#wabanaki — Public Fediverse posts

#BreakingNews! 🚨 #LandBack in #Maine!

Land returned to #MikmaqNation will double tribe’s territory

Nearly 3,400 acres have been returned to the Aroostook County-based tribe.

by Reuben M. Schafir, June 22, 2026

"The #Mikmaq Nation is expanding. The tribe on Friday obtained title to #MesgilgMaqamigew, a nearly 3,400-acre parcel near #BridgewaterME. The land return is so large it will more than double the tribe’s holdings.

" 'For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access,' Chief #SheilaMcCormack said in a news release. 'This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.'

"Of the four #Wabanaki tribes, the Mi’kmaq Nation received federal recognition last, in 1991. It and the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians hold far less land in Maine than the #PassamaquoddyTribe and #PenobscotNation, which each have more than 150,000 acres.

"#TheConservationFund negotiated a below-market value sale and purchased the parcel last year from #forestry company #HCHayne, then held it on behalf of the tribe. The organization worked with an alliance of tribes known as the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, and #FirstLight, a group of non-native, land-based organizations, to secure $1.9 million for project.

" 'Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts,' Tom Duffus, Northeast representative for The Conservation Fund, said in a statement. 'I’m thrilled that this special place is once again managed by the Mi’kmaq Nation, whose citizens have stewarded this landscape since time immemorial.'

"Mesgilg Maqamigew means 'big land,' a name chosen in recognition of the significance to the tribe of a parcel so large, contiguous and lush with resources.

"The property contains #forests, #wetlands and more than three miles of #NorthWhitneyBrook, a stream with a thriving #BrookTrout population, according to Mi’kmaq Environmental Health Director Shannon Hill.

"The tribe has already located #fiddleheads there, and Hill said they plan to use the land for #hunting, #fishing, gathering and timber. Snowmobile and ATV trails are available for public use.

"#RichardSilliboy, a basket maker and former Mi’kmaq vice chief who sits on the commission, is hopeful the parcel has #BrownAsh for weaving — but expects, at least, 'some decent fishing.'

"#MesgilgMaqamigew is the sixth to be completed in a series of projects spearheaded by the commission that are collectively known as the tributary land returns. The tributary returns comprise 52,000 acres in 11 discrete projects involving all five tribal governments in Maine at an estimated cost of $52 million."

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/22/land-returned-to-mikmaq-nation-will-double-tribes-territory/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/Bkbl0

#WabanakiAlliance #Dawnland #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #LandConservation #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #Indigenous #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandStewardship #Stewardship #SolarPunkSunday

#BreakingNews! 🚨 #LandBack in #Maine!

Land returned to #MikmaqNation will double tribe’s territory

Nearly 3,400 acres have been returned to the Aroostook County-based tribe.

by Reuben M. Schafir, June 22, 2026

"The #Mikmaq Nation is expanding. The tribe on Friday obtained title to #MesgilgMaqamigew, a nearly 3,400-acre parcel near #BridgewaterME. The land return is so large it will more than double the tribe’s holdings.

" 'For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access,' Chief #SheilaMcCormack said in a news release. 'This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.'

"Of the four #Wabanaki tribes, the Mi’kmaq Nation received federal recognition last, in 1991. It and the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians hold far less land in Maine than the #PassamaquoddyTribe and #PenobscotNation, which each have more than 150,000 acres.

"#TheConservationFund negotiated a below-market value sale and purchased the parcel last year from #forestry company #HCHayne, then held it on behalf of the tribe. The organization worked with an alliance of tribes known as the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, and #FirstLight, a group of non-native, land-based organizations, to secure $1.9 million for project.

" 'Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts,' Tom Duffus, Northeast representative for The Conservation Fund, said in a statement. 'I’m thrilled that this special place is once again managed by the Mi’kmaq Nation, whose citizens have stewarded this landscape since time immemorial.'

"Mesgilg Maqamigew means 'big land,' a name chosen in recognition of the significance to the tribe of a parcel so large, contiguous and lush with resources.

"The property contains #forests, #wetlands and more than three miles of #NorthWhitneyBrook, a stream with a thriving #BrookTrout population, according to Mi’kmaq Environmental Health Director Shannon Hill.

"The tribe has already located #fiddleheads there, and Hill said they plan to use the land for #hunting, #fishing, gathering and timber. Snowmobile and ATV trails are available for public use.

"#RichardSilliboy, a basket maker and former Mi’kmaq vice chief who sits on the commission, is hopeful the parcel has #BrownAsh for weaving — but expects, at least, 'some decent fishing.'

"#MesgilgMaqamigew is the sixth to be completed in a series of projects spearheaded by the commission that are collectively known as the tributary land returns. The tributary returns comprise 52,000 acres in 11 discrete projects involving all five tribal governments in Maine at an estimated cost of $52 million."

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/22/land-returned-to-mikmaq-nation-will-double-tribes-territory/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/Bkbl0

#WabanakiAlliance #Dawnland #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #LandConservation #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #Indigenous #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandStewardship #Stewardship #SolarPunkSunday

#BreakingNews! 🚨 #LandBack in #Maine!

Land returned to #MikmaqNation will double tribe’s territory

Nearly 3,400 acres have been returned to the Aroostook County-based tribe.

by Reuben M. Schafir, June 22, 2026

"The #Mikmaq Nation is expanding. The tribe on Friday obtained title to #MesgilgMaqamigew, a nearly 3,400-acre parcel near #BridgewaterME. The land return is so large it will more than double the tribe’s holdings.

" 'For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access,' Chief #SheilaMcCormack said in a news release. 'This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.'

"Of the four #Wabanaki tribes, the Mi’kmaq Nation received federal recognition last, in 1991. It and the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians hold far less land in Maine than the #PassamaquoddyTribe and #PenobscotNation, which each have more than 150,000 acres.

"#TheConservationFund negotiated a below-market value sale and purchased the parcel last year from #forestry company #HCHayne, then held it on behalf of the tribe. The organization worked with an alliance of tribes known as the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, and #FirstLight, a group of non-native, land-based organizations, to secure $1.9 million for project.

" 'Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts,' Tom Duffus, Northeast representative for The Conservation Fund, said in a statement. 'I’m thrilled that this special place is once again managed by the Mi’kmaq Nation, whose citizens have stewarded this landscape since time immemorial.'

"Mesgilg Maqamigew means 'big land,' a name chosen in recognition of the significance to the tribe of a parcel so large, contiguous and lush with resources.

"The property contains #forests, #wetlands and more than three miles of #NorthWhitneyBrook, a stream with a thriving #BrookTrout population, according to Mi’kmaq Environmental Health Director Shannon Hill.

"The tribe has already located #fiddleheads there, and Hill said they plan to use the land for #hunting, #fishing, gathering and timber. Snowmobile and ATV trails are available for public use.

"#RichardSilliboy, a basket maker and former Mi’kmaq vice chief who sits on the commission, is hopeful the parcel has #BrownAsh for weaving — but expects, at least, 'some decent fishing.'

"#MesgilgMaqamigew is the sixth to be completed in a series of projects spearheaded by the commission that are collectively known as the tributary land returns. The tributary returns comprise 52,000 acres in 11 discrete projects involving all five tribal governments in Maine at an estimated cost of $52 million."

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/22/land-returned-to-mikmaq-nation-will-double-tribes-territory/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/Bkbl0

#WabanakiAlliance #Dawnland #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #LandConservation #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #Indigenous #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandStewardship #Stewardship #SolarPunkSunday

#BreakingNews! 🚨 #LandBack in #Maine!

Land returned to #MikmaqNation will double tribe’s territory

Nearly 3,400 acres have been returned to the Aroostook County-based tribe.

by Reuben M. Schafir, June 22, 2026

"The #Mikmaq Nation is expanding. The tribe on Friday obtained title to #MesgilgMaqamigew, a nearly 3,400-acre parcel near #BridgewaterME. The land return is so large it will more than double the tribe’s holdings.

" 'For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access,' Chief #SheilaMcCormack said in a news release. 'This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.'

"Of the four #Wabanaki tribes, the Mi’kmaq Nation received federal recognition last, in 1991. It and the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians hold far less land in Maine than the #PassamaquoddyTribe and #PenobscotNation, which each have more than 150,000 acres.

"#TheConservationFund negotiated a below-market value sale and purchased the parcel last year from #forestry company #HCHayne, then held it on behalf of the tribe. The organization worked with an alliance of tribes known as the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, and #FirstLight, a group of non-native, land-based organizations, to secure $1.9 million for project.

" 'Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts,' Tom Duffus, Northeast representative for The Conservation Fund, said in a statement. 'I’m thrilled that this special place is once again managed by the Mi’kmaq Nation, whose citizens have stewarded this landscape since time immemorial.'

"Mesgilg Maqamigew means 'big land,' a name chosen in recognition of the significance to the tribe of a parcel so large, contiguous and lush with resources.

"The property contains #forests, #wetlands and more than three miles of #NorthWhitneyBrook, a stream with a thriving #BrookTrout population, according to Mi’kmaq Environmental Health Director Shannon Hill.

"The tribe has already located #fiddleheads there, and Hill said they plan to use the land for #hunting, #fishing, gathering and timber. Snowmobile and ATV trails are available for public use.

"#RichardSilliboy, a basket maker and former Mi’kmaq vice chief who sits on the commission, is hopeful the parcel has #BrownAsh for weaving — but expects, at least, 'some decent fishing.'

"#MesgilgMaqamigew is the sixth to be completed in a series of projects spearheaded by the commission that are collectively known as the tributary land returns. The tributary returns comprise 52,000 acres in 11 discrete projects involving all five tribal governments in Maine at an estimated cost of $52 million."

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/22/land-returned-to-mikmaq-nation-will-double-tribes-territory/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/Bkbl0

#WabanakiAlliance #Dawnland #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #LandConservation #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #Indigenous #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandStewardship #Stewardship #SolarPunkSunday

#BreakingNews! 🚨 #LandBack in #Maine!

Land returned to #MikmaqNation will double tribe’s territory

Nearly 3,400 acres have been returned to the Aroostook County-based tribe.

by Reuben M. Schafir, June 22, 2026

"The #Mikmaq Nation is expanding. The tribe on Friday obtained title to #MesgilgMaqamigew, a nearly 3,400-acre parcel near #BridgewaterME. The land return is so large it will more than double the tribe’s holdings.

" 'For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access,' Chief #SheilaMcCormack said in a news release. 'This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.'

"Of the four #Wabanaki tribes, the Mi’kmaq Nation received federal recognition last, in 1991. It and the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians hold far less land in Maine than the #PassamaquoddyTribe and #PenobscotNation, which each have more than 150,000 acres.

"#TheConservationFund negotiated a below-market value sale and purchased the parcel last year from #forestry company #HCHayne, then held it on behalf of the tribe. The organization worked with an alliance of tribes known as the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, and #FirstLight, a group of non-native, land-based organizations, to secure $1.9 million for project.

" 'Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts,' Tom Duffus, Northeast representative for The Conservation Fund, said in a statement. 'I’m thrilled that this special place is once again managed by the Mi’kmaq Nation, whose citizens have stewarded this landscape since time immemorial.'

"Mesgilg Maqamigew means 'big land,' a name chosen in recognition of the significance to the tribe of a parcel so large, contiguous and lush with resources.

"The property contains #forests, #wetlands and more than three miles of #NorthWhitneyBrook, a stream with a thriving #BrookTrout population, according to Mi’kmaq Environmental Health Director Shannon Hill.

"The tribe has already located #fiddleheads there, and Hill said they plan to use the land for #hunting, #fishing, gathering and timber. Snowmobile and ATV trails are available for public use.

"#RichardSilliboy, a basket maker and former Mi’kmaq vice chief who sits on the commission, is hopeful the parcel has #BrownAsh for weaving — but expects, at least, 'some decent fishing.'

"#MesgilgMaqamigew is the sixth to be completed in a series of projects spearheaded by the commission that are collectively known as the tributary land returns. The tributary returns comprise 52,000 acres in 11 discrete projects involving all five tribal governments in Maine at an estimated cost of $52 million."

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/22/land-returned-to-mikmaq-nation-will-double-tribes-territory/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/Bkbl0

#WabanakiAlliance #Dawnland #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #LandConservation #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #Indigenous #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandStewardship #Stewardship #SolarPunkSunday

So, I missed the #EAB update from #MaineDACF, but since I registered for the event, I was sent the link to the video update. One thing I learned is that #Woodpeckers are #EmeraldAshBorer's natural enemy. But once EAB sets in, it's too much for the woodpeckers to handle. But if it's an early infestation, they *might* be able to control it! Just another reason to #GardenForBirds and #FeedTheBirds in the winter (and my woodpecker friends LOVE the wormy suet I make for them).

Here's a screenshot from the presentation. Also, the term "blonding" mentioned in the image refers to the process of older gray bark falling off an ash tree that has an EAB infestation, leaving behind lighter-colored newer bark.

The full video can be viewed at this link (includes transcript):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ogbMReBx38

#InvasiveSpecies #AshTrees
#SaveTheForests #ProtectTheTrees #ProtectTheSacred #Stewardship #Wabanaki #Basketry #SolarPunkSunday #Biocontrol #MaineTrees #MaineForestryService #MDIFW

#WabanakiAlliance Urges Voters to Reject Question 1 on Nov. 4

"On #November4th, Maine voters will face a referendum question, #Question1, that seeks to fundamentally change Maine’s election laws and make it significantly harder for #Wabanaki citizens and all Maine voters to cast their vote — especially our #elders, people with #disabilities, working voters, #caretakers, and those without reliable transportation.

"The Wabanaki Alliance is a proud partner of the #SaveMaineAbsenteeVoting campaign and stands in strong opposition to this measure, which would create unnecessary barriers to voting and disproportionately harm our citizens. For the #WabanakiNations, the right to vote is sacred and the result of a hard-won battle by our ancestors. Voting rights weren’t extended to Wabanaki citizens in Maine until 1967, decades after federal voting rights for indigenous people were passed in 1924. Another deeply troubling aspect of this ballot measure is that it explicitly excludes #TribalIdentification from the list of acceptable forms of #VoterID. As federally recognized tribal nations, we value our #TribalSovereignty and self-determination. This exclusion seeks to invalidate and undermine the ability to identify our people and have that authorization respected. As the original stewards of these lands and waters now called Maine since time immemorial, we find it imperative to assert this right and have it honored.

"Question 1 is not a measure to secure our elections. It is a measure to suppress votes. The Wabanaki Alliance urges all Maine voters to vote NO on Question 1 this November to protect the right to vote for all Mainers.

How Will Question 1 Make It Harder to Vote?

Q1 will restrict your ability to request an absentee ballot by:

Creating a voter ID requirement for the first time AND excluding Tribal IDs, university or college student IDs, employee IDs, Social Security cards, and birth certificates from the list of acceptable IDs required to request and return an absentee ballot or to vote in person on Election Day.
Eliminating the option to call your town clerk to request an absentee ballot, making it harder for those without reliable transportation or internet to request an absentee ballot.
Prohibiting town clerks from sending you an absentee ballot that you requested online until you provide proof of an approved photo ID, either in person or by mailing a photocopy of your photo ID or your driver’s license number or non-driver ID number.
Eliminating ongoing absentee ballots for seniors and people with disabilities.
Eliminating the ability for a designated family member or friend to pick up your absentee ballot on your behalf.

Q1 will make it harder for you to return your absentee ballot by mail or drop box by:

Limiting towns to only offering a single ballot drop-box at the town hall. This would mean town clerks would be prohibited from providing absentee drop-boxes that are most convenient to where Wabanaki citizens live.
Prohibiting towns from including return postage on absentee ballots, even if taxpayers vote to fund it.
Requiring you to include a photocopy of an approved photo ID or your driver’s license number or non-driver ID number with your absentee ballot. Your vote will not be counted without that proof. The referendum also excludes Tribal IDs and other forms of valid ID from the list of acceptable IDs required to vote.
Eliminating the ability for a designated family member or friend to return your absentee ballot for you.

Q1 will undermine the security of absentee voting by:

Second-guessing town clerks, requiring a two-person, bipartisan team to check ballot boxes, instead of the clerk or a trusted member of their staff. This restriction will place undue pressure on town clerks, and will lead many towns to simply get rid of their secure drop-boxes.

Q1 will make it harder to vote in person, either on Election Day or by absentee ballot, by:

Shortening the time period for early absentee voting by two days — eliminating the two most popular days for early absentee voting.
Creating a voter ID requirement for the first time AND excluding Tribal ID, university or college student ID, employee ID, Social Security card, or birth certificate from the list of acceptable IDs required to cast their ballot.

Key Dates

✅ October 30: Last day to vote early in-person absentee and the last day to request an absentee ballot.*

✅ November 4: Election Day. Polls are open from 8 am to 8 pm. All absentee ballots must be returned to your town clerk by 8 pm."

https://www.wabanakialliance.com/no-on-question-1/

#MEPol #ElectionDay #MaineElections #Elections2025 #AbsenteeVoting #NoOnOne #NoOn1 #TribalIDs #CollegeIDs #Disenfranchisement #Authoritarianism

#MaineTribes - #FoodAssistance / #FoodPantries

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Maine - #FoodAssistance Programs Listed by Town

Read more (alpha sorted):
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/ard/food-assistance/tefap/bytown.shtml

#MaineFoodPantries #FoodInsecurity #SNAP #SNAPCuts #Maine #FoodPantries #Mainers #MaineTribes #Wabanaki #FoodPantry #MaineFoodBanks

Another #Nihkaniyane Honoree, #EmmaSoctomah, is the daughter of Elizabeth Neptune and #DonaldSoctomah -- Donald being another person I learned a lot from when I was covering the #MaineRivers conference! Emma is also the grandchild of renowned #Passamaquoddy #Basketmaker #MollyNeptuneParker.

"Emma Soctomah is a Passamaquoddy citizen of #Motahkomikuk and was the 2025 class valedictorian at University of Maine Machias,where she majored in psychology and community studies. She was an active participant in the college’s Kinap Mentorship Program, which creates both on- and off-campus programs aimed at bringing together #Wabanaki cultural values and Indigenous ways of knowing with Western education. She plans to continue working at the elementary school in Motahkomikuk and will pursue a master’s degree beginning in fall 2026. Soctomah is the daughter of Donald Soctomah and Elizabeth Neptune and the granddaughter of world renowned basketmaker Molly Neptune Parker. Soctomah is also a nationally recognized basketmaker and was among the first artists to receive an #AbbeMuseum Wabanaki #Artist Fellowship."

Learn more about Emma:
https://www.wabanakialliance.com/nihkaniyane2025-emmasoctomah/

#CulturalPreservation #PreservingHistory #IndigenousLanguage #IndigenousHistory #TraditionalArts #NativeAmericanArtists #valedictorian

One of the folks I had the opportunity to talk to at a #MaineRivers conference some years ago was #PenobscotNation member #JohnBanks. So glad to see him being honored... He has been a tireless advocate for the #PenobscotRiver!

"Banks was the Penobscot Nation’s representative on the Maine-Indian State Tribal Commission from 1987 to 2021, making him its longest-serving member. He also served on many local, regional and national organization boards, including the National Tribal Environmental Council, Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, National Indian Policy Center, and the Tribal Operations Committee with the federal EPA.

"But arguably Banks’ most noteworthy accomplishment involves bringing a Wabanaki voice and leadership to the historic #PenobscotRiverRestorationProject (1999-2016) in which two dams nearest to the sea were removed and a stream-like bypass channel was completed around a third dam at Howland.

"Completed in 2016, the $63 million restoration project opened almost 2,000 miles of habitat for 11 species of sea-run fish that had been choked off from their spawning grounds for almost two centuries by dams across the river.

"Since then, the river has come back alive with millions of river herring joined by Atlantic salmon, shad, sturgeon and other species in numbers that hadn’t been seen on the Penobscot River for nearly two centuries. Laura Rose Day credits Banks with a key intervention in 2002, when it looked like negotiations that had been going on for three years between #EnvironmentalGroups and the #hydro company owner were about to collapse.

" '[John] asked for a few minutes,' she wrote in a 2014 Christian Science Monitor commentary recalling the moment. 'Removing an eagle feather from a cloth wrap, he circled the table, laying the feather on each shoulder. He reminded us that, no matter whom we served, we were also responsible for being the voice for all the creatures of the river – the birds, the fish, and all of the people as well. The common goal had to be the health of the river.' "

Read more:
https://www.wabanakialliance.com/nihkaniyane2025-johnbanks/

#WaterIsLife #WabanakiAlliance #Wabanaki #Nihkaniyane #MaineRivers #DamRemoval #RiverRestoration #SolarPunkSunday

#Mainers! Here's your chance to help fight #EmeraldAshBorer!

#MaineForestryService - Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) Update

September 22, 2025

"Since 2019, MFS has been releasing parasitoid wasps for the long-term management of emerald ash borer (#EAB) in the forests of Maine. These are tiny, non-stinging members of the order Hymenoptera, and they specialize in EAB. In most cases, they will not keep the mature trees already in the forest alive, but there is evidence from other states that have had EAB longer than we have that these #wasps provide protection to the seedlings and saplings as they grow. We are attempting to release them in as many areas with EAB as possible so that they can eventually spread throughout the state, allowing ash to remain in #Maine’s forests.

"As of 2025, we have released these #parasitoids in 20 sites throughout the range of EAB. Of the ten sites that are at the stage where we can start monitoring for their establishment, we have recovered one or both of Spathius or Tetrastichus at five of them: four in #YorkCounty and one in northern #Aroostook. We are still years away from actual control of EAB, but it is encouraging to start recovering parasitoids.

"With the many new detections of EAB in Maine in recent years, we would like to establish new biological control release sites. The ash-dominated forests that serve as release sites can be public or privately owned. Many of our cooperators are private woodlot owners. Ideally, we would like to ship biological control directly to a local landowner or manager and have them conduct releases after training by MFS. The releases take 5-15 minutes, 4-6 times a summer for two summers. We are looking for new release sites in areas where EAB has recently become established. Specifically, we would like to find sites in or near #BarHarborME, #SolonME, #BelfastME, the #BathME / #BrunswickME area, #CoastalMaine south of #PortlandME, and #WesternMaine west of #LewistonME. If you have forested land in one of these areas and are potentially interested in having it become a biological release site, please review the guidelines and information about EAB biocontrol available on-line, and email foresthealth @ maine . gov (no spaces) with the town in which your ash stand is, the approximate acreage of ash, and the coordinates (approximate is fine) of the stand. If it looks like your land would be suitable for a biological control site, we will reach out to you."

Source:
Emailed newsletter

Link to guidelines (PDF):
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/invasive_threats/eab/documents/meeting-082020/Emerald%20Ash%20Borer%20Biocontrol%20Info%20For%20Potential%20Cooperators.pdf

#InvasiveSpecies #AshTrees #SaveTheForests #ProtectTheSacred #Wabanaki #Basketry #SolarPunkSunday #Biocontrol

#InterculturalInsights on #WMPG alternates between four different segments... A brand new one, #TheWeavers, airs on the first Tuesday of the month at 11:30am - 12 noon (right before #DemocracyNow). The other three shows are great as well... Shows available for five weeks after airdates via the audio archives...

"Intercultural Insights offers four different shows that air once a month.

On the first Tuesday of every month The Weavers are weaving the values of their ancestors into the world we share today. Hosts #LisaSockabasin and #NancyLaCoote explore #Wabanaki values and how these values are lived (or not lived) today.

"On the second Tuesday of each month, #ReturningTheLand is hosted by USM professor Dr. #DavidLowry, the founder of the #IndigenousPeoplesTrust—an initiative calling for justice and the return of Indigenous land.

"The third Tuesday of the month features Dr. #IdellaGlenn, the Vice President of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Impact at USM with her show: Building USM’s Beloved Community. Unspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Beloved Community, Dr. Idella Glenn sits down with members of the community to foster and embrace the all-#inclusive spirit of USM.

"And on the fourth Tuesday of each month, #VoicesAndVisions: The #Podcast is an #Artisttalk series that features #IndigoArts Alliance’s alumni artists in residence, highlighting their similarities, creative #intersections, distinct voices, and their residence experience. Each episode is a conversation between two artists while they were in residence at Indigo Arts Alliance."

Link to audio archives:
https://www.wmpg.org/show/tue1130/

#CommunityRadio #WMPGFM #MaineCommunityRadio #DiversityInMaine #MaineResists #CommunitySupportedRadio #Justice #LandBack #ArtistsVoices #BlackArtists #BlackAndBrownArtists #UniversityOfSouthernMaine

Some highlights from the #APCAW conference on #AshTrees and #EmeraldAshBorer

#JohnDaigle mentioned chemical treatment on selected trees combined with biological control releases. May not need to keep using chemical treatments if the bio-control takes hold.

EricTopper: "Pheromones could draw EAB away from places which would fall under the bio-control umbrella."
John replied that it has not been tested, as far as he knows.

John Daigle: "The goal ultimately is to co-exist. Get brown ash to evolve to be more resistant, possibly by cross-breeding with other ash trees. That is being done with Manchurian ash and is having success."

Ella MacDonald: "Brown ash used for Wabanaki basket making. Green ash not as suitable for basket making.
We might breed brown with green ash - green ash might be more resistant to EAB. Possibly white ash with brown? However, there us no federal store of black or brown ash seeds. Seed collecting of those two are important. Folks can collect it themselves, after positively identifying the species."

FMI about #SeedCollecting from #APCAW / #UMaine

#Ash Protection Collaboration Across #Waponahkik

Seed Collection and Ash Regeneration

Includes:
- Collecting Ash Seed
- Seed Collection Map and Reporting Tool
- Processing and Storing Ash Seed
- Growing Ash From Seed

https://umaine.edu/apcaw/seed-collection-and-ash-regeneration/

#SolarPunkSunday #Biodiversity #Rewilding #PreserveTheSacred #Maine
#EAB #EmeraldAshBorer
#AshTrees #InvasiveSpecies #Wabanaki
#ProtectTheForests
#MaineNews #SaveTheTrees #WabanakiCulture #WabanakiBasketry #WabanakiTradition #Forestry #ProtectTheSacred #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #NativeAmericanBasketry #Sustainability #IndigenousStewardship #CulturalPreservation #InvasiveSpecies #EAB #PreservingNature #TEK #TIK #TraditionalIndigenousKnowledge #Basketry #PreservingTheSacred #PreservingTheForest #WabanakiConfederacy
#WabanakiAlliance

Returning land to tribes is a step towards justice and #sustainability, say #Wabanaki, #EnvironmentalActivists

by Emily Weyrauch, December 1, 2020

"Last month, the Elliotsville Foundation gave back 735 acres to the #PenobscotNation, a parcel of land that connects two Penobscot-held land plots. While this return of land is a significant milestone in terms of the work of conservation groups in Maine, it also reflects a larger shift in thinking about land ownership, from property and caretaking toward #IndigenousStewardship.

"Before European settlers arrived, the land in Maine was stewarded by the Wabanaki people—a confederacy of five nations including Penobscot, #Passamaquoddy, #Maliseet, #Mikmaq and #Abenaki.

"Early treaties between Indigenous tribes and settlers were signed, but not upheld. Early Maine court cases set the precedent for #LandTheft. The state legally prohibited treaty obligations from being published in its constitution. Ever since the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, the state government has significantly limited tribes’ sovereignty and access to ancestral lands. Now, the Maine legislature is preparing to take up a bill that would make 22 law changes to the 1980 act to promote Wabanaki sovereignty and correct the impacts of the 40-year-old piece of legislation that placed Wabanaki people in a separate category from other federally-recognized tribes.

"Currently, a vast majority—90 percent—of land in Maine is privately owned, unlike in states like Nevada, Utah and Idaho, where the vast majority of land is owned by the U.S. government. Less than one percent of Maine land is owned by #Wabanaki people.

"To many Indigenous people, the legacy of white-led conservation groups in Maine and nationwide represents a failure of true environmental stewardship.

"'Across the country, land conservation groups and land trusts participated in depopulating, cutting off Indigenous access to certain lands and resources,' said Dr. Darren Ranco, associate professor of Anthropology and coordinator of Native American Research at the University of Maine.

"Dr. Ranco said that the history of environmental protection in the U.S. starts in the 19th century and focuses on two movements: conservation and preservation.

" 'On the one hand, you have people saying, ‘You want to use the public lands wisely’ — and that often led to extreme forms of exploitation through oil and gas contracts. The other side of it was, ‘Let’s just keep it wild and preserve it as-is, as a wild space,' " said Dr. Ranco, who is a member of the Penobscot Nation. 'Ironically, both of those approaches in the 19th century sought to displace Indigenous people.'

" 'A lot of the [conservation] practices in the past actually marginalized native people, and didn’t allow for their voice to be heard, and discouraged their voices,' said Suzanne Greenlaw, a #Maliseet forestry scientist and PhD student at the University of Maine.

" 'The native approach is very much in the center—we do harvest, but we harvest in a sustainable way that actually forms a relationship with the resource,” said Greenlaw, who conducts research on the sustainable harvesting of sweetgrass by Indigenous people.

"In fact, the way that Indigenous people understand land is markedly different from western ideas of ownership.

" 'The idea of private property puts us in this framing where the land, the water, and the air, and the animals, and everything else—all our relations—are meant to serve us, they are things below us, things to dominate and control and take ownership over,' said Lokotah Sanborn, a Penobscot activist.

" 'For us, it would be absurd to say ‘I own my grandmother,’ or ‘I own my cousin,’ or ‘I own my brother.’ You don’t talk about things like that. And so when we’re talking about land ownership, it’s that same idea —these are our relations, these are things that hold a lot of significance to us,' said Sanborn.

"While the planet’s Indigenous people make up less than five percent of the global population, they manage 25 percent of its land and support 80 percent of global biodiversity, research shows.

" 'We’ve been led down this path toward climate catastrophe and the extinction of millions of species, all to drive #ExtractiveIndustries,' said Sanborn. 'If we wish to reverse these things, we need to give land back into the hands of Indigenous peoples and to respect our ability to protect those lands,' said Sanborn.

"This growing recognition of Wabanaki #stewardship is part of the mission of First Light, a group that serves to connect Wabanaki people with conservation organizations who seek to expand Wabanaki access to land. Currently, 50 organizations are participating, including #MaineAudubon and #TheNatureConservancy.

"Lucas St. Clair, president of the Elliotsville Foundation, participated in First Light’s year-long educational program before fulfilling a request by #JohnBanks, Natural Resources Director for the Penobscot Nation, to return the 735-acre property to the Penobscot Nation. This comes four years after the foundation gave 87,500 acres of land to the federal government for the establishment of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. St. Clair said the foundation currently holds 35,000 acres of land.

" 'In the grand scheme of things, this is not a lot of land,' said St. Clair, about the foundation’s recent transfer of 735 acres. 'It was more about justice, relationship-building and awareness.'

" 'You see this move toward Indigenous knowledge and practices of management and conservation that have existed for hundreds of years, and this possibility with land conservation groups and Wabanaki people having a more central role in understanding and managing the lands is coming to the fore,' said Dr. Ranco.

"And while organizations undergo the learning and transformational processes that precede giving back land, and as the legislature and courts are taking up questions of Wabanaki sovereignty and stewardship, people are working on the ground everyday to re-imagine relationships with land.

"Alivia Moore, a Penobscot community organizer with the #EasternWoodlands #Rematriation collective, said that a crucial part of the work of expanding Indigenous access to land in Maine is recognizing and restoring the history of matriarchal Indigenous societies.

" 'To restore land to Indigenous #matriarchies is to make sure that everybody has what they need on and from the earth. There’s enough for everyone,' said Moore

"With #EasternWoodlandsRematriation, Indigenous people are growing their connections to #RegenerativeFoodSystems. Whereas cultural use agreements are more formal ways Indigenous people can access resources from the private land of people and organizations, Moore said other relationships can form and strengthen even informally.

"Years ago, a white farmer offered land to Indigenous women to use for farming to restore their connection to the land. That has been an ongoing relationship that became one of mutual exchange of information and resources, shared learning and shared meals, said Moore.

"The movement to give land back to Indigenous stewardship is not confined to a single organization, legal battle, or project. For Indigenous people—and a growing number of environmental organizations—it is a step toward justice and a sustainable future.

"'Land back is not just about righting past wrongs. The point of land back is that it’s the future, if we wish to adequately address and avoid further global devastation from climate change,' said Sanborn."

https://mainebeacon.com/returning-land-to-tribes-is-a-step-towards-justice-and-sustainability-say-wabanaki-environmental-activists/

#LandBack #WabanakiConfederacy #Wabanakik #WabanakiAlliance #MaineFirstNations #Maine #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #IndigenousPeoplesDay

With everything that's going on with the #MemoryHole, I suggest everyone archive any articles of interest from US government websites -- while you still can! I found this gem -- and archived it!

Designing Tools and Networks to Support #Wabanaki Adaptive Capacity for #ClimateChange

By Climate Adaptation Science Centers December 31, 2020

"Wabanaki Tribal Nations (#Maliseet, #Micmac, #Passamaquoddy, and #Penobscot) and other Tribal Nations in the #NortheastCASC region will face a disproportionate impact from climate change. These impacts will affect resources such as forestry products, fish, game, wild crops, and water that are important to tribal economies and well-being. To combat this, varying levels of tribal community preparedness and the ability to build effective adaptive capacity to extreme events will be crucial for future resiliency efforts. Furthermore, there is a pressing need to work with partners who have a variety of backgrounds to plan, strategize, build and implement resiliency initiatives in tribal communities and identify innovative ways that integrate local knowledge, technology, and science in a manner that traditional and cultural identities are tied.

"Using Indigenous Research Methods, Native American Programs at the University of Maine will align research questions, data collection methods, outputs, and research protocols with Wabanaki people, knowledge, and values to build a regional tribal network for climate change adaptation and create a Wabanaki Climate Adaptation and Adaptive Management Workbook. This project will work with and inform a Regional Climate Change Tribal Network to identify research and output goals and objectives using indigenous values and science related to both the network building and the Workbook.

"The Regional Network will consist of a diverse group of collaborators representing tribal harvesters, tribal environmental staff, intertribal and regional government entities, academic staff and tribal scholars from the University of Maine, and tribal elders and language speakers from each community to integrate a framework that will include indigenous and traditional knowledge, culture, language and history into the adaptation planning process. The primary output of this work, a Climate Adaptation and Adaptive Management Workbook, will identify examples of culturally appropriate adaptative management in responding to climate change, and identify tools for future Wabanaki Tribal leaders and communities to respond to future climate changes."

https://www.usgs.gov/programs/climate-adaptation-science-centers/science/designing-tools-and-networks-support-wabanaki

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/ssSKw
#SolarPunkSunday #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #TEK #ClimateChange #WabanakiConfederacy #ClimateChangeAdaptation #TIK #TraditionalIndigenousKnowledge #IndigenousPeoplesDay

#SearsIsland: The Answer to Green Energy, Or Home to #Biodiverse #Wildlife?

by Freyja Grey
Jul 16, 2024

"The #Wabanaki people indigenous to the area named Sears Island #Wassumkeag, or Shining Beach. The tribes used the island to hunt and fish for centuries.

"McCarthy said, 'They've been documented archeologically to have had a presence here for at least thirty-five hundred years.... There's a bio-regional perspective that considers all the relations: the #insects, the #grasses, the #trees, the #eelgrass, the #birds, the critters that roam these woods — if you really want to speak for Sears Island, it's incumbent, not just for poets and photographers and old hippies, it's incumbent for all of us to be mindful of all that is happening here.'

"McCarthy said he gets why the island is an attractive place for development. 'We're in a time where wind energy is important,' he said. 'We need to find green sources of power, but the narrowness of that human perspective needs to be challenged.'

"Both McCarthy and Lawless join the group #FriendsOfSearsIsland in maintaining that #MackPoint is better situated for development.

"Even though 600 acres of the island are protected by a conservation easement, industrial disruption to the peaceful island could lead to #environmental impacts that may not be fully realized until after development, according to McCarthy."

Read more:
https://www.freepressonline.com/news/sears-island-the-answer-to-green-energy-or-home-to-biodiverse-wildlife/article_b9f01324-3ed0-11ef-8f73-2f4dbf7e4a56.html

#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #WednesdaysForWildlife #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #GreenEnergy

#WabanakiStudies should be taught at all #MaineSchools

OpEd by Hope Carroll, December 26, 2023

"#Wabanaki history is ingrained across #Maine and has deep rooted cultural relationships with major natural landmarks that many of us see everyday. However, there is a concerning gap surrounding the important aspects of our state’s rich Wabanaki history and what little many students learn about it in Maine schools.

"Wabanaki studies need to be consistently incorporated into all Maine school districts. According to a 2022 report done by the #AbbeMuseum, the #MaineACLU, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission and the #WabanakiAlliance, the Wabanaki studies law passed by Maine in 2001 is not appropriately enforced across the state.

"The law 'requires schools to teach Maine K–12 students about Wabanaki territories, economic systems, cultural systems, governments, and political systems, as well as the Wabanaki tribes’ relationships with local, state, national, and international governments,' the report says.

"The Portland public school system recently incorporated a Wabanaki studies program into its curriculum. This will hopefully be a good example for other districts across Maine and encourage them to do the same.

"Teaching Wabanaki studies will help children gain a better understanding of the state. In time, this can help them develop a closer relationship with the #land and our responsibility to ensure that it is cared for and treated with respect.

"'Through #traditional stories representing the terrestrial and aquatic systems, important [Wabanaki] values are imparted that safeguard culturally significant resources from overuse and ensure the persistence of the people and culture,' says Natalie Michelle, interdisciplinary studies and research assistant of native environmental studies in climate change at the University of Maine.

"It is more important than ever that we look to native science as we face irreversible damage to our climate. We must prioritize implementing these ideals early into the educational careers of children so they go on to practice them throughout their lives.

"Western science and education has taught the ideals of dominance over nature for centuries. This is reflected in practices that have contributed to the #extinction of animals, rises in #NaturalDisasters, food and water shortages and the numerous other effects of #ClimateChange. Instead of connecting with #nature, we are often taught to distance ourselves from the #NaturalWorld. We are taught to use vague and nonspecific naming tools like 'it' to refer to any non-human being.

"'We use it to distance ourselves, to set others outside our circle of moral consideration, creating #hierarchies of difference that justify our actions — so we don’t feel,' says Robin Kimmerer, professor of environmental and forest biology at the State University of New York College of #EnvironmentalScience and #Forestry.

"Kimmerer talks of alternatives to using 'it' to put ourselves on the same level as other living beings, recognizing them as relatives by calling them by their name. But she says that this can be difficult for many of her students because they were not taught these alternatives until now.

"In my experience growing up in Maine and going to school, I never encountered a class focused on Wabanaki studies until college. I am grateful to have this opportunity now. But it has been difficult for me to implement these new ideals into my thinking toward the land around me because they seem so foreign.

"Using the word 'foreign' seems wrong when describing ideals that have been used in Maine since long before any of us were here. But Maine schools and communities have an opportunity to change this.

"Children who grow up in this state have the right and responsibility to know the history of the land around them. They have the right and responsibility to understand the negative implications of #colonization and #ForcedRemoval of the #WabanakiTribes and how despite horrible #historical events, the Wabanaki people have endured and developed their own #sovereign structures.

"In order to create more inclusive classrooms that incorporate all aspects of our state history and work towards building respectful relationships with Maine land, other communities should follow the exciting example being set in #PortlandMaine."

Source:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/26/opinion/opinion-contributor/wabanaki-studies-maine-schools-education/

#WabanakiConfederacy #LandBack #IndigenousPeoples
#IndigenousSovereignty #ClimateCrisis #LandStewards
#Stewardship #IndigenousNews #NativeAmericanNews

#WabanakiStudies should be taught at all #MaineSchools

OpEd by Hope Carroll, December 26, 2023

"#Wabanaki history is ingrained across #Maine and has deep rooted cultural relationships with major natural landmarks that many of us see everyday. However, there is a concerning gap surrounding the important aspects of our state’s rich Wabanaki history and what little many students learn about it in Maine schools.

"Wabanaki studies need to be consistently incorporated into all Maine school districts. According to a 2022 report done by the #AbbeMuseum, the #MaineACLU, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission and the #WabanakiAlliance, the Wabanaki studies law passed by Maine in 2001 is not appropriately enforced across the state.

"The law 'requires schools to teach Maine K–12 students about Wabanaki territories, economic systems, cultural systems, governments, and political systems, as well as the Wabanaki tribes’ relationships with local, state, national, and international governments,' the report says.

"The Portland public school system recently incorporated a Wabanaki studies program into its curriculum. This will hopefully be a good example for other districts across Maine and encourage them to do the same.

"Teaching Wabanaki studies will help children gain a better understanding of the state. In time, this can help them develop a closer relationship with the #land and our responsibility to ensure that it is cared for and treated with respect.

"'Through #traditional stories representing the terrestrial and aquatic systems, important [Wabanaki] values are imparted that safeguard culturally significant resources from overuse and ensure the persistence of the people and culture,' says Natalie Michelle, interdisciplinary studies and research assistant of native environmental studies in climate change at the University of Maine.

"It is more important than ever that we look to native science as we face irreversible damage to our climate. We must prioritize implementing these ideals early into the educational careers of children so they go on to practice them throughout their lives.

"Western science and education has taught the ideals of dominance over nature for centuries. This is reflected in practices that have contributed to the #extinction of animals, rises in #NaturalDisasters, food and water shortages and the numerous other effects of #ClimateChange. Instead of connecting with #nature, we are often taught to distance ourselves from the #NaturalWorld. We are taught to use vague and nonspecific naming tools like 'it' to refer to any non-human being.

"'We use it to distance ourselves, to set others outside our circle of moral consideration, creating #hierarchies of difference that justify our actions — so we don’t feel,' says Robin Kimmerer, professor of environmental and forest biology at the State University of New York College of #EnvironmentalScience and #Forestry.

"Kimmerer talks of alternatives to using 'it' to put ourselves on the same level as other living beings, recognizing them as relatives by calling them by their name. But she says that this can be difficult for many of her students because they were not taught these alternatives until now.

"In my experience growing up in Maine and going to school, I never encountered a class focused on Wabanaki studies until college. I am grateful to have this opportunity now. But it has been difficult for me to implement these new ideals into my thinking toward the land around me because they seem so foreign.

"Using the word 'foreign' seems wrong when describing ideals that have been used in Maine since long before any of us were here. But Maine schools and communities have an opportunity to change this.

"Children who grow up in this state have the right and responsibility to know the history of the land around them. They have the right and responsibility to understand the negative implications of #colonization and #ForcedRemoval of the #WabanakiTribes and how despite horrible #historical events, the Wabanaki people have endured and developed their own #sovereign structures.

"In order to create more inclusive classrooms that incorporate all aspects of our state history and work towards building respectful relationships with Maine land, other communities should follow the exciting example being set in #PortlandMaine."

Source:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/26/opinion/opinion-contributor/wabanaki-studies-maine-schools-education/

#WabanakiConfederacy #LandBack #IndigenousPeoples
#IndigenousSovereignty #ClimateCrisis #LandStewards
#Stewardship #IndigenousNews #NativeAmericanNews

#WabanakiStudies should be taught at all #MaineSchools

OpEd by Hope Carroll, December 26, 2023

"#Wabanaki history is ingrained across #Maine and has deep rooted cultural relationships with major natural landmarks that many of us see everyday. However, there is a concerning gap surrounding the important aspects of our state’s rich Wabanaki history and what little many students learn about it in Maine schools.

"Wabanaki studies need to be consistently incorporated into all Maine school districts. According to a 2022 report done by the #AbbeMuseum, the #MaineACLU, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission and the #WabanakiAlliance, the Wabanaki studies law passed by Maine in 2001 is not appropriately enforced across the state.

"The law 'requires schools to teach Maine K–12 students about Wabanaki territories, economic systems, cultural systems, governments, and political systems, as well as the Wabanaki tribes’ relationships with local, state, national, and international governments,' the report says.

"The Portland public school system recently incorporated a Wabanaki studies program into its curriculum. This will hopefully be a good example for other districts across Maine and encourage them to do the same.

"Teaching Wabanaki studies will help children gain a better understanding of the state. In time, this can help them develop a closer relationship with the #land and our responsibility to ensure that it is cared for and treated with respect.

"'Through #traditional stories representing the terrestrial and aquatic systems, important [Wabanaki] values are imparted that safeguard culturally significant resources from overuse and ensure the persistence of the people and culture,' says Natalie Michelle, interdisciplinary studies and research assistant of native environmental studies in climate change at the University of Maine.

"It is more important than ever that we look to native science as we face irreversible damage to our climate. We must prioritize implementing these ideals early into the educational careers of children so they go on to practice them throughout their lives.

"Western science and education has taught the ideals of dominance over nature for centuries. This is reflected in practices that have contributed to the #extinction of animals, rises in #NaturalDisasters, food and water shortages and the numerous other effects of #ClimateChange. Instead of connecting with #nature, we are often taught to distance ourselves from the #NaturalWorld. We are taught to use vague and nonspecific naming tools like 'it' to refer to any non-human being.

"'We use it to distance ourselves, to set others outside our circle of moral consideration, creating #hierarchies of difference that justify our actions — so we don’t feel,' says Robin Kimmerer, professor of environmental and forest biology at the State University of New York College of #EnvironmentalScience and #Forestry.

"Kimmerer talks of alternatives to using 'it' to put ourselves on the same level as other living beings, recognizing them as relatives by calling them by their name. But she says that this can be difficult for many of her students because they were not taught these alternatives until now.

"In my experience growing up in Maine and going to school, I never encountered a class focused on Wabanaki studies until college. I am grateful to have this opportunity now. But it has been difficult for me to implement these new ideals into my thinking toward the land around me because they seem so foreign.

"Using the word 'foreign' seems wrong when describing ideals that have been used in Maine since long before any of us were here. But Maine schools and communities have an opportunity to change this.

"Children who grow up in this state have the right and responsibility to know the history of the land around them. They have the right and responsibility to understand the negative implications of #colonization and #ForcedRemoval of the #WabanakiTribes and how despite horrible #historical events, the Wabanaki people have endured and developed their own #sovereign structures.

"In order to create more inclusive classrooms that incorporate all aspects of our state history and work towards building respectful relationships with Maine land, other communities should follow the exciting example being set in #PortlandMaine."

Source:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/26/opinion/opinion-contributor/wabanaki-studies-maine-schools-education/

#WabanakiConfederacy #LandBack #IndigenousPeoples
#IndigenousSovereignty #ClimateCrisis #LandStewards
#Stewardship #IndigenousNews #NativeAmericanNews

#WabanakiStudies should be taught at all #MaineSchools

OpEd by Hope Carroll, December 26, 2023

"#Wabanaki history is ingrained across #Maine and has deep rooted cultural relationships with major natural landmarks that many of us see everyday. However, there is a concerning gap surrounding the important aspects of our state’s rich Wabanaki history and what little many students learn about it in Maine schools.

"Wabanaki studies need to be consistently incorporated into all Maine school districts. According to a 2022 report done by the #AbbeMuseum, the #MaineACLU, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission and the #WabanakiAlliance, the Wabanaki studies law passed by Maine in 2001 is not appropriately enforced across the state.

"The law 'requires schools to teach Maine K–12 students about Wabanaki territories, economic systems, cultural systems, governments, and political systems, as well as the Wabanaki tribes’ relationships with local, state, national, and international governments,' the report says.

"The Portland public school system recently incorporated a Wabanaki studies program into its curriculum. This will hopefully be a good example for other districts across Maine and encourage them to do the same.

"Teaching Wabanaki studies will help children gain a better understanding of the state. In time, this can help them develop a closer relationship with the #land and our responsibility to ensure that it is cared for and treated with respect.

"'Through #traditional stories representing the terrestrial and aquatic systems, important [Wabanaki] values are imparted that safeguard culturally significant resources from overuse and ensure the persistence of the people and culture,' says Natalie Michelle, interdisciplinary studies and research assistant of native environmental studies in climate change at the University of Maine.

"It is more important than ever that we look to native science as we face irreversible damage to our climate. We must prioritize implementing these ideals early into the educational careers of children so they go on to practice them throughout their lives.

"Western science and education has taught the ideals of dominance over nature for centuries. This is reflected in practices that have contributed to the #extinction of animals, rises in #NaturalDisasters, food and water shortages and the numerous other effects of #ClimateChange. Instead of connecting with #nature, we are often taught to distance ourselves from the #NaturalWorld. We are taught to use vague and nonspecific naming tools like 'it' to refer to any non-human being.

"'We use it to distance ourselves, to set others outside our circle of moral consideration, creating #hierarchies of difference that justify our actions — so we don’t feel,' says Robin Kimmerer, professor of environmental and forest biology at the State University of New York College of #EnvironmentalScience and #Forestry.

"Kimmerer talks of alternatives to using 'it' to put ourselves on the same level as other living beings, recognizing them as relatives by calling them by their name. But she says that this can be difficult for many of her students because they were not taught these alternatives until now.

"In my experience growing up in Maine and going to school, I never encountered a class focused on Wabanaki studies until college. I am grateful to have this opportunity now. But it has been difficult for me to implement these new ideals into my thinking toward the land around me because they seem so foreign.

"Using the word 'foreign' seems wrong when describing ideals that have been used in Maine since long before any of us were here. But Maine schools and communities have an opportunity to change this.

"Children who grow up in this state have the right and responsibility to know the history of the land around them. They have the right and responsibility to understand the negative implications of #colonization and #ForcedRemoval of the #WabanakiTribes and how despite horrible #historical events, the Wabanaki people have endured and developed their own #sovereign structures.

"In order to create more inclusive classrooms that incorporate all aspects of our state history and work towards building respectful relationships with Maine land, other communities should follow the exciting example being set in #PortlandMaine."

Source:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/26/opinion/opinion-contributor/wabanaki-studies-maine-schools-education/

#WabanakiConfederacy #LandBack #IndigenousPeoples
#IndigenousSovereignty #ClimateCrisis #LandStewards
#Stewardship #IndigenousNews #NativeAmericanNews

#WabanakiStudies should be taught at all #MaineSchools

OpEd by Hope Carroll, December 26, 2023

"#Wabanaki history is ingrained across #Maine and has deep rooted cultural relationships with major natural landmarks that many of us see everyday. However, there is a concerning gap surrounding the important aspects of our state’s rich Wabanaki history and what little many students learn about it in Maine schools.

"Wabanaki studies need to be consistently incorporated into all Maine school districts. According to a 2022 report done by the #AbbeMuseum, the #MaineACLU, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission and the #WabanakiAlliance, the Wabanaki studies law passed by Maine in 2001 is not appropriately enforced across the state.

"The law 'requires schools to teach Maine K–12 students about Wabanaki territories, economic systems, cultural systems, governments, and political systems, as well as the Wabanaki tribes’ relationships with local, state, national, and international governments,' the report says.

"The Portland public school system recently incorporated a Wabanaki studies program into its curriculum. This will hopefully be a good example for other districts across Maine and encourage them to do the same.

"Teaching Wabanaki studies will help children gain a better understanding of the state. In time, this can help them develop a closer relationship with the #land and our responsibility to ensure that it is cared for and treated with respect.

"'Through #traditional stories representing the terrestrial and aquatic systems, important [Wabanaki] values are imparted that safeguard culturally significant resources from overuse and ensure the persistence of the people and culture,' says Natalie Michelle, interdisciplinary studies and research assistant of native environmental studies in climate change at the University of Maine.

"It is more important than ever that we look to native science as we face irreversible damage to our climate. We must prioritize implementing these ideals early into the educational careers of children so they go on to practice them throughout their lives.

"Western science and education has taught the ideals of dominance over nature for centuries. This is reflected in practices that have contributed to the #extinction of animals, rises in #NaturalDisasters, food and water shortages and the numerous other effects of #ClimateChange. Instead of connecting with #nature, we are often taught to distance ourselves from the #NaturalWorld. We are taught to use vague and nonspecific naming tools like 'it' to refer to any non-human being.

"'We use it to distance ourselves, to set others outside our circle of moral consideration, creating #hierarchies of difference that justify our actions — so we don’t feel,' says Robin Kimmerer, professor of environmental and forest biology at the State University of New York College of #EnvironmentalScience and #Forestry.

"Kimmerer talks of alternatives to using 'it' to put ourselves on the same level as other living beings, recognizing them as relatives by calling them by their name. But she says that this can be difficult for many of her students because they were not taught these alternatives until now.

"In my experience growing up in Maine and going to school, I never encountered a class focused on Wabanaki studies until college. I am grateful to have this opportunity now. But it has been difficult for me to implement these new ideals into my thinking toward the land around me because they seem so foreign.

"Using the word 'foreign' seems wrong when describing ideals that have been used in Maine since long before any of us were here. But Maine schools and communities have an opportunity to change this.

"Children who grow up in this state have the right and responsibility to know the history of the land around them. They have the right and responsibility to understand the negative implications of #colonization and #ForcedRemoval of the #WabanakiTribes and how despite horrible #historical events, the Wabanaki people have endured and developed their own #sovereign structures.

"In order to create more inclusive classrooms that incorporate all aspects of our state history and work towards building respectful relationships with Maine land, other communities should follow the exciting example being set in #PortlandMaine."

Source:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/26/opinion/opinion-contributor/wabanaki-studies-maine-schools-education/

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