #MaineTribes #IndigenousSovereignty #WabanakiTribes #WabanakiNations #Micmac #Miqmak #IndigenousNews #MaineLegislature
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Letter: #MaineTribes deserve #sovereignty, #justice
February 26, 2024
"The Legislature is holding a public hearing this week [last week] on a bill regarding the sovereignty of Maine tribes. I hope it will eventually pass with enough votes to convince Gov. #JanetMills to sign it.
"I am a supporter of #RestorativeJustice, which seeks to repair the harm done by crimes both legal and political. One of #Maine’s most effective practitioners of restorative justice is the #TribalCourt run by the #PenobscotNation.
"The tribes, of course, have been treated abysmally by the ruling white culture of Maine for centuries. There was a time, for example, when a bounty was placed on the heads of tribal members, and discriminatory conduct continues.
"The federally recognized tribes in Maine are unique in a demeaning way: They alone do not have #sovereignty on the lands they occupy. I have heard the governor indicate that the 1980s #LandClaimsSettlementAc makes it difficult to accommodate sovereignty in Maine. But just think: The bounty was erased after a time, women gained the right to vote, Black people were recognized as fully human and on and on. Change is a fact of political life, and the time has come to grant sovereignty to Maine tribes. Please pass #LD2007 and let’s have some justice for a change."
Jay Davis
BelfastLink to LD2007 - An Act to Advance Self-determination for #WabanakiNations
https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bill/display_ps.asp?LD=2007&snum=131#LandBack #MaineSettlementAct #MaineTribes #IndigenousSovereignty #WabanakiTribes #WabanakiNations #Micmac #Miqmak #IndigenousNews #MaineLegislature
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This article from the March 2024 issue of #DownEastMagazine has a lot of background behind the Maine Settlement Act. A must read!!!
What Would #TribalSovereignty Mean for the #Wabanaki?
For more than 40 years, the tribes in Maine have had to play by different rules than other indigenous groups across the country, and they have suffered in tangible ways as a result. Now, a push for greater tribal autonomy has come to a head
"18th-century treaties were never intended to deed away land. Like many American #Indigenous groups, the #Wabanaki viewed stewardship as a communal undertaking — they didn’t share European conceptions of private land ownership. Unattuned to this foreign mindset, the Wabanaki signed treaties assuming the documents outlined land use, not ownership."
By Rachel Slade
March, 2024"The #HoultonBandOfMaliseets’ administrative headquarters, built to resemble a log cabin, sits on a small tract of tribal land in Aroostook County, just north of where I-95 intersects the Canadian border. A few steps away, the #MeduxnekeagRiver roars past, the sound of rushing water a reminder of the harm done by 19th-century log drives, when clearing the river of obstacles turned the flow fast and shallow. A decade ago, the Maliseets took it upon themselves to start a #restoration project, partnering with federal and state agencies and nonprofit groups to add boulders and bends to the Meduxnekeag. To date, they have covered a four-mile stretch, recreating conditions that will cool and oxygenate the water, in order to help insects, birds, and fish thrive. The work requires patience. So does much else. The river is hardly the only historical damage tribal leaders around the state have been attempting to repair.
"One of the four remaining Wabanaki tribes whose forebears arrived in Maine more than 10,000 years ago, the Maliseets inhabited an area now split between the United States and Canada long before the existence of an international border. Chief #ClarissaSabattis, who wears her heather-brown hair in two long, thick braids that drape over her shoulders, was elected to lead the #Maliseets in #Maine in 2017. Since then, she says, she has struggled daily with the complex legal relationships the tribes have with the state government, dictated by the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct.
"The terms of the settlement were the result of a decade of legal wrangling (and centuries of fraught dealings before that) that resulted in the state wielding unprecedented power over tribal affairs. The tribes have come to find the arrangement both burdensome and unjust. 'Our tribal council is our governing body,' Sabattis said when I met her at the Maliseet administrative offices. 'We should have full authority to make the laws and serve our people without interference from other governments.'
"Several years ago, the Maliseets, Mi’kmaq, #Passamaquoddy, and #PenobscotNation banded together and formed #WabanakiAlliance to collectively push for #TribalSovereignty. Most of the country’s 570 other federally recognized tribes are sovereign, which in the context of tribal affairs implies a sort of quasi-independence: through a direct nation-to-nation relationship with the federal government, indigenous groups can run their own communities. They administer their law enforcement, courts, schools, health care, and civil infrastructure on their reserved lands with federal assistance and funding — and, unlike in Maine, can do so without state-level interference. Sovereignty also means that if the tribes believe the state has violated their federally protected rights, they have recourse both through federal agencies and courts. It’s a system under which tribes across the nation have begun to flourish in recent decades."
Read more:
https://downeast.com/issues-politics/what-would-tribal-sovereignty-mean-for-the-wabanaki/#LandBack #MaineSettlementAct #NoCompromise #MaineTribes #IndigenousSovereignty #Wabanaki #WabanakiTribes #WabanakiNations #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #Micmac #Miqmak #Maliseets #IndigenousNews #JanetMills
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This article from the March 2024 issue of #DownEastMagazine has a lot of background behind the Maine Settlement Act. A must read!!!
What Would #TribalSovereignty Mean for the #Wabanaki?
For more than 40 years, the tribes in Maine have had to play by different rules than other indigenous groups across the country, and they have suffered in tangible ways as a result. Now, a push for greater tribal autonomy has come to a head
"18th-century treaties were never intended to deed away land. Like many American #Indigenous groups, the #Wabanaki viewed stewardship as a communal undertaking — they didn’t share European conceptions of private land ownership. Unattuned to this foreign mindset, the Wabanaki signed treaties assuming the documents outlined land use, not ownership."
By Rachel Slade
March, 2024"The #HoultonBandOfMaliseets’ administrative headquarters, built to resemble a log cabin, sits on a small tract of tribal land in Aroostook County, just north of where I-95 intersects the Canadian border. A few steps away, the #MeduxnekeagRiver roars past, the sound of rushing water a reminder of the harm done by 19th-century log drives, when clearing the river of obstacles turned the flow fast and shallow. A decade ago, the Maliseets took it upon themselves to start a #restoration project, partnering with federal and state agencies and nonprofit groups to add boulders and bends to the Meduxnekeag. To date, they have covered a four-mile stretch, recreating conditions that will cool and oxygenate the water, in order to help insects, birds, and fish thrive. The work requires patience. So does much else. The river is hardly the only historical damage tribal leaders around the state have been attempting to repair.
"One of the four remaining Wabanaki tribes whose forebears arrived in Maine more than 10,000 years ago, the Maliseets inhabited an area now split between the United States and Canada long before the existence of an international border. Chief #ClarissaSabattis, who wears her heather-brown hair in two long, thick braids that drape over her shoulders, was elected to lead the #Maliseets in #Maine in 2017. Since then, she says, she has struggled daily with the complex legal relationships the tribes have with the state government, dictated by the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct.
"The terms of the settlement were the result of a decade of legal wrangling (and centuries of fraught dealings before that) that resulted in the state wielding unprecedented power over tribal affairs. The tribes have come to find the arrangement both burdensome and unjust. 'Our tribal council is our governing body,' Sabattis said when I met her at the Maliseet administrative offices. 'We should have full authority to make the laws and serve our people without interference from other governments.'
"Several years ago, the Maliseets, Mi’kmaq, #Passamaquoddy, and #PenobscotNation banded together and formed #WabanakiAlliance to collectively push for #TribalSovereignty. Most of the country’s 570 other federally recognized tribes are sovereign, which in the context of tribal affairs implies a sort of quasi-independence: through a direct nation-to-nation relationship with the federal government, indigenous groups can run their own communities. They administer their law enforcement, courts, schools, health care, and civil infrastructure on their reserved lands with federal assistance and funding — and, unlike in Maine, can do so without state-level interference. Sovereignty also means that if the tribes believe the state has violated their federally protected rights, they have recourse both through federal agencies and courts. It’s a system under which tribes across the nation have begun to flourish in recent decades."
Read more:
https://downeast.com/issues-politics/what-would-tribal-sovereignty-mean-for-the-wabanaki/#LandBack #MaineSettlementAct #NoCompromise #MaineTribes #IndigenousSovereignty #Wabanaki #WabanakiTribes #WabanakiNations #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #Micmac #Miqmak #Maliseets #IndigenousNews #JanetMills
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This article from the March 2024 issue of #DownEastMagazine has a lot of background behind the Maine Settlement Act. A must read!!!
What Would #TribalSovereignty Mean for the #Wabanaki?
For more than 40 years, the tribes in Maine have had to play by different rules than other indigenous groups across the country, and they have suffered in tangible ways as a result. Now, a push for greater tribal autonomy has come to a head
"18th-century treaties were never intended to deed away land. Like many American #Indigenous groups, the #Wabanaki viewed stewardship as a communal undertaking — they didn’t share European conceptions of private land ownership. Unattuned to this foreign mindset, the Wabanaki signed treaties assuming the documents outlined land use, not ownership."
By Rachel Slade
March, 2024"The #HoultonBandOfMaliseets’ administrative headquarters, built to resemble a log cabin, sits on a small tract of tribal land in Aroostook County, just north of where I-95 intersects the Canadian border. A few steps away, the #MeduxnekeagRiver roars past, the sound of rushing water a reminder of the harm done by 19th-century log drives, when clearing the river of obstacles turned the flow fast and shallow. A decade ago, the Maliseets took it upon themselves to start a #restoration project, partnering with federal and state agencies and nonprofit groups to add boulders and bends to the Meduxnekeag. To date, they have covered a four-mile stretch, recreating conditions that will cool and oxygenate the water, in order to help insects, birds, and fish thrive. The work requires patience. So does much else. The river is hardly the only historical damage tribal leaders around the state have been attempting to repair.
"One of the four remaining Wabanaki tribes whose forebears arrived in Maine more than 10,000 years ago, the Maliseets inhabited an area now split between the United States and Canada long before the existence of an international border. Chief #ClarissaSabattis, who wears her heather-brown hair in two long, thick braids that drape over her shoulders, was elected to lead the #Maliseets in #Maine in 2017. Since then, she says, she has struggled daily with the complex legal relationships the tribes have with the state government, dictated by the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct.
"The terms of the settlement were the result of a decade of legal wrangling (and centuries of fraught dealings before that) that resulted in the state wielding unprecedented power over tribal affairs. The tribes have come to find the arrangement both burdensome and unjust. 'Our tribal council is our governing body,' Sabattis said when I met her at the Maliseet administrative offices. 'We should have full authority to make the laws and serve our people without interference from other governments.'
"Several years ago, the Maliseets, Mi’kmaq, #Passamaquoddy, and #PenobscotNation banded together and formed #WabanakiAlliance to collectively push for #TribalSovereignty. Most of the country’s 570 other federally recognized tribes are sovereign, which in the context of tribal affairs implies a sort of quasi-independence: through a direct nation-to-nation relationship with the federal government, indigenous groups can run their own communities. They administer their law enforcement, courts, schools, health care, and civil infrastructure on their reserved lands with federal assistance and funding — and, unlike in Maine, can do so without state-level interference. Sovereignty also means that if the tribes believe the state has violated their federally protected rights, they have recourse both through federal agencies and courts. It’s a system under which tribes across the nation have begun to flourish in recent decades."
Read more:
https://downeast.com/issues-politics/what-would-tribal-sovereignty-mean-for-the-wabanaki/#LandBack #MaineSettlementAct #NoCompromise #MaineTribes #IndigenousSovereignty #Wabanaki #WabanakiTribes #WabanakiNations #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #Micmac #Miqmak #Maliseets #IndigenousNews #JanetMills
-
This article from the March 2024 issue of #DownEastMagazine has a lot of background behind the Maine Settlement Act. A must read!!!
What Would #TribalSovereignty Mean for the #Wabanaki?
For more than 40 years, the tribes in Maine have had to play by different rules than other indigenous groups across the country, and they have suffered in tangible ways as a result. Now, a push for greater tribal autonomy has come to a head
"18th-century treaties were never intended to deed away land. Like many American #Indigenous groups, the #Wabanaki viewed stewardship as a communal undertaking — they didn’t share European conceptions of private land ownership. Unattuned to this foreign mindset, the Wabanaki signed treaties assuming the documents outlined land use, not ownership."
By Rachel Slade
March, 2024"The #HoultonBandOfMaliseets’ administrative headquarters, built to resemble a log cabin, sits on a small tract of tribal land in Aroostook County, just north of where I-95 intersects the Canadian border. A few steps away, the #MeduxnekeagRiver roars past, the sound of rushing water a reminder of the harm done by 19th-century log drives, when clearing the river of obstacles turned the flow fast and shallow. A decade ago, the Maliseets took it upon themselves to start a #restoration project, partnering with federal and state agencies and nonprofit groups to add boulders and bends to the Meduxnekeag. To date, they have covered a four-mile stretch, recreating conditions that will cool and oxygenate the water, in order to help insects, birds, and fish thrive. The work requires patience. So does much else. The river is hardly the only historical damage tribal leaders around the state have been attempting to repair.
"One of the four remaining Wabanaki tribes whose forebears arrived in Maine more than 10,000 years ago, the Maliseets inhabited an area now split between the United States and Canada long before the existence of an international border. Chief #ClarissaSabattis, who wears her heather-brown hair in two long, thick braids that drape over her shoulders, was elected to lead the #Maliseets in #Maine in 2017. Since then, she says, she has struggled daily with the complex legal relationships the tribes have with the state government, dictated by the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct.
"The terms of the settlement were the result of a decade of legal wrangling (and centuries of fraught dealings before that) that resulted in the state wielding unprecedented power over tribal affairs. The tribes have come to find the arrangement both burdensome and unjust. 'Our tribal council is our governing body,' Sabattis said when I met her at the Maliseet administrative offices. 'We should have full authority to make the laws and serve our people without interference from other governments.'
"Several years ago, the Maliseets, Mi’kmaq, #Passamaquoddy, and #PenobscotNation banded together and formed #WabanakiAlliance to collectively push for #TribalSovereignty. Most of the country’s 570 other federally recognized tribes are sovereign, which in the context of tribal affairs implies a sort of quasi-independence: through a direct nation-to-nation relationship with the federal government, indigenous groups can run their own communities. They administer their law enforcement, courts, schools, health care, and civil infrastructure on their reserved lands with federal assistance and funding — and, unlike in Maine, can do so without state-level interference. Sovereignty also means that if the tribes believe the state has violated their federally protected rights, they have recourse both through federal agencies and courts. It’s a system under which tribes across the nation have begun to flourish in recent decades."
Read more:
https://downeast.com/issues-politics/what-would-tribal-sovereignty-mean-for-the-wabanaki/#LandBack #MaineSettlementAct #NoCompromise #MaineTribes #IndigenousSovereignty #Wabanaki #WabanakiTribes #WabanakiNations #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #Micmac #Miqmak #Maliseets #IndigenousNews #JanetMills
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This article from the March 2024 issue of #DownEastMagazine has a lot of background behind the Maine Settlement Act. A must read!!!
What Would #TribalSovereignty Mean for the #Wabanaki?
For more than 40 years, the tribes in Maine have had to play by different rules than other indigenous groups across the country, and they have suffered in tangible ways as a result. Now, a push for greater tribal autonomy has come to a head
"18th-century treaties were never intended to deed away land. Like many American #Indigenous groups, the #Wabanaki viewed stewardship as a communal undertaking — they didn’t share European conceptions of private land ownership. Unattuned to this foreign mindset, the Wabanaki signed treaties assuming the documents outlined land use, not ownership."
By Rachel Slade
March, 2024"The #HoultonBandOfMaliseets’ administrative headquarters, built to resemble a log cabin, sits on a small tract of tribal land in Aroostook County, just north of where I-95 intersects the Canadian border. A few steps away, the #MeduxnekeagRiver roars past, the sound of rushing water a reminder of the harm done by 19th-century log drives, when clearing the river of obstacles turned the flow fast and shallow. A decade ago, the Maliseets took it upon themselves to start a #restoration project, partnering with federal and state agencies and nonprofit groups to add boulders and bends to the Meduxnekeag. To date, they have covered a four-mile stretch, recreating conditions that will cool and oxygenate the water, in order to help insects, birds, and fish thrive. The work requires patience. So does much else. The river is hardly the only historical damage tribal leaders around the state have been attempting to repair.
"One of the four remaining Wabanaki tribes whose forebears arrived in Maine more than 10,000 years ago, the Maliseets inhabited an area now split between the United States and Canada long before the existence of an international border. Chief #ClarissaSabattis, who wears her heather-brown hair in two long, thick braids that drape over her shoulders, was elected to lead the #Maliseets in #Maine in 2017. Since then, she says, she has struggled daily with the complex legal relationships the tribes have with the state government, dictated by the 1980 #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct.
"The terms of the settlement were the result of a decade of legal wrangling (and centuries of fraught dealings before that) that resulted in the state wielding unprecedented power over tribal affairs. The tribes have come to find the arrangement both burdensome and unjust. 'Our tribal council is our governing body,' Sabattis said when I met her at the Maliseet administrative offices. 'We should have full authority to make the laws and serve our people without interference from other governments.'
"Several years ago, the Maliseets, Mi’kmaq, #Passamaquoddy, and #PenobscotNation banded together and formed #WabanakiAlliance to collectively push for #TribalSovereignty. Most of the country’s 570 other federally recognized tribes are sovereign, which in the context of tribal affairs implies a sort of quasi-independence: through a direct nation-to-nation relationship with the federal government, indigenous groups can run their own communities. They administer their law enforcement, courts, schools, health care, and civil infrastructure on their reserved lands with federal assistance and funding — and, unlike in Maine, can do so without state-level interference. Sovereignty also means that if the tribes believe the state has violated their federally protected rights, they have recourse both through federal agencies and courts. It’s a system under which tribes across the nation have begun to flourish in recent decades."
Read more:
https://downeast.com/issues-politics/what-would-tribal-sovereignty-mean-for-the-wabanaki/#LandBack #MaineSettlementAct #NoCompromise #MaineTribes #IndigenousSovereignty #Wabanaki #WabanakiTribes #WabanakiNations #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #Micmac #Miqmak #Maliseets #IndigenousNews #JanetMills
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#Tribal #sovereignty bill falters as #Maine lawmakers fail to override governor’s veto
By DAVID SHARP
Published 1:13 PM EDT, July 6, 2023AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — "Maine lawmakers failed Thursday to override the governor’s veto of a bill that would have expanded the sovereignty of #NativeAmerican tribes in the state by ensuring more federal laws apply to them.
"It’s a defeat for the tribes, which are bound by a land claims settlement that puts them on different footing than the nation’s other 570 federally recognized tribes.
"Both chambers had voted to enact the bill with big-enough majorities to override the veto, but some House members backtracked under pressure by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. She contends the bill was vague and would lead to lengthy and contentious litigation in coming years.
"But the tribes increasingly see [Gov Mills] as standing in the way of changes they say are necessary to improve their lives. Last week, Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis said he thinks the governor wants 'to protect an old guard and old mindset' by maintaining the status quo. And Dana, the tribal representative, said Thursday that some of the governor’s comments about the legislation were 'dangerous and misleading.'
"A bill to provide full sovereignty to the tribes this session is being held over, meaning it’ll be dealt with by lawmakers next year.
"Tribal leaders were optimistic about the future.
"'We were never going to take a step backwards when it comes to our sovereignty. We’re always going to be taking a step forward,' Dana after the vote."Francis of the #PenobscotNation added: 'Though today was a loss on the floor of the House, we’re confident moving forward we will only gain greater support.'"
#MaineTribes #Sovereignty #Penobscot #Passamaquoddy #WabanakiConfederacy #Maliseet #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #FirstNations #NativeAmericanNews
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Boo hiss! Hoping the #Maine legislature overrides Governor Mills' veto.
Maine governor vetoes proposal sought by tribes to ensure they benefit from federal laws
By DAVID SHARP, June 30, 2023
"Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivered a setback to #NativeAmerican tribes seeking greater #sovereignty in Maine, vetoing a proposal on Friday that aimed to ensure many federal laws apply to them despite a state land claims settlement that dates back decades.
"The governor said she doesn’t want the tribes in Maine to be unfairly excluded from federal benefits enjoyed by other tribes across the country. But she argued that the bill sponsored by Democratic House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross is vague and confusing — and will lead to protracted litigation.
"Expressing distrust of the governor’s motives, #PenobscotNation Chief Kirk Francis urged lawmakers to disregard her arguments, some of which he called 'disingenuous.'
"'I’m confident in our friends and allies to make sure that we continue to work hard to get this over the finish line,' Francis told reporters on Friday. Both the Maine House and Senate approved the bill with bipartisan majorities that were big enough to override the governor’s veto."
#NativeAmericanNews #Passamaquoddy #Maliseet #FirstNations #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #WabanakiConfederacy #MaineTribes #Wabanaki #NativeAmericans
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Update - Unfortunately Gov #JanetMills vetoed this bill! Now she's trying to make nice!
#Maine Legislature vote expands #sovereignty for #NativeAmerican tribes
Story by DAVID SHARP, Associated Press, June 22, 2023
"Native American tribes in Maine took an important step toward greater sovereignty as the state Legislature voted to let most federal laws apply to #Wabanaki tribes, putting them on the same footing as other federally recognized tribes across the country.
"Both the Maine House and Senate approved the bill with enough support [from both Democrats and Republicans] Wednesday to overcome a potential veto of the bill.
“Today signifies a landmark victory in the pursuit of Wabanaki self-determination," Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis said Thursday in a statement. The Penobscot are one member of the Wabanaki Nations, which encompasses Indigenous peoples living in what is now Maine.
"Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has opposed the bill, sponsored by House Speaker #RachelTalbotRoss, expressing concerns that it could lead to confusion and lawsuits. Her office had no immediate comment on the legislative action.
"#Tribes in Maine are set apart from the other 570 federally recognized tribes across the country because of the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, which stipulates they’re bound by state law and treats tribal reservations much like municipalities. That 1980 settlement for the #Passamaquoddy, #Penobscot and #Maliseet, along with a 1991 agreement for the Mi’kmaq, set the tribes apart from others in the country."
Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/maine-tribes-federal-law-sovereignty-f18ce758d9d8918ef0cd00f05ee741f5#MainePol #NativeAmericanNews #Sovereignty #MaineSettlementAct #Mikmaq #FirstNations #LandBack