#wabanakinations — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #wabanakinations, aggregated by home.social.
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#Maine - Gubernatorial Candidates Take Part in #WabanakiAlliance Forum
"Eight gubernatorial candidates and more than 150 people attended the Wabanaki Alliance 2026 Gubernatorial Forum March 19 at the Houlton Community Resource Center. Hosted by the #HoultonBandOfMalisset Indians, the forum included eight candidates who responded to questions from moderators and forum attendees about nonpartisan issues and policy affecting the #WabanakiNations.
"Candidates received questions from #MaulianBryant, citizen of the #PenobscotNation and executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance; #MalleahBrown, a citizen of the #PassamaquoddyTribe at #Motahkomikuk and youth lead with the #WabanakiYouth Policy Initiative; and #OsihkiyolCroftonMacdonald, #HoultonBand of Maliseet Indians Ambassador and president of the Wabanaki Alliance Board. #ClarissaSabattis, Tribal Chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, made opening and closing remarks.
"Participating candidates included (in alphabetical order)
- #ShennaBellows (D)
- #RickBennett (I)
- #JohnGlowa (I)
- #TroyJackson (D)
- #DerekLevasseur (I)
- #HannahPingree (D)
- #NiravShah (D)
- #AngusKingIII (D)"The primary election for Democratic and Republican candidates is Tuesday, June 9. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3."
Source:
https://wabanakialliance.com/gubernatorial-candidates-forum-2026/Recording of the forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLzaxN-YE7k&t=29s#MaineGovernor #MainePol #Elections2026 #TribalRights #Wabanakik #WabanakiSovereignty
#LandBack #Dawnland #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #WabanakiConfederacy -
#Maine - Gubernatorial Candidates Take Part in #WabanakiAlliance Forum
"Eight gubernatorial candidates and more than 150 people attended the Wabanaki Alliance 2026 Gubernatorial Forum March 19 at the Houlton Community Resource Center. Hosted by the #HoultonBandOfMalisset Indians, the forum included eight candidates who responded to questions from moderators and forum attendees about nonpartisan issues and policy affecting the #WabanakiNations.
"Candidates received questions from #MaulianBryant, citizen of the #PenobscotNation and executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance; #MalleahBrown, a citizen of the #PassamaquoddyTribe at #Motahkomikuk and youth lead with the #WabanakiYouth Policy Initiative; and #OsihkiyolCroftonMacdonald, #HoultonBand of Maliseet Indians Ambassador and president of the Wabanaki Alliance Board. #ClarissaSabattis, Tribal Chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, made opening and closing remarks.
"Participating candidates included (in alphabetical order)
- #ShennaBellows (D)
- #RickBennett (I)
- #JohnGlowa (I)
- #TroyJackson (D)
- #DerekLevasseur (I)
- #HannahPingree (D)
- #NiravShah (D)
- #AngusKingIII (D)"The primary election for Democratic and Republican candidates is Tuesday, June 9. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3."
Source:
https://wabanakialliance.com/gubernatorial-candidates-forum-2026/Recording of the forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLzaxN-YE7k&t=29s#MaineGovernor #MainePol #Elections2026 #TribalRights #Wabanakik #WabanakiSovereignty
#LandBack #Dawnland #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #WabanakiConfederacy -
#Maine - Gubernatorial Candidates Take Part in #WabanakiAlliance Forum
"Eight gubernatorial candidates and more than 150 people attended the Wabanaki Alliance 2026 Gubernatorial Forum March 19 at the Houlton Community Resource Center. Hosted by the #HoultonBandOfMalisset Indians, the forum included eight candidates who responded to questions from moderators and forum attendees about nonpartisan issues and policy affecting the #WabanakiNations.
"Candidates received questions from #MaulianBryant, citizen of the #PenobscotNation and executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance; #MalleahBrown, a citizen of the #PassamaquoddyTribe at #Motahkomikuk and youth lead with the #WabanakiYouth Policy Initiative; and #OsihkiyolCroftonMacdonald, #HoultonBand of Maliseet Indians Ambassador and president of the Wabanaki Alliance Board. #ClarissaSabattis, Tribal Chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, made opening and closing remarks.
"Participating candidates included (in alphabetical order)
- #ShennaBellows (D)
- #RickBennett (I)
- #JohnGlowa (I)
- #TroyJackson (D)
- #DerekLevasseur (I)
- #HannahPingree (D)
- #NiravShah (D)
- #AngusKingIII (D)"The primary election for Democratic and Republican candidates is Tuesday, June 9. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3."
Source:
https://wabanakialliance.com/gubernatorial-candidates-forum-2026/Recording of the forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLzaxN-YE7k&t=29s#MaineGovernor #MainePol #Elections2026 #TribalRights #Wabanakik #WabanakiSovereignty
#LandBack #Dawnland #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #WabanakiConfederacy -
#Maine - Gubernatorial Candidates Take Part in #WabanakiAlliance Forum
"Eight gubernatorial candidates and more than 150 people attended the Wabanaki Alliance 2026 Gubernatorial Forum March 19 at the Houlton Community Resource Center. Hosted by the #HoultonBandOfMalisset Indians, the forum included eight candidates who responded to questions from moderators and forum attendees about nonpartisan issues and policy affecting the #WabanakiNations.
"Candidates received questions from #MaulianBryant, citizen of the #PenobscotNation and executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance; #MalleahBrown, a citizen of the #PassamaquoddyTribe at #Motahkomikuk and youth lead with the #WabanakiYouth Policy Initiative; and #OsihkiyolCroftonMacdonald, #HoultonBand of Maliseet Indians Ambassador and president of the Wabanaki Alliance Board. #ClarissaSabattis, Tribal Chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, made opening and closing remarks.
"Participating candidates included (in alphabetical order)
- #ShennaBellows (D)
- #RickBennett (I)
- #JohnGlowa (I)
- #TroyJackson (D)
- #DerekLevasseur (I)
- #HannahPingree (D)
- #NiravShah (D)
- #AngusKingIII (D)"The primary election for Democratic and Republican candidates is Tuesday, June 9. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3."
Source:
https://wabanakialliance.com/gubernatorial-candidates-forum-2026/Recording of the forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLzaxN-YE7k&t=29s#MaineGovernor #MainePol #Elections2026 #TribalRights #Wabanakik #WabanakiSovereignty
#LandBack #Dawnland #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #WabanakiConfederacy -
#Maine - Gubernatorial Candidates Take Part in #WabanakiAlliance Forum
"Eight gubernatorial candidates and more than 150 people attended the Wabanaki Alliance 2026 Gubernatorial Forum March 19 at the Houlton Community Resource Center. Hosted by the #HoultonBandOfMalisset Indians, the forum included eight candidates who responded to questions from moderators and forum attendees about nonpartisan issues and policy affecting the #WabanakiNations.
"Candidates received questions from #MaulianBryant, citizen of the #PenobscotNation and executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance; #MalleahBrown, a citizen of the #PassamaquoddyTribe at #Motahkomikuk and youth lead with the #WabanakiYouth Policy Initiative; and #OsihkiyolCroftonMacdonald, #HoultonBand of Maliseet Indians Ambassador and president of the Wabanaki Alliance Board. #ClarissaSabattis, Tribal Chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, made opening and closing remarks.
"Participating candidates included (in alphabetical order)
- #ShennaBellows (D)
- #RickBennett (I)
- #JohnGlowa (I)
- #TroyJackson (D)
- #DerekLevasseur (I)
- #HannahPingree (D)
- #NiravShah (D)
- #AngusKingIII (D)"The primary election for Democratic and Republican candidates is Tuesday, June 9. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3."
Source:
https://wabanakialliance.com/gubernatorial-candidates-forum-2026/Recording of the forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLzaxN-YE7k&t=29s#MaineGovernor #MainePol #Elections2026 #TribalRights #Wabanakik #WabanakiSovereignty
#LandBack #Dawnland #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #WabanakiConfederacy -
#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
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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 -
GOOD!
State agency in Maine rejects #Canadian #mining company’s rezoning application
February 14, 2024
BREWER, #Maine (AP) — A state agency on Wednesday rejected a Canadian mining company’s zoning application for a proposed mine on #PickettMountain in northern Penobscot County, near #BaxterStatePark and the #KatahdinWoods & Waters National Monument.
"The Maine Land Use Planning [#LUPC] Commission voted 5-2 against #Wolfden's request to rezone on 374 acres (150 hectares), which would've been the first of several hurdles to building a #MetallicMine in the #Katahdin region.
"The panel had numerous concerns including the economic feasibility of the proposed mine. The panel also considered the impacts on #TribalLands, #wildlife, #water resources, the outdoors economy and other factors.
#EnvironmentalGroups and the #PenoboscotNation opposed the project.
"'This ruling is a great victory for the precious waters and lands of the Katahdin region and the people that rely upon them for sustenance and well-being,' said Penobscot Tribal Chief #KirkFrancis.
"Wolfden withdrew its first application after the commission’s staff pointed to multiple errors and inconsistencies with its proposal. It was resubmitted in January 2023 with a goal of addressing the concerns."
#WaterIsLife #WabanakiNations #Environment #CorporateColonialism #NoMining #ZincMining