#wabanakinations — Public Fediverse posts

#WabanakiWindows on #WMPG!

March 24, 2026: "This show features Evan Richert and Roger Milliken Jr., two longtime leaders in land use, planning, and conservation in Maine.

"They took a close look at the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act to answer a key question: who is right—the State or the #WabanakiNations?

"Their conclusion is clear—the Wabanaki Nations’ interpretation is correct, and the State’s position deserves closer scrutiny.

"We’ll talk about what they found, why Maine stands apart on Tribal sovereignty, and what it means for the future of justice in our state."

Audio archive:
https://www.wmpg.org/wmpg-podcasts/wabanaki-windows/

#CommunityRadio #CommunitySupportedRadio #CollegeRadio #WMPGFM #NativeAmericanNews #LandBack #SettlementAct #MainePol #Podcasts #NativeAmericanIssues #MaineTribes #WabanakiAlliance #Sovereignty #WabanakiNations #TribalRights #WabanakiConfederacy #IndigenousSovereignty #PassamaquoddyNation #PenobscotNation #HoultonBandOfMaliseetIndians #MikmaqNation

Wabanaki Windows on #WERU!

"#WabanakiWindows presents a timely conversation on the past, present, and future of #Wabanaki #sovereignty featuring #WabanakiAlliance Executive Director #MaulianBryant and Professor #DarrenRanco.

The program examines the impact of the 1980 Maine Indian Land Claims #SettlementAct, the formation of the Wabanaki Alliance, and the #legislation shaping the current session. There will be a part two at a later date!"

Airs January 28, 2026 at 4:00 PM on WERU — WERU.org

https://archives.weru.org/category/wabanaki-windows/

#MainePol #Sovereignty #WabanakiNations #TribalRights #WabanakiConfederacy #IndigenousSovereignty #MaineTribes
#PassamaquoddyNation #PenobscotNation #HoultonBandOfMaliseetIndians #MikmaqNation #LandBack

#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

#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."

Source:
https://www.mainepublic.org/courts-and-crime/2024-11-21/wabanaki-alliance-testifies-in-washington-about-the-crisis-of-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women

#MaulianBryant #Wabanaki #Maine #MMIWG #MaineSettlementAct #WabanakiNations #VAWA #FullSoveigntyNow #WabanakiConfederacy #SettlementAct #IndigenousPeoplesDay