8 10 189 https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/e00e96ed8fc7534d77cdfa0e027a5390.jpg 746cb491ba4b06c0d242ebbfb5dc1ade Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Abenaki Description An account of the resource Traditional Abenaki territory encompasses what is now New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as parts of western Maine, western Massachusetts, and Quebec. The Abenaki people comprise numerous bands and communities. In the United States, at this time, none of those groups is federally recognized. The Canadian government formally recognizes two reserves, at Odanak (St. Francis) and Wolinak (Becancour). Resources <a href="http://tribal.abenakination.com/" target="_blank">Mississquoi Abenaki Tribal Council</a> (VT) <a href="http://www.elnuabenakitribe.org/" target="_blank">Elnu Abenaki Tribe</a> (VT) <a href="http://www.abenakitribe.org/" target="_blank">Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe</a> (VT) <a href="http://koasek-abenaki.com/" target="_blank">Koasek Traditional Band</a> (VT) <a href="http://www.cowasuck.org/" target="_blank">Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki</a> (NH) Subject The topic of the resource Abenaki Indians Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ash Pack Basket by Jesse Larocque Description An account of the resource Pictured: Pack Basket, Ash Splint, Abenaki <h4>Introduction</h4> The components of an Abenaki basket are not as simple as they appear to be. The amount of physical labor hiding behind even small baskets is immense, perhaps overwhelming for those not familiar with the process (Occaso). Among the multitude of patterns, shapes, and dyes, Brown Ash splints function as the backbone of many traditional Abenaki baskets (Bruchac). Because of the Ash tree’s vital role in the production of durable and beautiful baskets, the material must be treated as purely and sensibly as possible. Few remaining individuals are able to complete the total basket making process, from Ash pounding to basket weaving. One of these individuals, Vermont resident <a href="http://www.abenakibaskets.com/">Jesse Larocque</a>, has illuminated the process of traditional native basketmaking, especially for those who lack a background in the material production ever-present behind the decorative result (Larocque, Interview). He has made the process of his work accessible and understandable, revealing the high degree of physical labor that Ash pounding entails. His subtle knowledge of the Brown Ash and its characteristics makes Jesse’s remarks on Ash pounding and splitting extremely important– both to the process of basket making, and for the preservation of traditional technique (Larocque, Interview). Through examining the Ash pounding process and what the tree produces, one can make sense of the various bare components that end up in a specific basket. To understand the Ash tree is to understand the backbone of each basket. And to understand Jesse’s work is to understand the Brown Ash. <h4>The Ash Pounding and Harvesting</h4> The <a href="http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/little/fraxnigr.pdf">Brown Ash</a> (or Black Ash) is extremely common and abundant throughout the Northeastern United States. Still, the species’ abundance does not ensure its preservation and protection. Keeping with perhaps the most sustainable practice possible, Jesse requests the harvest of individual trees from various landowners, as to maintain the original density of nearby forests (Larocque, Interview). These trees are most commonly found in swamps, though variations in water supply will produce slightly different internal characteristics, from hue to hardness (Larocque, Interview). Once the tree is harvested, it must be cut into segments that ultimately determine the circumference of the basket (Larocque, Interview). During pounding, the log segment will start to delaminate and reveal stacked layers of wood. Jesse is able to select individual splints from specific layers of the Brown Ash as he hammers each growth ring (Larocque, Interview). The composition of each specific Ash tree is unique, and the subsequent result of pounding the tree yields splints with consistently different variations. These variations, in turn, dictate the strength, color, and final usage of specific splints. Jesse explained this sorting and matching in further detail during a recent interview: <blockquote>Age of tree, thickness of growth rings, dry ground or wet ground. White or brown Ash. Sometimes you’ll get five different shades of brown from the tree depending on where it grew. You have to grade the tree by color profile. The tree has to be graded for thickness. Splints must be graded for a specialized piece of the basket. Plan ahead and don’t get excited.</blockquote> After the splints are harvested and graded, the color and hardness of each splint will determine what sort of basket is created. Harder interior wood will make a more rugged basket (Larocque, Interview). Light and pliable outer wood will go on to form fancy, decorative components (Larocque, Interview). When, and only when this preparation has taken place can the basket be visualized and crafted. <h4>The Pack Basket</h4> Jesse is an extremely patient individual who is led by his work. He allows the basket making process to carry him in an organic and subjective manner from start to finish. His continuing skill outside of Ash pounding is especially evident in his pack basket. Because no two trees are ever alike, no two baskets are ever quite the same, and the pack basket is undoubtedly the clearest example of this dissimilarity. In fact, it is woven to fit the wearer: “I take the measurements for each person and build the basket around them” (Larocque, Interview). Each pack basket is roughly 20 inches tall and by no coincidence, one would find the same height upon measuring his or her own back. In this sense the product tells the story of the wearer and the craftsman. Furthermore, the pack basket is a reflection of Jesse’s skill for choosing appropriate material that will even outlive its ownership. These choices are evident in the pack’s construction: “The basket has a combination of continual weaves and regular stack weaves. The rim has a double lashing around the top. The entire basket uses thicker splints. It’s more durable that way” (Larocque, Interview). Because so many unpredictable factors enter Jesse’s approach, he must remain committed to his work, and prevent himself from doing more work than necessary. Even this excellent photograph does not offer a complete example of this basket’s true intricacy. When working with individually unique materials, frustration can easily arise out of the smallest problem. To create such masterpieces like the pack basket, Jesse streamlines his splint collection through the use of simple tools that, in essence, reduce the probability of a bad outcome. In an exercise that places equal emphasis on process and product, care and simplification are two of the most important factors in baskets that are indeed “made by hand.” The result of this work-six full days to be exact-is a soundly woven pack that gently fits the slope of each wearer’s back with uncanny precision (Larocque). The tack-sharp accuracy and beauty of Jesse’s pack basket only hints at his tireless dedication to an increasingly esoteric craft. <h4>A Cultural Legacy</h4> In Jesse’s work and in Abenaki basketry, even the most decorated products are often grounded in practicality. That is, the function of each basket always tends to dictate its basic form. The stories and methods that reside in these products are a display of cultural ingenuity, emotion, and traditional sensibility. The function of these baskets, from an artifactual standpoint, is extremely rational and use-driven. This basket (though some would say it is too beautiful to use), would last countless years in the wilderness when treated properly. This same idea fits in all other cases: Berry baskets are, by nature of their shape, perfect for holding berries. An eel trap encroaches on a perfectly sized hole for just the desired catch. Above all imaginable forms and uses, these baskets serve the amazingly larger purpose of explaining cultural subtleties: ideas and visions that simply can’t be communicated effectively through any other medium. They are physical illustrations of cultural traits that could not otherwise be explained. Therefore, each basket serves as a component of the Abenaki tradition and lifestyle. In continuing to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F71mCc7xAr0">pound ash</a> and weave baskets, Jesse perpetuates his culture through a medium that transcends language boundaries. The basket can be held, examined, even sent to distant regions in hopes that others will understand its history. The basket is alive, and its life will inspire a sustainable cultural attitude, as long as we are willing to listen for its story. <h4>Works Cited</h4> Larocque, Jesse. <a href="http://www.abenakibaskets.com/">“Abenaki Baskets by Jesse Larocque.”</a> Abenakibaskets.com Black Ash Baskets, Hand Made by Abenaki Indian Jesse Larocque. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Larocque, Jesse. “Jesse Larocque: The Ash Pounding Process.” Telephone interview. 4 Oct. 2012. “<a href="http://vcnaa.com/native/content/view/1826/39/">The NH-VT Abenaki Basketmakers Alliance.</a>” Vermonters Concerned on Native American Affairs. N.p., 17 Jan. 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. Occaso, Carla. “<a href="http://www.vermonter.com/northlandjournal/native-american-baskets.asp">Basket Maker Shares Traditional Native American Skills</a>.” Vermonter.com. Vermonter.com, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <h4>Works Referenced</h4> Bruchac, Jesse Bowman., Joseph Alfred Elie. Joubert, and Jeanne A. Brink. L8dwaw8gan Wji Abaznodakaw8gan: The Language of Basket Making. Greenfield Center, NY: Bowman, 2010. Print. <h4>Additonal Resources</h4> The following videos are included as resources for those seeking additional illustration of the Ash pounding process. All videos courtesy of Jesse Larocque. Video 1: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F71mCc7xAr0">Preparing a Black Ash log segment for pounding.</a> Video 2: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I58hcMWnB_0">Pounding the Ash tree segment and preparing raw splints.</a> Video 3: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFhVAP9L9a0">A close-up of splints delaminating as the Ash is pounded.</a> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lacroque, Jesse Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Parker Cavallaro, UNH Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource n.d. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DV-284 https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/6c4073fdde2f05904351e5126abe580a.pdf f958be6ea646099020e8ce379865f135 PDF Text Text This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project to make the world’s books discoverable online. It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that’s often difﬁcult to discover. 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Do not assume that just because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can’t offer guidance on whether any speciﬁc use of any speciﬁc book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book’s appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe. About Google Book Search Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world’s books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at http://books.google.com/ �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Abenaki Description An account of the resource Traditional Abenaki territory encompasses what is now New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as parts of western Maine, western Massachusetts, and Quebec. The Abenaki people comprise numerous bands and communities. In the United States, at this time, none of those groups is federally recognized. The Canadian government formally recognizes two reserves, at Odanak (St. Francis) and Wolinak (Becancour). Resources <a href="http://tribal.abenakination.com/" target="_blank">Mississquoi Abenaki Tribal Council</a> (VT) <a href="http://www.elnuabenakitribe.org/" target="_blank">Elnu Abenaki Tribe</a> (VT) <a href="http://www.abenakitribe.org/" target="_blank">Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe</a> (VT) <a href="http://koasek-abenaki.com/" target="_blank">Koasek Traditional Band</a> (VT) <a href="http://www.cowasuck.org/" target="_blank">Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki</a> (NH) Subject The topic of the resource Abenaki Indians Book Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New familiar Abenakis and English dialogues (1884) by Joseph Laurent Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Laurent, Joseph Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1884 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kelly Dalke, UNH '15 Language A language of the resource Abenaki, English Description An account of the resource Joseph Laurent (1839-1917) was chief of the Abenaki village of Odanak in Quebec, Canada from 1880 to 1892. He was a teacher and leader in the Abenaki community, and Odanak Nation throughout his life. Laurent, also known as Sozap Lolô, is best known for the publication of his book New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues. The book, a first of it’s kind, is a dictionary that translates Abenaki to English. When one begins their journey of learning about Indigenous people a noticeable trait is the selflessness that exudes from so many of the texts and cultures. Future generations are kept in mind in almost all actions, and it was the driving force behind the creation of Laurent’s New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues. The Algonquian-speaking nation was verbal, and in need of being preserved in writing. New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues was vital in taking the number of one hundred plus speakers, to the rest of the Abenaki population and it is still widely used today. New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues begins with the Abenakis alphabet, and then goes into the vowels, diphthongs, and syllables. The pronunciation key gets you ready to delve into the vocabulary that is broken up into sections; the first being “Of God’s Attributes” with words like Deity, Mercy, and Spirit. From the heavens, to the winds and seasons the reader is brought down from what is bigger than any single human to the very words used to describe the kinds people who inhabit this earth. The sections of words continue to take the reader back out of their own skin and into the very soil they walk on, and all the gratitude it deserves. The more difficult verbal translations and conjugations are at the end of the dictionary. The structure of Laurent’s dictionary is also what widely sets it apart from others. His translations are set up as a journey through their land as opposed to a standard list. He takes the reader on a trip from Quebec and throughout New England through linguistics, and language education.Despite Laurent's upbringing of speaking fluent Abenaki and French,he created the substantial text in an effort to preserve the Abenaki language and culture. Laurent’s preface describes his intentions, along with a suggestion of how to read the book without criticism: <blockquote> The primary intention, the chief aim of the Editor in publishing this book, is to aid the younger generation of the Abenakis tribe in learning English. It is also intended to preserve the uncultivated Abenakis language. May this little volume, which will learn the white man how the Abenakis vocal organs express God’s attributes, the names of the various objects of the various objects of the creation; beasts, birds, fishes, trees, fruits, etc., etc., and how extended are the modifications of the Abenakis verb, be welcomed by the white as well as by the red man, and its errors and defects overlooked with indulgence. (Signed) Sozap Lolu, alias, Jos. Laurent. </blockquote> Aside from his work with language, Joseph Laurent was also an entrepreneur. He built a trading post and camp in Intervale, New Hampshire. It was erected in the same years as the publication of Laurent’s dictionary, 1884. The camp was located in a grove of white pines known as Cathedral Woods, across from the scenic overlook that resides on the border of North Conway and Intervale. A local hotel owner allowed Laurent to build on his land thinking the Abenaki business would benefit both men. It consisted of an Abenaki gift shop, five cabins, a wigwam, flagpole, and totem pole. Laurent purchased goods from Odanak members and took them to his trading post to sell to Euro-American tourists. They sold things like Victorian goods and miniatures, but their primary source of income was the sale of handmade ash-splint baskets. Tourists, who stayed at the hotel while traveling through the White Mountains could visit Laurent and his family, watch them make baskets and purchase goods. It was not only a business opportunity, but was also a way for his family to practice speaking English. After Laurent’s death in 1917 a monument was placed on a large stone in memory of him. The trading post remained for thirty-three years, and was maintained after Laurent's death until 1960 by his wife and son Stephen Laurent who was also an accomplished writer/linguist, and resided in Intervale until his death in 2001. The camp in Intervale was more than a store. It symbolized the return of Abenaki people to their ancestral homeland. New England based nations were forced out of New England and into Canada during colonial settlement. The creation of the trading post gave the Abenakis the opportunity to reconnect to their original roots. With the future Abenaki generations on his mind, Laurent’s impact was one of the greatest of his people. The now historical site of his trading post remains today with the memorial to Laurent and the remains of a cabin or two, and New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues is still widely used as their language is being revived faster than ever. His memorial in Intervale ends with a quote from St. Mark 6:1: “Ni Odzi Modzen Nidali Ta Wdali Paion Agmatta Wdakik” “And he left that place and returned to his own country” References: <ol><li>Belman, Felice (2001). The New Hampshire Century: Concord Monitor Profiles of One Hundred People who Shaped it. UPNE. p. 101.</li> <li>Brooks, Lisa Tanya (2008). The Common Pot: The Recovery of Native Space in the Northeast. University of Minnesota Press. p. 411.</li> <li><a href="http://temp.caodanak.com/en/">"Conseil des Abenakis"</a>. Conseil des Abenakis. Retrieved 14 April 2015.</li> <li>Heald, Bruce D. (2014). A History of the New Hampshire Abenaki. The History Press. p. 41.</li> <li>Nash, Alice N. (2006). Daily Life of Native Americans from Post-Columbian Through Nineteenth-century America. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 251.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number">ISBN</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780313335150">9780313335150</a>.</li> <li><a href="http://www.amphilsoc.org/exhibit/natamaudio/abenaki">"Native American Audio Collections"</a>. American Philosophical Society. Retrieved 16 April 2015.</li> <li><a href="http://eco.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.08895/5?r=0&s=1">New familiar Abenakis and English dialogues</a> : the first ever published on the grammatical system (1884)</li> <li><a href="http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/91000218.pdf">"NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM."</a> National Park Service. Retrieved 16 April 2015.</li> <li>Senier, Siobhan (2014). Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Writing from Indigenous New England. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 283–288.</li> <li><a href="http://westernabenaki.com/sources.php">“Western Abenaki Dictionary, WAR Radio, and Online Lessons: Home of the Abenaki Language.”</a> Accessed March 31, 2015.</li> </ol> Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DV-332 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/2ae4820e1aaaa8ac95b0edc95f2d538e.jpg efbd5f57fb0c44a64096bab4d85af1c2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Abenaki Description An account of the resource Traditional Abenaki territory encompasses what is now New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as parts of western Maine, western Massachusetts, and Quebec. The Abenaki people comprise numerous bands and communities. In the United States, at this time, none of those groups is federally recognized. The Canadian government formally recognizes two reserves, at Odanak (St. Francis) and Wolinak (Becancour). Resources <a href="http://tribal.abenakination.com/" target="_blank">Mississquoi Abenaki Tribal Council</a> (VT) <a href="http://www.elnuabenakitribe.org/" target="_blank">Elnu Abenaki Tribe</a> (VT) <a href="http://www.abenakitribe.org/" target="_blank">Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe</a> (VT) <a href="http://koasek-abenaki.com/" target="_blank">Koasek Traditional Band</a> (VT) <a href="http://www.cowasuck.org/" target="_blank">Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki</a> (NH) Subject The topic of the resource Abenaki Indians Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ash Basket by Liz Charlebois Description An account of the resource Basket with Cowwiss, Ash Splint and Sweetgrass, Abenaki <h4>What Is In A Basket?</h4> At first glance this basket might seem like a beautiful decoration or a cherished household item. While the basket is both of these things, there is a history and story behind it that is not immediately visible. Made by Abenaki Basketmaker, Liz Charlebois, out of sweet grass and ash splints, this basket represents generations of skilled Abenaki artisans that have perpetuated their culture through the traditional making of baskets (Charlebois). In fact, Abenaki women have been practicing the art of making baskets for hundreds of years (Calloway 37). Baskets became a necessary part of Abenaki culture because women had to travel long distances to pick and gather berries; baskets allowed the women to carry more supplies with less work. However, baskets became much more than carrying items, it became an important part of Abenaki economy and history (37). Although basket styles have changed throughout the years, their significance within Abenaki culture has not (Day). <h4>But What Does A Basket Have To Do With Culture? </h4> Baskets are important to Abenaki culture not just because of their practicality and their value as an art form, but because of the stories that they hold (Charlebois). Whether these stories are of a personal nature or of a historical one, the basket serves as a record of friendship or of the past. While a basketmaker's materials of choice are ash splints, a storyteller's materials of choice are words that are woven together to form stories, histories, and records of relationships that exemplify their culture. In this way, storytellers and basketmakers are very similar. Along with being an accomplished basketmaker, Liz Charlebois is a storyteller that understands the connection between baskets, stories, and culture (Charlebois). One of the many stories that she tells emphasizes the relationship between the Abenaki, baskets, and nature: <blockquote>In the old days life was very hard for the women within all of the villages. The women had to gather firewood, food, and medicinals with nothing but their hands and arms to carry with. They toiled long and hard and every working hour was devoted to these tasks. It took much effort and many trips from the village to the forest and back again before the women could rest for the night and they were always exhausted at the end of the day from all the toil and the repeated distances they had to travel with their goods. All the birds, beasts, trees, and all living things saw how hard the women worked. After a time on a very hot day a woman sat in the shade of an ash tree. The ash tree took pity and spoke to the woman, told her the certain way to make baskets and how to be grateful for this great gift to help the women with their work. The ash tree told the woman to always remember to be grateful for all that was given and taught her a song of thanks to sing. This woman taught the other women of the village how to make baskets to help carry their burdens and she taught them all how to sing the song of thanks. For many years afterwards the women were grateful and remembered the song to sing. The work became much easier and the women were happy for a time with their gift. Anyone could look out through the forest or the fields and they would see the women were happily gathering and singing as the baskets followed along behind carrying all of the women's burdens. After a time, the women began to take the great gift of the baskets for granted, they stopped singing the songs of thanks. The baskets began to think that their gift was no longer appreciated and they stopped following the women at their work. From that time until this time baskets have remained a true gift from the ash tree but no longer do they simply follow a woman at work but the women now carry the baskets, burden and all.</blockquote> <h4>A Story of Baskets and Nature </h4> This story is a cautionary tale that underscores the importance of the appreciation of nature. The story attributes the first creation of a basket to the ash tree: an act that underscores the role of the ash tree in basketmaking (Charlebois). Without the ash tree, there are no baskets. The story encourages the Abenaki to be respectful to nature. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of sustainability within Abenaki culture. Nothing must be taken for granted. The Abenaki continue to keep sustainability an important part of their culture. In fact, as Joseph Bruchac explains, "it is important to remember the old stories when we consider the relationship today of Abenaki people to the land" (Bruchac 2). The land must be respected or there will be consequences. Even those who have not heard of this story understand that sustainability and basketmaking go hand in hand, whether by preserving ash trees or by using different materials all together. <h4>Proof of Culture</h4> In addition to the importance of sustainability, the story asserts that baskets have the power to archive a set of tenets for a culture. In other words, by looking at baskets we can understand a part of Abenaki culture. In many cultures, storytelling is used as a way of teaching children about nature, their heritage, and what has happened in their history. This is just as true in Abenaki culture. This particular basket was made by Charlebois as a present for her brother. It expresses friendship and care. This simple act of giving a gift is one way to continue on the tradition of baskets. Charlebois also passes on the art of basketmaking to her daughter. Charlebois' daughter enjoys making bookmarks and baskets (Goff). <h4>A Natural Archive</h4> The story also makes a comment on the act of passing on stories and other traditions. For example, when the ash tree teaches the woman basketmaking, the tree also teachers her "a song of thanks" (Charlebois). The baskets only do the work for the women as long as they give thanks. However, as soon as they take the baskets for granted and forget to sing the song, they must once again carry their burden. By passing on cultural beliefs and other traditions, the Abenaki remember to always be thankful. The participation of the younger generation is imperative in preserving culture. As Liz Charlebois explains, baskets are a prominent part of Abenaki history and contribute to culture by telling the story of that history (Goff). Stories can bring people closer together because it is a way of sharing feelings and stories of the past. Like stories, baskets also bring people of different backgrounds together through demonstrations, apprenticeships, and the stories that are attached to them. <h4>Works Cited</h4> Bruchac, Joseph. Rooted Like the Ash Trees: New England Indians and the Land. Ed. Richard G. Carlson. Naugatuck, Conn.: Eagle Wing, 1987. Print. Calloway, Colin G., and Frank W. Porter. The Abenaki: Indians of North America. N.p.: Chelsea House, 1989. Print. Charlebois, Liz. “Basket Making.” Message to Stephanie Gilkenson. 12 Apr. 2012. E-mail. Day, Gordon M. In Search of New England’s Native Past: Selected Essays by Gordon M. Day. Univ of Massachusetts Pr, 1999. Print. Goff, John. “<a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/salem/news/lifestyle/columnists/x1162599896/John-Goff-Basking-in-baskets#axzz2IueSkZ38">Abenaki Basket-making</a>.” <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/salem">http://www.wickedlocal.com/salem</a>. Salem Gazette, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. Ramsdell, Jared. <a href="http://ramsdellphoto.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Charlebois-Baskets/G0000y6SNrZb5Gm8/I0000m9y.5Slpk4E">Charlebois Baskets</a> – 1. 2012. Photograph. Charlebois Baskets. Jared Ramsdell Photography. Jared Ramsdell, 2012. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. Photo courtesy of <a href="http://ramsdellphoto.photoshelter.com/">Jared Ramsdell</a>. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Liz Charlebois Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jess Barrett, UNH Ryan MacKay, UNH Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource n.d. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DV-287 https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/f1a178c4e0cd9f06e24c61891c138c1c.pdf a089bdd0bcadb3e8f0b94767b571eee4 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Narragansett Description An account of the resource The Narragansett Indian Tribe has inhabited what is now the state of Rhode Island for over 30,000 years. Federally recognized in 1983, the tribe is now headquartered in Charlestown. In addition to many historic deeds and letters, Narragansett people produced what is probably the first tribal magazine in New England, The Narragansett Dawn, from 1935-36. Today, Narragansett writers include the award-winning journalist John Christian Hopkins, also an inventive novelist; the poet Ella (Brown) Sekatau; and storyteller/author Paulla Dove Jennings. To learn more about Narragansett history and people, visit the tribal website at narragansett-tribe.org, as well as the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum in Exeter, RI. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Animal Lore" by Lone Wolf Description An account of the resource Lone Wolf (Lawrence W. Wilcox) was a frequent contributor to The Narragansett Dawn, which Red Wing edited and published between 1935 and 1936. This piece comes from Red Wing's files for the magazine; it seems not to have been published Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lone Wolf (Wilcox, Lawrence W.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-36 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tomaquag Museum, Princess Red Wing Papers Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tomaquag Museum. Used with permission. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DV-355 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/8e107ca6acdd2f6f264a1240818deb4e.pdf 6f36872df1cdb9d254196e91587b79de PDF Text Text Dear Tribal Members, It has been a tremendous honor serv ing you over the past eight years. Thank you for electing me. I have truly enjoyed working for you in the House of Representatives. It is a time in my life I will never forget. It made my decision not to seek reelection as the Tribal Representative a very difficult one. I struggled with this decision for months. As you may or may not know I have decided to run for the State Senate. I have been a by-stander of sorts in the legisla ture watching events unfold. After eight years of advocacy I ’ve decided to take the next step and run for the Senate. I believe I have made a difference for Native people in Maine. I would like to take that experience and make a differ ence for the people in my Senate Dis incumbent Republican, an Independent trict as well as all of Maine. As a State and I. Win or lose it will be one more Senator I will be the most knowledge barrier broken, one more step up the lad able legislator on Indian issues. For those der of equality and one more trail to of you who are curious about my Dis blaze. It is my understanding that no Maine trict it is District #19, Sagadahoc and one town in Lincoln County (Dresden). It in Indian has ever run for a Senate seat. I cludes the following towns: Richmond, plan to keep a journal and pass it on to Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Topsham, Bath, those who will learn from my experi W est B ath, P hippsburg, A rrow sic, ences. Georgetown, Woolwich, and Dresden. Again, thank you for this opportunity. They are all in the Merrymeeting Bay I will always be yours in the spirit of area. I am running as a clean election unity and power. Donna M Loring, candidate meaning that I cannot take Penobscot Nation Representative contributions. It is a three-way race, an Thoughts about the Next Tribal Representative Whomever you choose to take my place must be a person who thinks of the tribe first and foremost. A person who has an even temper, a sense of humor and compassion. A person who can put themselves last and can empathize with the pain of others. A person you can count on to be there when you need them. A person who can communicate well and often with people who are unedu cated about your culture and your his tory. A person who is not afraid to stand up and speak in front of 151 fellow leg islators. A person who does not respond in anger when others say horrible things about you or your community.(but rather responds with dignity and control) A person who has thick skin and can take taunts and criticism not only from outsiders but from tribal members and council members who are suppose to be supportive. A person who will work for practi cally nothing, will put in overtime and who must sometimes pay their own way. A person who does not expect to have many thanks in return. A person who works on a speech or a poem for days but still cannot find the right-words and then with the right words awakening them at three o ’clock in the morning. A person who has vision and imagi nation who will introduce the next bill that will improve your lives for the next one hundred years. A person who truly cares. A person who is touched by the an cestors woliwoni Wabanaki News has been an excellent communication instrument and should be continued by your next representative to the Maine State Legislature Maine Indian Basketmakers’ Alliance Director awarded International Prize On October 15,2003, Theresa Secord Hoffman, a member of the Penobscot Na tion, received a prestigious international prize in Geneva, Switzerland, for her work as director of the Maine Indian Basketmakers’Alliance. The “Prize for Women’s Creativ ity in Rural Life,” sponsored by the Women’s World Summit Foundation (WWSF), was presented to Hoffman in a ceremony at the Palais Wilson, headquarters of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights. Created in 1991, WWSF works primarily to empower rural women and women’s organizations, as well as non-government organizations committed to prevention of child abuse worldwide. The organization also seeks to mobilize citizens and organiza tions toward building a better global human society by organizing regularly “Circles of Compassion” training workshops. This is the 10th anniversary o f the W W SF prize, and Ms. Hoffman is the first United States citizen to garner the honor. Established in recognition of the roles of women in grass roots development efforts, the prize goes to individuals whose efforts demonstrate exceptional creativity, courage, and perseverancein improving rural life, along with respect for and preservation of the environment, and continuing impact on the community. This year, the WWSF prize jury is awarding 33 women from 23 countries around the world. Of these, five, including Ms. Hoffman, have been invited to attend the award ceremony in Geneva and to personally present their work. The ambassadors of each winner’s country will attend the event, along with other dignitaries. The keynote speaker and award presenter was to have been Mr. Siergio Vieira de Mello, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, but with his tragic death in the August bomb ing of UN headquarters in Baghdad, that role will be filled by the Acting High Com missioner, Bertrand Ramcharan (to be confirmed). According to WWSF Executive Director Elly Pradervand, “The necessity of em powering rural women remains undisputed and is a central objective in the strategies for poverty alleviation and ending hunger. The very survival of the human species depends on replacing old, tired, competitive Darwinian ‘male” models by more hu mane, open, cooperative ‘feminine models. And for that women need to come into leadership at all levels of society.” Elly Pradervand’s sentiment fits well with Theresa Hoffman’s conviction that co operative efforts strengthen communities and individuals at the same time. This is evident in WWSF’s summary of Ms. Hoffman’s accomplishments, which begins with this comment: “It behooves the Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life that the first laureate from the United States be an American Indian— of the Penob scot Nation, one of four tribal groups living in Maine.” The commentary goes on to mark out Ms. Hoffman’s leadership role in helping to found the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (MIB A)—an organization that many predicted would fail given the independent mindedness of the four tribal groups in Maine, not to mention that of basketmakers. However, thanks to the skills and dedication of the basketmakers and Ms. Hoffman’s vision, persistence, political acumen, and first-hand knowledge of the art form, the venture has blossomed. please turn to page 4 Community Building tszsinom, 72 fie * . Sy/m Zf fH �Wabanaki News page 2_____________________ ________________________________________ Summer 2004 LD 291 “An Act to Require Teaching Maine Native American History and Culture in Maine’s Schools” by Donna M. Loring, Representative o f the Penobscot Nation (M y greatest accomplishment!) LD-291 is now Maine law. It was passed by the House June 5, 2001 and passed in the Senate June 7, 2001. It was then signed into law by Governor Angus King on June 14, 2001 I am extremely proud to have been the sponsor of this bill. It is the high point of my legislative experi ence to date. I know it will make a difference in our future. This bill is the most innovative and comprehen sive piece of legislation in reference to the teaching of Native American History in the Country. No other State has created a policy that requires teaching Native American History in such detail and also provides the means to do it. The bill is made up of four sections: Sec 1 makes Maine Native American studies a re quired component of Maine studies, addressing the following topics: A. Maine Tribal Government and Political Systems, their relationship with local, State, National and Inter national Governments. B. Maine Native American Cultural Systems and the experience of Maine tribal peoples throughout history: C. Maine Native American Territories: and D. Maine Native American Economic Systems Sec 2 Creates the Maine Native American History and Culture Commission to help prepare for the inclu sion of Maine Native American History and Culture into the required course in Maine Studies. 1. Membership consists of eight members se lected by the Tribal Chiefs, six members appointed by the Commissioner of Education including an elemen tary school teacher, a middle school teacher, a high school teacher, a curriculum director, a superintendent or principal and an employee of the Dept of Education and one member selected by the Chancellor of the Uni versity of Maine System. 2. DUTIES: The Commission shall assist school administrative units and educators in the exploration of a wide range of educational materials and resources. Identify resources Involve other-knowledgeable organizations and Individuals able and willing to assist with this work including, but not limited to museums and educators. ** 3. Maine Indian Tribal State Commission will convene the first meeting of the commission no later than 30 days following the effective date of enactment. 4. REPORTING FINDINGS to the commissioner of Education and a copy to MITSC The report shall consist of educational materials, opportunities for pro fessional development, training and technical assis tance. 5. Staff assistance and Resources will be pro vided by MITSC and each entity. 6. Preliminary Report to the commissioner of Education for dissemination to educators in the State by June 1,2003. Sec 3 Report must include plan to assist school ad ministrative units. Plan must include criteria to iden tify school administrative units having difficulty meet ing instructional components. The plan for assistance must be established by July 30,2004 and implemented by 2004-2005 School year. Sec 4 School to implement Maine Native American Studies subject to availability of funds. School admin istrative unit must present findings and support evidence to department of edu cation that it cannot afford to implement the program. The dept of Ed shall review findings and assist in plan ning for implementation This bill is the result of support from the House, Senate, Governors office, the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission, Department of Education, University of Maine System, Tribal governments, grass roots orga nizations, interested Individuals and students. It was a tremendous effort and I thank you all. The Prim ary Election will be held on Tuesday, A uqust 10, 2004. The General Election will be held Saturday, S eptem ber 11, 2004 Polls will open for both at 9:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM. Voting in both elections will take place in the C onference Room at the C om m unity Building. M a in e’s Native A m ericans G ain P assage of LD 2418 A Salute to Rep. Soctomah’s groundbreaking b ill___ THANK YOU! by Representative Donald Soctomah A.s we enter a new millen- nium, I have Yiope for a better tinually offended by the use of this slang word. The Thesaurus o f Slang iden- tif'ies th e w o rd “ squaw ” as a sy n relationship betw een the native onym for prostitute,, harlot, hussy, p o p u la tio n an d th e S ta te o f and floozy. The dictionary identi Maine. In order for us to achieve fies this w ord as one that is used this im proved relationship, we to offend native females. m ust end 400 years o f hurt and A fter generations o f exposure, discrimination. We m ust leam to the w ord squaw is seen as a neu live together peacefully, by hon tral word to the general public. But oring and respecting each other. to native females this word con This hope was the m otivat tinues to be a slanderous attack ing factor behind legislation that against them and th eir culture. w ould end the use of a dem oral Violent incidents occur m ore of izing and dehum anizing term in ten near the native com m unities, the State of M aine. where the clash betw een cultures The passage o f this bill by still exists. the M aine H ouse or R epresen W hen native people nam e a tatives and Senate will soon be geographic feature, such as a river sig n ed into law by G overnor or a m ountain, the term used w ill Angus S. K ing, Jr.. describe a specific location, for the It w ill re m o v e th e w o rd ease of the traveler, or to denote squaw from place nam es in the its s p iritu a l sig n ific a n c e . T h e state. nam e o f the Kennebec R iver de This is not an issue of politi scribes the contours o f the river. cal correctness.-It is about basic M ount K atahdin w as nam ed to hum an decency and respect for signify the spirits o f the mountain o n e ’s fellow citizens. The new and its geography. law p ro te c ts an u n d e r re p re The term squaw was not origi sented group in our state,,native nally used for place names, as the w om efi. O u r w o m e n -g ra n d -. w ord d id ‘ n o t e x ist b efo re the m others, m others, and daugh 1600’s. It is not a linguist’s defi ters, are all entitled to protection nition o f the original native word against basic'hum an rights vio that is of concern, it is the way the lations, such as th e use o f demor term lias Been used to define na alizing language. T he driving tive womqn injts. current context. force behind this bill is hundreds- ’ 'T hroughcom m unication and edu o f native w om en, w ho are con cation we can rid the state o f of fensive, derogatory words. Native w om en have the right to define themselves. W e n e e d to grow an d u n d e r stan d th a t th e u se o f the term squaw shows a lack o f com pas sion to hum an beings, it is hard for the general population to imag ine how hurtful a w ord can be un less it is directed tow ard them, their culture, or racial background. R ep. G erald T albot w o rk ed diligently in 1974 to rem ove the ”N ” w ord from place nam es in M aine. He had to convince other representatives how hurtful and hateful this word is to M aine citi zens and its visitors. D uring that floor debate, the offensiveness o f the word squaw was questioned. Several represen tatives stated that to the native population, it w as an offensive term. This is not a new issue to M aine, it is a 400 year old issue that needs to be stopped Nationally, M aine now joins three other states which have re m oved the word squaw from name places. In North Carolina, the U.S. Justice D epartm ent was involved in the rem oval o f the w ord from a school system in M arch of 1999. There is no other w ord used to day which hurts native wom en as m uch as the word squaw. The term has been used as a slanderous as sault in hate crimes; last year, a native woman was being brutally assaulted by two men, who con tin u a lly y e lle d , “ y o u d irty s q u a w ” as th e y r e p e a te d ly k ic k e d Vver. In 1998, there w as a high sch o o l fig h t th a t e v e n tu a lly turned into a racial incident. N a tive girls w ere called squaws; this resulted in death threats b e ing painted on the walls. T his new law sen d s, w ith great effectiveness, a goodwill message o f understanding to the N a tiv e p e o p le o f th is state: M aine w ill stop sanctioning the use o f offensive words, w hich dehum anize and exploit the n a tive people. T he native people and the native com m unities o f M aine, askd for the passage o f this bill to end the perpetuation o f dehu manizing language that has been used to define our women. It is never an aggressive act for a p eople to exercise their right to self determination. It is an intrinsic right that is woven into the fiber o f values that this country w as founded on. T h e fo llo w in g C heyenne proverb sum m arizes the point of this bill concisely, “A nation is never conquered until the hearts of its wom en are on the ground.” Every time this defamatory term is used, the hearts of our w om en take another blow. �Wabanaki News page 3 Summer 2004 Chief Dana has vision for the Penobscot Nation Strengthening the Penobscot Community is key Chief Barry Dana is well aware of having 10,000 years of history to live up to as a member and leader of the Penobscot Nation. It is what con nects him to that past which makes him the visionary leader the Nation needs now to continue building on its strength as a sovereign tribe in Maine. Chief Dana believes the best way to strengthen the Penobscot Nation is by strengthening the community. The best way to strengthen the com munity is to strengthen the family and that is best done by strengthen ing the individual. This is something he works toward every single day as the Nation’s elected leader. Chief Dana has also worked with many Tribal members to, among other things, create a nationally rec ognized Boys and Girls Club; create tribal laws protecting elders; create an Elder Advocate position; restruc turing the Home Improvement Pro gram which serviced 30 homes in 2003-2004 alone; create a cultural preservation department which re cently received a federal grant; be gin major restoration work and dam removal along the Penobscot River; and increase the Tribe’s visibility across Maine, New England and the country. He knows the future health of the Tribe is linked to economic and so cial health, and to that end Chief Dana works tirelessly to foster a cre ative and proactive environment that will allow Tribal members to pros per and live with dignity. He has served on the board of the highly suc cessful Four Directions Community Development Financial Initiative and has supported the development of an Elder Care Facility both of which have created jobs for Tribal mem bers. Construction of the new elder care facility begins later this summer and, when complete, will employ six additional people. He is the first to say none of this was accomplished on his own. In fact, one of Chief Dana’s greatest assets is his ability to recognize and place his faith in the strengths and abilities in others and his willingness to give them the freedom to succeed. Coupled with that is his refusal to be satisfied with the status quo. He is always looking for what the Tribe can do to benefit each individual and the Nation as a whole. Chief Dana is a man who makes people want to work harder and who is willing to take chances and the ini tiative. He will never ask anyone to do more than he is willing to do him self. His creativity and energy has opened many different doors for the Flat Stanley takes center stage at the Maine Legislature Bids farewell to House Speaker Colwell and Senate President Daggett Flat Stanley is a school project of a middle school in Indiana. One class in that school sent him to Maine so he could visit new places. The object was that photos would record his adventure here. The photos would then be sent back to the middle school class as a part of their project. Rep. Donna Loring moved him around to several places in the Maine State Legislature, with a lot of fun. Top left Flat Stanley was invited to be in a photo with the House Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary; top right, Rep. Donna Loring shows Flat Stanley to House Speaker Patrick Colwell. Bottom left, Rep. Loring poses with Senate President Beverly Daggett and Flat Stanley. Bottom right, Flat Stanley bids fairwell to Senate President Daggett. �Summer 2004 Wabanaki News page 4 Chief Barry Dana’s historic State of the Tribes Address to the Maine State Legislature on March 11, 2002 TR IB U TE TO CHIEF DANA man or Stateswoman has probably been Kkwev. Hello President of the Senate, Mr. Bennett, Speaker of the Hoi ;se of Representatives, Mr. Michael Saxl, Madam Chief Justice, Governor Angus King, Distinguished members of the House, Distinguished members of the Senate, Members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, Members of the Penobscot Nation and Citizens of the State of Maine. Kkwey To all who are present here today and to those who may listen on the radio out side these walls and to those who may read about this, I ask that your ears hear my words so that you will know what I have said. I ask for your minds to be open so that you will understand my intent. I ask that your hearts feel my commitment to bring honor to my family, my tribe and to our state that we all now share as our home. Woliwoni. Thank you. It is an honor and a privilege as Saugama, the Chief of the Penobscot Na tion, to be here on this historical day, ad dressing the joint session of the 120th leg islature. Woliwoni. Thank you. Today’s address symbolizes what I truly believe to be anew era in Tribal/State relations. Relationships are based on com munication. Today’s forum allows for direct communication. Perhaps our great est days lay before us. Nivan penawepskewi. I am Penobscot. Nivan penawepskewi. I am a human more responsible for bridging the gap of misunderstanding between our two gov ernments then anyone else of our time. The dedication of this individual is appar ent with the passage of such bills as: *P.L. 625-where the tribes received the extension on trust land acquisition. *Co-sponsoring the efforts to include portraits of outstanding Indians in the capi tal, (When I first heard this I thought I heard an Act to have famous Indians stand ing outside the capital). *Co-sponsoring P.L. 613, an act to re move offensive place names and *Being a primary sponsor of P.L. 403 L.D. 291, an act requiring the teaching of Maine Indian history in primary and sec ondary schools. Please join me in honoring the Penob scot Nation’s Representative to the legis lature, DONNA M. LORING. Before I discuss the current issues fac ing my tribe, the Penobscot Nation, let me first set the framework by which the Pe nobscot Nation’s government operates. Only through education can we ever hope to eliminate stereotypes and put an end to all forms of racism. The Penobscot Na tion is a Tribe. Tribes here in this country pre-date the creation of the States and the Federal government. In the creation of the U.S. Federal Govt., the founding fa thers recognized the Tribes as distinct forms of government, with inherent sov ereign powers to ensure the birth given rights to be self-determined. The 1980 Settlement A ct recognizes being from the Penobscot River. M y grandfather, as his before him w as th e se p ro tec tio n s o f in h eren t so v e re ig n a pack basket maker, ariver guide, ahunter and worked on the Penobscot log drive. My grandmother, along with raising a large family, tended a garden, was a sweetgrass braider for the fancy basket makers. In my youth, I was fortunate enough to have spent many hours in their presences, hearing the stories of the “old days.” From my grandparents, as well as other tribal elders, is where I learned my culture. Though these elders have joined our an cestors, their values, their love for our cul ture, memories of the old days and their passion for preserving our traditions live on in the pride of my people. Nevan Penawepskewi. I am Penobscot. I am thankful for my mother, a proud Penobscot woman. In her 60 plus years of living on the Penobscot River, she has witnessed many changes for our people. From facing the bitter winds of winter, while walking across the ice, paddling across the quick spring currents to go to and from school, to driving her first car across the infamous one lane bridge. My mother has worked as hard as any man in the Old Town Shoe factories to becoming the Penobscot Nation’s Tribal Clerk, she has stood in the cold November rains at my High School football games (inciden tally, she could never understand why 22 young men would fight over one funny shaped ball). She has strived to make a better life for her family and her people. Please join me in honoring a proud Pe nobscot woman, (Recognize my mom, Lorraine Dana). Nevan Penawepskewi. I am Penobscot. I would like to recognize another out standing Penobscot, who in keeping with our proud history of being talented States powers. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, in their review of the 1980 agree ment recognized and ratified our retained sovereign powers and sited the 1st Cir cuit Courts decision, “that the Maine Tribes still posses inherent sovereignty to the same extent as other tribes in the United States.” Thus, rather than destroy ing the sovereignty of the tribes, by rec ognizing the power to control their inter nal affairs and by withdrawing the power which Maine previously claimed to inter fere in such m atters, the settlem ent strengthens the sovereignty of the Maine Tribes. The very essence of Tribal Sover eignty is the ability to be self-governing and to protect the health, safety and wel fare of our people, within our own terri tory. We are a distinct people with a unique history. Though it has been a struggle to retain these powers of self-government, that preserves our distinctiveness, we have done so. Despite how people outside our tribe perceive us, we are first and fore most an Indian tribe. From thousands of years ago, the bones of our ancestors still lie on the shores of Maine’s rivers and ocean frontage. We still carry on their dreams, their pride and the traditions of self-determination and these we all hold sacred. We will continue to fight to safe guard these rights, in honor of our ances tors and in order to preserve a future for our children. Failure to do so would mean surrendering the very essences of who we are as Indian People. We are proud of our place in history and the many contribu tions we have made to the larger society by assisting in common goals. We are still here. It has been a privilege and an honor to work with Chief Barry Dana. I have seen the Penobscot Nation make tremendous progress Chief Dana was first elected in 2000. The Nation at that time was stag nant and basically just marking time until it would disintegrate into history. Chief Dana is a leader who is not afraid to take control and get out in the public eye and fight for our rights and for our survival. He continues to do this. Since Chief Dana has taken office progress has been started in the areas of environmental protection, housing for the elderly, youth pro grams, economic development, edu cation, cultural preservation, commu nication and more. We cannot afford to be set back twenty years. We must look to the future. Theresa Hoffman Chief Dana is the strong, ener getic and aggressive leader we need. It is my hope that he continues to be our Chief. Thank you Chief Dana for your vision, creativity and your past four years of service to the tribe. Donna M. Loring, Representative o f the Penobscot Nation from page i MIBA is credited with reviving an imperiled art—so effectively that over the last decade the number of trained tribal basketmakers has grown from 50 to 120. More over, the average age of MIBA members has dropped from 63 to 43 (which means more young people are making baskets). Members offer periodic workshops on the reservations and MIBA also sponsors a demanding year-long basketry apprentice pro gram. In addition the organization is also fueling language preservation efforts by encouraging elders who teach basketry to do so in their Native languages—Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot. Ms. Hoffman, with the support of MIB A’s board of directors and staff, spearheaded effective marketing efforts that have included opening an elegant gallery/shop, publishing an 86-page guide to basketry and other traditional Native American crafts in Maine, and collaborating with the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor on the annual Native American Festival and the Maine Indian Basketmakers Market at the Hudson Museum on the University of Maine’s Orono campus. Such efforts have given Maine Indian basketmakers a high profile throughout the state and nation. T h e result is aneariy tenfold increase in the safes value of baskets, making basketry a viable livelihood. According to Rebecca Cole-Will, head curator of the Abbe Museum, “ThroughTheresa’s leadership, MIBAhas developed into a vitally important organization that continues to cultivate a vibrant and growing Wabanaki crafts community. In addition to the economic benefits of MIB A’s work, the strength ening of the crafts tradition has proven critical to preserving the cultural identity of the Wabanaki and to raising the self-esteem of craftspeople.” According to another Penobscot leader, Donna Loring, who serves as tribal representative to the Maine state legislature, “Two years ago, I initiated legisla tion, the Maine Indian History Act, requiring all public schools in Maine to in clude in their curriculum lessons concerning the culture and history of the state’s original inhabitants. That bill passed, and Theresa’s work is playing a vital role in its implementation. Her efforts have been, and continue to be, tireless and self less. They have increased the self-worth of Native people, fostered cross-cultural interaction and understanding, prodded people to think in terms of sustainable development, and made a very tangible difference in the economic livelihoods of many rural Indian families across the state.” A small sampling of the other winners of this year’s Rural Creativity award: A Betty Makoni from Zimbabwe established empowerment programs for sexually abused girls. A Byatshandaa Jargal of Mongolia setup various programs to counter malnutrition. A Marta Benavides of El Salvador works for peace, justice, and economic opportunity for indigenous peoples A Haoua Baraze from Niger led a fight for educating girls. A N ’Dw Sene of Senegal mounted an effective challenge to unauthorized tourism development. A Victoria Adetona established a micro-credit organization for women. A Wang Fengyan of China set up an angelworm-breeding network for rural women. (Angelworms improvel soil fertility.) A Khalida Bibi Awan of Pakistan created a local seed bank and also opened a small vocational center in her home. A Francisca Eugenia of Cuba transformed a garbage dump into an organic garden. A Aurora Carmona of Columbia launched many projects, including community and family gardens that greatly increase food security. A Neela Thangavelu of India organized some 140 women’s self-help groups representing over 3000 women and led a successful struggle to regain peasant land. For more information, visit the WWSF website www.woman.ch where profiles of prize winners past and present are posted. Mailing address: Women’s World Summit Foundation, PO Box 2001,1211 Geneva 1, Switzerland. (Phone: +41 22-738.66.19) �Summer 2004 Wabanaki News page 5 Chief Barry Dana speaks out on TV after stunning defeat of casino vote Statement from Barry Dana, Chief of the Penobscot Nation Wednesday, Nov. 5,2003 Nothing has changed. Maine on Nov. 5, 2003 is the same as Maine yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. A Maine which is home to thou sands of hardworking people and families - Native and non-Native alike - who want nothing more than to stay here, to work here, and raise their families here. A desire that has become more and more difficult with each passing year even as our state govern ment promises economic opportunities for all. Nothing has changed. My people have lived with these hollow promises for 500 years. Promises from state leaders combined with lies, scare tactics and intimidation to keep a majority of the state’s wealth, power and resources in the hands of a select few. On Nov. 5 there are still two Maines. Two Maines delineated not by any geographic boundaries, but drawn along straight economic lines. The wealthy minority wanted to stay just that. A minority in a state with thou sands of residents living near or below the poverty level. Thousands of residents facing each day with no health insurance. Thousands working two or three jobs to cobble together a weekly wage equivalent to a day’s salary for the wealthy elite. Once again this elite used all the power and influence their money could buy to keep Maine the way they want it to be. The Penobscot-Passamaquoddy Casino was a good deal for Maine. And everything that made it a good deal made it a bad deal for the big business status quo. An abundance of good paying jobs and benefits. A huge influx of cash into the state’s coffers over which they had no control. The real hope and opportunity for economic prosperity for some of Maine’s poorest residents living in its poorest regions. Now, thanks to the efforts of a group who never looked beyond what was good for them, those poorer residents can stay right where they are. They can continue to collect welfare and work multiple jobs. Casinos No! is celebrating a victory today. They have a lot to celebrate. Thanks to them, hundreds of thousands of textile and manufacturing jobs which have left Maine in the last five years will go un-replaced for the foreseeable future. They can congratu late themselves on a fight in which lies, media manipulation and the exploitation of children in advertising were all used to further their smallminded agendas. They are joined in this celebration by our current and former governor. Two elected officials who used their political clout to pull the economic rug out from under so many needy people - the very people who put them in office in the first place. I am saddened that so many people were drawn into the opposition’s lies. This ought not to have been, but they had our own state governor doing much of the work for them; leading them from the back of the pack in speaking out against what we were offering. Today, these same politicians will resume their promises of amorphous economic opportunity zones and tax incentives as solutions to Maine’s joblessness. None of it puts real Mainers back to work. But maybe it allows the governor to sleep at night. The casino was a real solution offered by the Tribes to all of Maine. Something we - as a minority - were ready to share with the 97 percent white/non-Native population of the state. We had hoped the governor would hear the message that people need to work, they need jobs, they need hope. This was to be our gift to Maine. That, too, has not changed. As a people, my tribe is accustomed to the snubs and affronts from state officials. There are many in Maine - in and out of government - who are best served if we stay quietly on our reservations weaving baskets. While we are a proud people with proud traditions, we are also a people of lawyers, doctors, teachers, therapists, builders, farmers and students. People who would like to stay in Maine but who are finding fewer and fewer opportunities to do so. If it was simply a gaming issue, not even our governor could have spoken against it. Not as the leader of a state which welcomes and sponsors gaming in a state-run lottery, scratch tickets and multiple venues for off track betting. During this campaign I have spoken to people from all parts of the state. I have looked into the eyes of elders who no longer have jobs or homes thanks to the industries which have left. One thing I have learned even in the face of the hatred and ignorance from the opposition - is that there are good, proud people in Maine. People who understood this was about more than gaming. Along with eco nomic freedom for all Mainers, this referendum was also about sover eignty and Native self-reliance. I have seen the unification of Natives and non-Natives behind this crucial issue and this campaign brought it into the living rooms and coffee shops of Maine. So maybe something has changed, after all. People are starting to see a lack of integrity and honor in our political leaders and their methods in getting their way. People are starting to see that Maine lacks real leadership and there are some very ugly realities in Maine government. In the end, we did not get a Casino or the 10,000 jobs and $100,000,000 for education and property tax relief. There are no positive changes on the economic horizon. But maybe we did get something as important: the unification of a number of diverse groups working for tribal sovereignty for Maine’s Native citizens and economic hope for all. My people have been here for 10,000 years and we will be here for another 10,000. We are used to fighting for all that we have. But we are also used to extending our hands in friendship. We will continue to offer our gifts and our hope to all who can see beyond lies, deception and fear. We walked a long road on this campaign and made many good, true friends on the way. To all of them and all of those who supported us I extend my sincerest gratitude and say thank you. In the words of my people, Wuliwoni. Barry Dana, sagama penawapskewi Moving on after defeat letters@TimesRecord.Com 11/14/2003 Chief Barry Dana’s sharp re sponse to the 2-1 defeat of the Penobscot-Passamaquoddy ca sino question was unfortunate (Nov. 6, “Penobscot chief: ‘There are still two M a in es’”). But th e r e ’s som eth in g everyon e should realize. The two leading casino pro moters made an amazingly quick exit and weren’t around to help the tribes navigate the political fallout. Lawyer Tom Tureen who spearheaded the campaign and Think About It’s spokeswoman, Erin Lehane, both left for vaca tions 36 hours after the election, The Associated Press reported. Not that they didn’t deserve rest from their labors, but they left the tribes to face the aftermath of a highly charge race with no assistance and that seems cold. If they’d stayed around a few more days, they could have eased the disappointment and tempered I Chief Dana’s remarks. I ¥ ortuivateVy, most \ » e o a r v d groups castigated by the tribal leader’s remarks will be gracious enough to move on. In fact, Gov. John Baldacci hasn’t wasted any time in reaching out. Wednesday he met with the leaders of four Maine tribes: the P en ob scot, Passam aquoddy, Micmac and Maliseet. He has di rected the state Department of Economic and Community De velopment and his staff to meet with tribal leaders within the next 30 days to work up an economic development strategy, The Asso ciated Press reported. Also, mem bers of his staff will attend up coming tribal council meetings for that purpose. Equally good news is the fact that Chief Dana said he now re alizes that the casino question was not defeated because Mainers are prejudiced toward the tribes. He understands that it was defeated based on issues raised during the campaign. In the year long discussion of the casino question on these Opin ion pages, some contributors la mented that it was difficult to vote “No” without having an alterna tive to offer M ain e’s N ative Americans. We commend Gov. Baldacci and the tribal leaders for setting out toward that goal so quickly. We may have lost the battle but we have not lost the war by Donna M. Coring As the Penobscot Nation’s Repre sentative to the State Legislature I would be remiss in my duties if I did not re spond to your editorial “Moving on Af ter defeat” published in your paper on Friday November 14, 2003. The photo chosen for use by the Times Record was the same Associated Press Photo the Portland press selec tively chose and clearly misrepresented the tenor of the meeting. The Bangor Daily News photo by Kevin Bennett at the same event on Thursday November 13th would have been more accurate. It showed Chief Dana seriously speaking to the news media. Governor Baldacci touted the meeting as one to strategize for economic development for the tribes. The truth is the Chiefs and Tribal Rep resentatives agreed to attend this meet ing not because of wind mills or any other economic project but because the Governor of the State, who represents the people of the State, requested a meet ing. We simply agreed to attend out of respect for the people of Maine. We went to listen to what he had to say and no promises were made from either side. Further move I strongly disagree with your comm entary about Chief Dana’s “Sharp response to the 2-1 de feat of the Passamaquoddy and Penob scot Casino question.” You called the statement he issued after the November 2nd defeat “unfortunate”. I call it cou rageous and commendable. For the first time in history, a Pe nobscot Sagama (Chief) stood up pub licly to those in power in this State and represented his people. Chief Dana put words to the wounded spirits of his people. The Penobscot people were hurt deeply by the tone and tactics of the elec tion. Chief Dana was only expressing the deep heart felt feelings and beliefs of his people. As Sagama he could do no less. For you to say that Tom Tureen or Erin Lahane would have had any influence over him in this regard is paternalistic, ludicrous, and m arginalizes Native people. The Penobscot will move on from this learning experience as we have for the past five hundred years. We have made many friends during this journey and we will look to them for help in the future. We will survive as a people and as a culture. In conclusion, I restate; your view of Chief Dana’s “sharp response” is completely and totally opposite from mine and as the Representative of the Penobscot Nation it is with great pride and honor that I call Chief Barry Dana, Sagama. Woliwoni �Summer 2004 Wabanaki News page 6 MEMORIES �Summer 2004 Wabanaki News page 7 �Wabanaki News page 8________________________________________________________________________________________________ Summer 2004 Taking a Stand: March on the State House for Water Protection “Tribal members and supports gather at the steps of the statehouse to deliver the court ordered tribal paperwork to the paper companies. The Tribal Governors of the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the chief of the Penobscot Nation lead the march to Augusta to deliver the court ordered papers. After a two year battle in the Maine courts and a rejected hearing in the Federal courts the Tribes had to deliver paperwork concerning environmental issues, so the paper companies can review them. This was a very sad day in State and Tribal relations. The people of Maine sided with the tribes on the issue of clean w ater, as supporters followed the tribe to the statehouse steps. This was a long walk, 40 miles, starting at the 1724 Norridgewock village site, an area of another disaster...... ” Rep. Soctomdh From the birchbark canoe, the Passamaquoddy people trav eled the coast of Maine and New Brunswick Canada, har vesting just enough food for the families and leaving the rest for nature to consume. On a successful hunting trip the canoeist uses the moose call ing horn to sign his return. Here on Grand Manan Island the invisible line between the United States and Canada has divided the traditional lands of the Passamaquoddy tribe.___ MARCH FOR TRIBAL , SOVEREI GNTY r \ M T P F WA TER PROTECTION Rep. Loring speaks out Rep. Soctomah with his sister Madonna after the March A m essage from Penobscot Nation Governor Barry Dana on W ater P r May 23rd, Norridgewock, Maine on the shores of the Kennebec River, we gathered at 5 a.m. to begin our March to Augusta. This was a civil rights style march to bring public awareness to our struggles to have the State of Maine recog nize our sovereign status. This peaceful march helped us educate the people of the State as to who we are and our status as a tribe. Fifty people, both Indian and non-Indian completed the march covering 39 miles. News media reporters joined us, interviewed us and helped spread the message. We concluded the walk at the Augusta Civic Center. The next morning we met at the Civic Center but this circle included 150 people. We all walked the remaining three miles from the Civic Center to the steps of the Capitol. On the steps we delivered our speeches to the audience, which again in cluded the media. Our message was clear, that the State, its courts and paper industry has violated the 1980 Settlement Act by invading internal tribal matters by requesting to in spect tribal documents. On those steps we were joined by members of the Coalition to Support Tribal Sovereignty, the Chair of the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission, the Presi dent of the United Southern and Eastern Tribes, the co-founder of the the 42 mile route we received many horns and thumbs up in support. Maine Peoples Alliance, all who gave eloquent speeches in support o f our „ efforts. This event brought much needed attention to our struggles. A ll along People across the State are drawing the conclusion that the fight for sovereignty as well as the efforts for a casino are all about desire to be self. . . . reliant, self-governed and independent. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wabanaki Legislative News (Summer 2004) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Loring, Donna M. and Donald Soctomah Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University of New England Maine Women Writers Collection Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2004 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cathleen Miller, UNE Julia Brush Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Donna M. Loring and Donald G. Soctomah. Used with permission. We thank University of New England for making digitized copies available. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DV-477 https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/082755913d753523fd94ff07968410de.pdf eaee36babd8ded07e628ae12b1e1c9f8 PDF Text Text W abanaki News fro m th e 121 st M aine Legislature O ctober 2003 Casino valuable to the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Nation Representative Donna Loring: A voice for Rep. Loring Appointed House Chair of The Task Force to study the the Penobscot Nation (Reprinted with permission from the of the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy impact of a Maine-based Casino Times Record) by Michael Reagan, Times Record Staff Donna Loring had never visited a ca sino until she went to Foxwoods in Con necticut last year. She tried the slot ma chines and broke even. Unlike most of the fortune seekers who visit the casino, Loring wasn’t there to get rich or gain a taste of the high life. The Richmond resident, who has represented the Penobscot Nation as a nonvoting member of the Legislature since 1997, was on a mission to learn more about what will be at stake for the people she represents when Maine voters go to the polls in No vember to decide whether casino gambling will be al lowed in the state. A refer endum question on the No vember ballot will ask Maine voters to allow Na tive American tribes to open a casino, with parts of the profits going to state education funding and tax relief. Loring questioned what benefits a casino could bring to Maine until she considered the economic stability it would give to her own people. Income from casinos could go toward helping lo cal schools preserve their own culture, she said. It would also create opportunities for Maine tribes to share their heritage with others, as has been the case at Foxwoods, which is home to the world’s largest Na tive American museum. Economic boon As the elected representative of the Pe nobscot Nation, Loring offers a critical per spective on the hotly debated casino issue saying she would speak publicly in favor tribes running a casino. In the summer of 2002, then House This would give us a real economic tool Speaker Machael Saxl appointed me to to start developing, if we want to, ” Loring be the House Chair o f the Casino Study said. Task Force. Ttom her perspective, the benefits of 1 was the first Tribal representative opening a casino would not be limited to to be appointed as House Chair of any Maine’s Native Americans. Along with committee. helping the tribes in Maine invest or open I was proud and honored to receive businesses of their own, she believes a such an appointment. casino could provide jobs to Maine people The task was not an easy one. I re in difficult economic times. mained silent throughout most of the This casino is the biggest economic process. My appointment as House Chair project the state has seen in the last 20 caused much suspicion on behalf of the years,” Loring said. anti-casino interests. This suspicion caused a chilling effect in my participa tion. I did however write a letter that I insisted be included in our final task force study report. The letter reads as follows: December 30, 2002 Dear Maine legislators and citizens, Enclosed is our Task Force Report on the impact of a new casino resort in Maine. The report presents the testimony we heard please turn to page 2 VOTE YES! Her criticism of those who have mo bilized opposition to a Maine casino is that no one has suggested other job-related al ternatives. When you’re wealthy, you can afford to sit back and not allow any economic development in your backyard,” Loring said. The casino debate highlights the growing gap between Mainers who live comfortably and those who straggle. The conflict offers a twist on the notion of two Maines,” for as Loring sees it, the casino debate divides the state by class rather than geography. please turn to page 5 RESORT CASINO Rep. Donna M. Loring RR1, Box 45, Richmond, ME 04357 �Fall 2003 Wabanaki News page 2 Rep. Loring Appointed House Chair from page 1 Rep. Loring addresses Executive Board of NAACP Thank you for inviting me here today to speak to you. and the information we gathered. I stand before you as a representative of the Pe We did the best job we could in a limited amount nobscot Nation and my words will be on their behalf of time with a limited amount of resources. This re only. port provides the basic information on the subject. It I cannot speak for the Passamaquoddy Tribe. is a good beginning. It is now up to you as fellow leg I would like to begin by talking about the history islators and Maine citizens to review the material, to between the tribe and the State. conduct follow-up-studies, and to draw your own con The words of William Cronon come to mind. clusions. “Why the past matters” There will always be questions about building a .. .the past is responsible for everything we are. It resort casino here in Maine. This is obvious. But we is the core of our humanity. The past is the world out do have an advantage here in Maine in that we are in a of which we have come, the multitude of events and position to use the knowledge and experience gained experiences that have shaped our conscious selves and from other states in a positive and creative manner. It the social worlds we inhabit. To understand how and is my personal hope that we can find ways to use this why we live as we do. We cannot avoid appealing to knowledge not to destroy but to build, to focus on the past to explain how and why we go to be this progress, to open the door to partnership with the tribes, way...” and to create something totally unique to Maine. Prior to the arrival of Europeans on our shores we I would like to thank my fellow Task Force mem lived in a land that we were an integral part of physi bers for their participation, their intelligent discussion, cally and spiritually. We had our own governments and and their civility in dealing with such an emotional our hunting and fishing territories were scattered issue. I would also like to thank all those who testified throughout the eastern seaboard. Our numbers have before our committee, as well as those who just came been estimated to be anywhere from fifteen to thirty to listen. Finally, I want to specially thank the previ thousand. We hunted and fished seasonally. Our bound ous Speaker of the House, Michael Saxl, for appoint aries were usually rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams as ing me as House Chair of the Task Force. well as where we could find specific animals, fish, My appointment made Maine legislative history. fowl, plants, trees and herbs at certain times of year. It was the first time an Indian representative has ever We believed that everything from rocks to humans, to been appointed to be house chair of any committee or plants, and rivers even the wind had a spirit and these task force. must be respected. Our very lives depended on our The appointment came as a surprise. Although I treatment of this sacred environment (as it does to knew the political environment around the November day). When Europeans arrived on our shores they ar elections would make the Task Force a political light rived with concepts and beliefs that we could not un ning rod, I accepted it, and have not regretted my de derstand. They came here with one thing in mind and cision for a moment. that was to control our lands and our resources. (The Let me add a few thoughts on the subject of casi world as we knew it changed forever.) They were will nos. For decades the word “casino” was used in whis ing to do anything and use any means to accomplish pers in the legislative hallways for fear it would kill their goals. As an example of this ruthless effort to any \n \\ associated it. T h e P enobscot and P assa- maquoddy tribe brought the word “out o f the closet” so to speak, by announcing that they were planning to introduce legislation that would allow them to build a casino in Maine. There were some who argued that our task force should not consider the tribal connec tion when studying the issues surrounding a resort ca sino. But this made no sense- for without the tribal legislation, there would have been no Task Force. The reality is that a resort casino is a development project presented by the tribes to the State. The tribes even conducted their own economic impact study. This is nothing unusual. Any responsible business owner or developer would do the same. Our Task Force was criticized for considering that eco nomic impact study in its deliberations because the study was felt to be biased or tainted. This too makes no sense. When a business—tribal or otherwise—con ducts an economic feasibility study it is to see if its investment will be successful and profitable. Inves tors are not interested in rosy or unrealistic projections. The tribal study was reviewed by two prominent Maine economists and found to be credible. Quite honestly, I feel strongly that had this project been less controver sial, the economic development plans and the integ rity of the tribes would never have been questioned. I want to thank the tribes for allowing the task force access to their study. It was the only study available that analyzed the impacts of a new resort casino on Maine in particular. In closing, I encourage you to learn all you can about this issue, to distinguish facts from myths, and to deal with opposing views with civility. Again, this report is intended to be the beginning of a serious dia logue on the resort casino issue in Maine, not the end. Since'dy. ^ Donna M Loring, Representative House Chair eradicate us A proclam ation by Spencer Phips, L t G ov ernor of Massachusetts reads: .. .For every Male Penobscot Indian above the age of twelve years, that shall be taken within the time aforesaid and brought to Boston fifty pounds. For every scalp of a male Penobscot Indian above the age aforesaid, brought in as evidence of their be ing killed as a foresaid, forty pounds. For every female Penobscot Indian taken and brought in as aforesaid and for every male Indian pris oner under the age of twelve years, taken and brought in as aforesaid. Twenty five pounds. For every scalp of such female Indian or male In dian under the age of twelve years, that shall be killed and brought in as evidence of their being killed as afore said, twenty pounds. They had a value system that sought to accumu late wealth at any cost including genocide. Indian people were treated like animals by the English. It is not surprising that during the Revolutionary war when asked to fight on the American side by George Washington we agreed. When the war was won we made a treaty with Mass and in 1818 the treaty was renewed and finally when Maine petitioned Mass for separation one of the conditions was that Maine take over its treaty obligations to the tribes. Once this was done Mass please turn to page 11 LD 1525 “An Act to Clarify the Freedom Of Access Laws as They Pertain to the Penobscot Nation” The Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary voted to Carry over the bill on request of rep resentative Loring until next session. The com mittee further agreed to send a letter to the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission re questing they review the bill as it pertains to the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act and make recommendations. The recommen dations and the bill will be Reviewed during the second session of the 121st. I House reverses smoking ban stance Reprint with permission Bangor Daily News May 13,2003 by A. J. Higgins AUGUSTA - The tribal representative for the Penobscot Indian Nation convinced members of the House on Monday to reverse an earlier vote, setting the stage for the possible derailment of a bill banning smoking at bingo games. On May 1, the House gave initial approval to a proposal to prohibit smoking at all bingo games in the state. But as the measure was heading toward final enactment Monday, the lawmakers voted 74-55 to exempt the tribe’s high-stakes bingo games. Last week, the Maine Senate voted 19-14 in favor of the original bill and against a similar amendment offered by Sen. Mary Cathcart, D-Orono, to exempt the tribe’s games. Both houses of the Legislature now must try to resolve their differences over LD 227 if the bill is going to become law. “And I wouldn’t dare guess how that’s going to come out,” said tribal Rep. Donna Loring, who argued that the exemption issue pivoted more on tribal sovereignty and economics than a desire to promote smok ing. Loring now has two ways to win. The Senate could reconsider its action and side with the amended House version of the bill. The Senate also could stand firm on its own version. If the Senate stands pat and the House also refuses to reconsider, the bill then would die between the houses unless a compromise is struck. The tribe’s high-stakes games, held seven weekends per year, generate more than half of the Penobscots’ general fund for community services. Loring said the tribe had conducted a study to determine the financial loss that would result from a smoking ban at the high-stakes games and concluded that emergency services on Indian Island would all but disappear if the bill as formerly written were to become law. Additionally, she said 75 part-time jobs related to the games would be lost, along with some full-time jobs. Many lawmakers feel strongly about smoking, which has been linked to increased health costs and worker absenteeism, and about the potential dangers to employees subjected to secondhand cigarette smoke inhalation. Others objected to the notion that the Legislature should be making laws that do not apply to all Maine residents. “If we feel the need to protect the people of the state of Maine from themselves regarding smoking and health, then why don’t we have the need to protect the Native Americans of this state?” asked Rep. Julie O’Brien, R-Augusta. “I see a flashing neon sign and it says: ‘Hypocritical.’” Loring’s arguments were bolstered by Rep. Matt Dunlap, D-Old Town, who pointed out that the hand ful of games sponsored by the tribe through a 1992 act of the Legislature attracted a loyal following of smoking participants, many of whom dine, shop and rent motel rooms in Greater Bangor. “These people can make a choice, and they’re going to go where they feel most at ease and most comfortable,” he said. “The smoking issue could very well help them make their decision to not come to the Penobscot high-stakes bingo which could pose a significant downward turn in their revenues.” The bill now moves onto the Senate’s daily calendar and will be scheduled for further action at the discretion of the Senate president. ______________________________ �Wabanaki News page 3 Fall 2003 Honoring the service to her country of Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa Archie Ortiz of Native American Veterans of the Vietnam War salutes a photo of Piestewa after placing a POW/MIA flag next to the display Joint Resolution passed by both Maine House and Senate Thank you Mr. Speaker Men and women of the House. Pfc Lori Ann Piestewa was honored during a memorial service at the Women in Military Service at Arlington Cem etery this past memorial day. Pentagon officials for the first time publicly stated that she fought back.. “She drew her weapon and fought arid did it with courage and honor” stated Shirley Martinez Deputy Secretary of the Air Force. A Congressman from Arizona said “She fought tooth and nail along side a by Donna M. Loring I had been following the story of the 507th Maintenance Company Since March 23rd when they were ambushed. 1 was particularly interested when it was known that one of the missing was a 23 year old female Native American soldier of the Hopi tribe. I couldn’t help but identify with her and the Hopi community from which she came. When I heard the news of her death on Saturday my heart was very heavy and my thoughts and prayers went to her family and those that knew her and loved her. I couldn’t help but think of my experience in Vietnam as a Pfc and only 19.1 wondered then what I was doing there and I’m sure she must have had those same thoughts. I wrote a poem about that confusion and although it was written thirty five years ago somehow I think Lori Ann Piestewa would agree. I read this poem in the House chamber in her memory and in honor of her warrior spirit and ultimate sacrifice. sergeant to give other soldiers time to Wayland and her three year old daugh climb out. Her last stand was fighting with ter Carla. Freedom is not free. The price is all her might, defending her own people. paid not only by the dead but by those She fought with courage and valor”. She was the first Hopi woman and who must live without their loved one. Native American woman to die in com The empty space may never be filled. According to Hopi legend if a per bat in defense of the United States. She was a daughter, a sister, a son had a good heart when he or she died their spirit would return to the earth in mother, a friend. She has had a mountain and a high the form o f moisture. Perhaps because way named after her and over twenty it is so treasured in that dry and arid cli mate for it’s life giving and life nour one tribes have paid homage to heT. But after the ceremonies, the songs, ishing qualities. Lori was known to have a good the poems, the gifts there is an empty space that will always be felt by her fam heart to love life, people and above all her family and friends. ily and especially her children. On the day the Piestewa family was Lori’s son Brandon turned five years notified of her death an unusual event old on Memorial Day. Rose pedals were ceremoniously placed in the reflection occurred in her home town of Tuba City. pool by her father Terry, her mother Moisture fell back to earth in the pure P riscilla, her brothers Adam and white form of snow. J M a t F o f in te r im * jfn tb r ijjm r o f (£Htr £Lcnrb QtXuo ^thousand artd iXfrtw It’s titled “The Other World”: I stepped o ff the “Freedom Bird” into another world a world o f profound beauty and yet a world o f desolation and despair. Just as a new born babe comes into the world so came /.... Into a world I knew nothing o f unto a people I knew nothing of. Why was I here? JOINT RESOLUTION IN MEMORY OF UNITED STATES ARMY PRIVATE FIRST CLASS LORI ANN PIESTEWA, THE FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN SOLDIER KILLED IN ACTION IN THE IRAQ WAR U 3 H E R E A 2 ? United States Army Private First Class Lori Ann Piestewa was die first American woman to fait in combat during the recent war with Iraq and she died a hero’s death when her unit was ambushed by enemy troops; and I M H E E 8 E A 2 ; Lori Ann Piestewa was a 23-ycar-old Hopi Indian, a native o f Arizona, a mother of 2 young children, a sister, a daughter, an aunt and a friend to many and her untimely death has created a void in the lives o f those loved ones who survive her; and I 8 3 H B R E A 2 ? Lori Ann Piestewa grew up in Lower Moenkopi, Arizona and had been a leader in the Tuba City Unified School District Junior ROTC program and was the daughter of a Vietnam War veteran and granddaughter of a veteran o f World W ar II and she joined the United States Army 4 1/2 yeans ago; and t i J H E E x E A S ? Lori Ann Piestewa exemplified the spirit of sacrifice, honor, trust and commitment and her ultimate sacrifice will not be forgotten by her grateful nation; now, therefore, be it I walked down the war torn streets o f the village not knowing the answer. As I walked I looked down and saw the tattered remains o f a newspaper... and on the front page a picture o f a man holding the lifeless body o f his infant son. That Wc, the Members of the O ne Hundred and Twenty-first Legislature now assembled in the First Regular Session, on behalf of the people wc represent, take this opportunity to express our sincere condolences to the loving family of Private first Class Lori Ann Piestewa; and he it further KE&COOIE0: That suitable copies o f this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to Ihe Piestewa family and the Hopi Tribal Council with out deepest gratitude and respect for her sacrifice on behalf of the People o f the State of Maine and the Penobscot Nation and with our best wishes and appreciation. i n S m a ll* <£Bumbrr U nder S uspension o f Rules Read am i Adopted Kauiar o f Lirpr«%mlalu>rs RcirtI him} Adopted There was emptiness in his eyes as tears o f a life time flowed down his face. In that instant I knew the answer. Sent for Cwtcuwencc OjcJcictj sent Forthwith ? • y> M1UJCT.NTM Macl-ARLAND C M k *»f the Hosts* I was here to help save this country This other world PATRICK rO L V m .L and in so doing Save Mine... May we never forget the price that is paid for our freedom. -hme «I, £11113 Speaker o f Ihe I 1 <kinc o f R Spemutwed R j i Rep. D onna M.’W fin# «>! P ttio h tt* # Nation by Donna M. Loring resentunve* , a / .June X &U13 Confnnr �Wabanaki News page 4____________________________________________________ Fall 2003 A Social History of Maine Indian Basketry by Harald E. L. Prins and Bunny McBride Used by permission o f the authors Centuries ago, the ancestors of the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Micmac Indians, living in what is now Maine, survived primarily as mi gratory hunters, fishers, and gatherers. In the southern areas of the state, they also cultivated crops, in particular com, squash, and beans. Archaeological records predating European contract and written records during the early contact period reveal that baskets were integral to native households in this region. The Indians constructed a wide variety of woven containers, using rushes, cattails, sweetgrass, spruce roots, or Indian hemp. They used birch bark to make everything from delicate cups to twogallon pails and often embroidered them elaborately with dyed porcupine quills. Each household, no doubt, had an array of baskets tucked or hanging here and there. They held domestic supplies in cluding sewing materials, dried medici nal herbs, craved spoons and ladles, and fibers for weaving bags or braiding ropes. In the early 1600’s, the traditional life of Maine’s indigenous peoples came to an abrupt end when bearded white strangers landed on their rocky coast. The newcomers brought all kinds of welcomed trade goods, such as cloth, guns, iron tools, and copper kettles. But they also brought alcohol and deadly and hanging down; and others adorn them with silver rings, which sometimes hang even from their noses... The women also wear European dresses draped over their shoulders and coming down only to their knees, their legs and feet covered with {red or blue cloth stockings and deer or moosehide moc casins decorated with red porcupine quills}, They, too, wear earrings, brace lets, and similar ornaments, and a few of them have pointed caps decorated with glass beads or wampum...” Castiligoni also gives insight into the native economy and crafts of that time: “The occupations of the women consist in raising a little com, working on the canoes, on stockings, shoes, and other ornaments, and in making birchbark baskets and pouches, and also dishes and bowls that hold water, which they use on their journeys.” Between 1763 and 1820, the white population soared from 24,000 to 300,000 expanding from the coastal re gion south of Pemaquid ever deeper into Indian lands. While many white settlers farmed and fished, others set their eyes on the rich timber stands at Penobscot and beyond. They axed tall pines, con structed one sawmill after another, and built dams which blocked the annual fish runs upriver. Moreover, white hunters preyed heavily upon the once abundant deer, moose, caribou, and precious furbearing animals. With each succeed ing year, the settlers encroached further placed birch bark as the favored mate rial for baskets among Native Americans in Maine. When hammered repeatedly, an ash log separates along its annual growth rings into thin sheets that can be spliced into strips (“splints”) for weav ing. Although it is not the only tree that yields splints when pounded, brown ash was highly valued for its long grain, flex ible strength, and durability. According to one contem porary M aliseet basketmaker, ash splints are strong enough to tow a car and were once used for horse harnesses. Impoverished, at times, small bands of related native kinfolk roamed the countryside in the early 1800’s. In their search for a livelihood, they built small temporary encampments near white Indians planted oats, com, and potatoes. Interestingly, the agent also noted that he paid fifty cents “for fetching down basket stuff, indicating the some native basketmakers in Old Town needed sup port. In 1838, “to encourage industry and promote civilization among the Indi ans,” the State Legislature passed a bill to subsidize Indian farmers, empower ing Indian agents to pay them a “bounty” for each bushel of crops harvested. However, numerous Indians were not enthusiastic about farming, prefer ring a nonsedentary life with the free dom to come and go as they pleased. They worked seasonally as day labor ers, woodsmen, and artisans, peddling their m uscle and crafts diseases. vAvvcYv w reaked havoc amowg, orvIrYdram resources, mcreasmgVy thw art settlem ents and m anufactured a variety the native peoples, killing between 75 and 90 percent o f them. It is estimated that when the Europeans arrived, some 30,000 Indians inhabited the region within the bounds of contemporary Maine. By 1620, diseases had reduced their numbers to a few thousand and shattered the intricate interdependencies of their traditional mode of subsistence. Almost as quickly as the indigenous population died, the colonial population grew. With little choice but to adapt to the new conditions around them, native survivors became specialized as market hungers. They spent the long winter months trapping fur-bearing animals, especially beaver. Come spring, they traveled in birch bark canoes to coastal trading posts to exchange the valuable furs and hides for sundry manufactured goods from abroad. They also traded their crafts, including their birch bark baskets and pouches decorated with col orful quill mosaics - although these were incidental exchange items compared to furs. Throughout the colonial era, this way of life continued, albeit with many ups and downs due to repeated land-grab wars, various epidemics, periodic game depletions, and unpredictable market fluctuations. Luigi Castiglioni, an Italian traveler who visited the Penobscot Indian village at Old Town in the 1780’s, provides us with a vivid picture of these tribespeople during this period: “{They are attired in) European dresses and shirts, and uniforms of French and English soldiers. A few wear European-style hats, deco rated with feathers... Some paint their faces red and black in various designs, others have the cartilage of their ears cut ing traditional native life in Maine. Indian complaints about white tres passers were frequent but mostly inef fective. Finally, greatly concerned about their physical survival, the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy signed treaties in the late-eighteenth century with the gov ernment of Massachusetts, which rep resented Maine until its statehood in 1820. They ceded most of their tribal homelands in exchange for government protection of tracts reserved for their ex clusive use and for annual allotments of certain goods - com, pork, wheat flour, molasses, tobacco, chocolate, blankets, red and blue broad cloth, gunpowder and shot, and some money. The maliseet and Micmac roaming norther Maine’s wood lands, however, did not sign such treaties. With the undermining of their life as hunters, fishers, and gatherers, many native turned to wage labor and artisanry. In 1798, for instance, a pros perous white entrepreneur on Vinalhaven island in Penobscot Bay employed several Indians, some local and others from Canada, “in felling trees, catching eels, making baskets...” Probably, these were ash splint baskets rather than the traditional birch bark containers and woven bags which Indi ans made for their own use. Maine In dian splint basketry emerged in the his torical record about this time and gained prominence over the next 150 years as tribespeople responded to a growing demand among white settlers for sturdy utility baskets and, later, to a demand for “fancy” splint baskets among a bur geoning seasonal tourist population. During the nineteenth century, brown ash (fraxiunu negra) firmly re of woodcrafts such as tubs, boxes, toys, broomsticks, axe handles, and baskets all of which they peddled from door to door. Regretfully, there is little histori cal documentation of their ephemeral presence during this period. However, in an article about his early nineteenthcentury childhood in Hallowell on the Kennebec, author John S.C. Abbott pro vides a wonderful window on this past: “Every winter several families of Penob scot Indians came to Hallowell, and reared a little cluster of wigwams in the dense forest which covered the sides of Winthrop Hill... I spent many silent, dreamy hours by the wigwam fire, lis tening to the musical and monotonous chatter of the Indian women, as, with nimble fingers, they wove their bril liantly colored baskets from thin strips of the ash tree.” Another peek at Indian life in this period comes from Hallowell’s midwife Mrs. Ballard. In late winter, 1809, she noted in her diary: “Elizabeth, the In dian here, I let her have potatoes... The little Indian girl gave me a basket.” When Maine became a state in 1820, the governor appointed Indian agents to supervise official affairs on the Penob scot and Passamaquoddy reservations. In 1824, the Penobscot agent reported that these Indians “are aware that they cannot longer depend on hunting for subsistence, and are desirous to engage in agricultural employment (and) have hopes that the time will come when in stead of being considered as ignorant and miserable paupers they will become and be estimated as a useful class of citi zens.” That summer, horses were hired to plough Penobscot clearings and the throughout M aine. I t w as a precarious ex iste n ce, so m e tim e s su p p lem en ted Both photos of baskets used by permission of the Maine Indian Basket Makers Alliance with begging. Among the meager records about Indians during this period is an 1840 let ter written to the state by Mary Neptune Nicolar, daughter of John Neptune, lieu tenant governor of the Penobscots. Mary’s husband, Tomer Nicolar had died, leaving her with eight children, and she petitioned the state for support, writ ing: “...with all my exertions making moccasins and baskets I have hardly been able to provide necessary food and clothing for my children... some of my boys have now become large enough to plant potatoes, beans and com, and are willing to do it like white men, to assist me in supporting the younger children. The land wants clearing and some must be plowered in season, and this I must hire, done by white men and with money.” Three years later, Mary and her chil dren were among a small band of Pe nobscot Indians who spent the winter months in the woods of Winthrop Hill on the fringes of Hallowell, making bas kets and living in wigwams. Mary traded her baskets for foodstuffs at Asa Gould’s store. In his records, Gould noted, “She has been industrious and made and sold baskets enough to sup port her family so far this winter.” But as winter wore on, survival grew more difficult. Gould noted Mary bought medicine for her children who were “confined by sickness;” he added, “they have no means of support and are unable to get away without help.” Even tually, in nearby Augusta, the Commit tee of the Indian Council allocated 15 dollars to Mary from the Indian Fund, enabling please turn to page 8 �Fall 2003 — -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------— Representative Donna Loring: Former Gov. Angus King strongly opposed any plan to build a casino in Maine when he was in office and has considered joining the Casinos No!” campaign, which is spreading the word that a casino would cause more harm than good. King argues that a casino would not benefit Maine busi nesses and hurt Maine’s image as an out door destination for tourists. Loring said the image of a pristine Maine as a tourist destination only works well for people who can afford it. How can he possibly get it?” Loring said of King. How can a guy with all that money understand what it’s like to be in poverty?” Grassroots support The November referendum about ca sinos will hinge not on the influence of the former governor, but on the average Maine voter, she said. And based on con versations with her Richmond neighbors, Loring said there’s more support for the casino plan on Main Street than under the State House dome. A woman at Front Street Market told Loring this month, I hope you guys get this casino up here. I’m tired of going to Foxwoods.” A sampling of comments from local people shows support for a casino in Maine, Loring said. Front Street Market cashier Erika Adams said she does not work the early-morning shift when Loring stops by, but said she makes an nual trips to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. That would be great if we had a ca sino,” she said. If I did vote. I ’d vote yes.” At Richmond Variety, owner Dan A Wabanaki News page 5 voice for the Penobscot Nation Chapman said he will vote in November. But he said he has not followed the de bate about casinos and has not yet formed an opinion. Chapman said he will read up on the subject and try to get his information from the news on television, where a new ad to promote the casino measure began airing this week. That ad drew harsh criticism from Casinos No!, which criticized it for being produced by a firm outside Maine and lacking in substantiation for claims that a casino would create jobs and pro vide property tax relief. Patricia Pickett and her husband Donald have traveled across the United States and Canada, visiting casinos along the way. I know how much money I can use and how much I can’t,” Patricia Pickett said, adding that she and her husband will vote in favor of a casino opening in Maine. A casino could bring jobs to the state, Pickett said, and organizers are not ask ing for anything in return. If a casino re quired state money to open, she said she could just go to Connecticut. Part of her reasoning for backing the casino plan came from the belief that government should not become involved in people’s lives. How I spend my money is my busi ness,” she said. Spreading the wealth Loring has received phone calls from people in various Maine communities to suggest a casino should be built in their towns. Penobscot Chief Barry Dana has heard similar comments. When driving through a Maine town once, he was recog nized by members of a road crew, who shouted. Hey, Chief! We want acasino here.” A casino would provide a huge boost to the state’s economy and generate rev enues to fund programs that are axed or cut during lean budget years, Dana said. A casino in Maine could bring in $125 million a year for education and tax re lief, he argued. For the Penobscot Nation, profits would allow health care coverage for all of its members, rather than the 25 percent who have coverage today. Most of the tribe’s estimated 2,000 members live throughout Maine and New England. With income from a casino, Dana said the tribe could start a business such as a birch bark canoe company or a fiddlehead cannery. Loring referred to the casino pro posal as something that will give the tribe sustainable sovereignty.” The tribal representative did not support a proposed casino bill in the Legislature and prefers to have voters decide the matter in November. Part of Loring’s support for changing the law to allow Native Americans to open a casino comes from the fact that the state already runs a large gambling operation of its own, the Maine State Lottery. They’re gambling and they have these scratch tickets all over the state,” Loring said. Turn on a television, she said, and people can see ads for Tri-State Megabucks and the Maine State Lottery. That’s a double standard and that’s hypocritical,” she said. I totally believe that.” Battle tested T he 54-yeai-o\d could play a part in the referendum campaign this fall, and she has been in difficult battles before. Loring from page i served in the Women’s Army Corps for three years and served a one-year stint in Vietnam. She was posted at Long Binh Army Base in South Vietnam during the Tet Offensive in January 1968. During that Viet Cong attack and siege, the base was cut off from other American military forces for 10 days. People in Maine heard rumors the base was overrun, Loring said, but she and oth ers there survived. Loring’s tenure in the WACs prepared her for working at a disadvantage, some thing she often finds herself doing as a nonvoting member of the Legislature. She and other members of the all-female unit could not carry guns. An armed sentry and strands of concertina wire helped to pro tect them, she said. For the Penobscot Nation, Loring’s work in the State House continues the ef forts of many women who have repre sented them and advocated for the tribe, Dana said. They seem to get the attention of people they work with,” he said of the women who have represented the tribe in the Legislature. Part of the ability Dana saw may de rive from Loring’s work experience. She served as police chief for the Penobscot Nation from 1984-1990, the first female police academy graduate to serve as a po lice chief in Maine. In 1992, she became the first woman to be director of security at Bowdoin College, a position in which she served until March 1997. After years of defying long odds, Coring, dem ands respect as a voice tor those who see a casino as a route out of poverty for Maine’s Native Americans. Issues You W ill Be Voting On Nov. 4, 2003 ~ Please take tim e to vote In their correct order, the questions scheduled to appear on the N o vember 4, 2003, statewide ballot are: Citizen initiatives: Q uestion 1 (Citizen Initiative and Competing Measure) (Citizen Ini tiative) A. D o you want the State to pay 55% o f the cost o f public education, which includes all spe cial education costs, for the pur pose o f shifting costs from the property tax to state resources? (Competing measure) B. D o you want to lower property taxes and avoid the need for a significant in crease in state taxes by phasing in a 55% state contribution to the cost o f public education and by provid ing expanded property tax relief? (AgainstAandB) C. Against both the Citizen Initiative and the Com peting Measure Question 2 (Citizen Initiative) Do you want to allow slot machines at certain commercial horse rac ing tracks if part o f the proceeds are used to lower prescription drug pollution problems; (5) The sum o f grants to construct and renovate costs for the elderly and disabled, $5 0 0 ,0 0 0 for the overboard dis public libraries and to improve and for scholarships to the state uni charge removal program to provide versities and technical colleges? grants to municipalities and indi community access to electronic resources? Q uestion 3 (Citizen Initiative) D o you want to allow a casino to be ran by the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation if part o f the rev enue is used for state education and municipal revenue sharing? Bond questions: Question 4 (Bond issue) D o you fa vor a $6,950,000 bond issue for the follow ing for the follow ing pur poses: (1) The sum o f $2,000,000 to construct and upgrade water pol lution control facilities; providing the state match for $10,000,000 in federal funds; (2 ) T he sum o f $1,500,000 to provide grants to con struct water pollution control facili ties; (3) The sum o f $500,000 to clean up uncontrolled hazardous substance sites; (4) The sum o f $500,000 for the small community grant program to provide grants for rural communities to solve local viduals to eliminate licensed over board discharges to shellfish areas, Question 6 (Bond issue) D o you great ponds and drainage areas o f favor a $63,450,000 bond issue for less than 10 square miles; (6) The improvements to highways and sum o f $1,200,000 to support drink bridges, airports, state-ow ned ing water system improvements that ferry vessels and ferry and port fa address public health threats, pro cilities and port and harbor struc viding the stat match for $4,140,000 tures; development o f rail corri in federal funds; and (7) The sum dors and improvements to railroad o f $750,000 to construct environ structures and intermodal facili mentally sound water sources that ties; investment in the statewide help avoid drought dam age to public transportation fleet and public park and ride and service crops? facilities; statewide trail and pe Question 5 (Bond issue) D o you fa destrian improvements; and ex vor a $19,000,000 bond issue to pansion o f the statewide air-medi make repairs, upgrades and other fa cal response system through con cility improvements and enhance struction o f hospital helipads, access for students with disabilities building additional refueling fa and upgrade classroom equipment cilities, upgrading navigational at various campuses o f the Univer system s and acquiring training sity o f Maine System; the Maine equipment to improve access to Maritime Academy; and the Maine health care that makes toe State Community College System, which e lig ib le for $ 2 1 7 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 in was formerly the Maine Technical matching federal funds? C ollege System , and to provide �Wabanaki News page 6 Fall 2003 Testimony of Rep. Donna M. Loring on November 5, 2001 before a committee to Review The Child Protective System Good Morning Senator Turner, Rep resentative LaVerdiere And members of the Committee I am Representative Donna M Loring, of the Penobscot Nation I am here today to bring to the committee’s attention the situation that exists in Houlton between the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the State of Maine. First I would like you to hear a little bit about the Indian Child Welfare Act. 25 USCA ss 1901. states: see attached federal law. The whole purpose of the Act is to protect Indian Children from being taken away in great numbers from their cul ture and their heritage. The Indian Child Welfare Act was crafted and passed by the US Congress and supersedes any conflicting laws. Today in Houlton the Houlton Band of Maliseets face an unprecedented tak ing of their children by the State, twentynine children in the past five years. I see this not only as a failure on the part of DHS to place Indian children in extended families but also a failure on the part of the judicial system to implement the In dian Child Welfare Act. The loss of that many children to a tribe numbering ap proximately six hundred members is noth ing less than genocide. When an Indian Tribe loses it’s children it loses it’s future. These numbers are more than five times the national average. The vast ma jority of children taken are being placed in non-native foster care homes. Paren tal rights are being terminated at an alarming rate. I ask this committee to focus its attention on this issue and ask you why is this happening? Are DHS workers following Indian Child Welfare Act procedures? More importantly are the proper procedures being followed by the court system? Are Judges informed and are they implementing the Indian Child Welfare Act procedures in their Indian Child Welfare hearings? As some of you know I am a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary. Last month we held Judicial Con firmation hearings. During those hear ings I asked at least two judicial candi dates if they were familiar with the Indian Child Welfare Act. One of the candidates was honest enough to say no he was not. I received a letter from that individual a few days later wanting me to know that he had become familiar with the Act. He said and I quote.’ln particular, I am now mindful of the underlying pur poses of the Act to protect the interests not only of individual Indian children and families, but also the interests of the tribes themselves in achieving long term tribal survival. Among other things I am also now mindful of the heightened evi dentiary standard of proof beyond a rea sonable doubt as a precondition to the termination of the parental rights of an Indian parent. I hope that I am never called upon to apply this law in the per formance of my judicial responsibilities but should that occur, I have you to thank for calling the Act to my attention and I do thank you for this contribution to my continuing legal education.” I would think that if this Judge did not know about the Indian Child Wel fare Act then there must be others. I do not like to criticize without of fering some recommendations. One of my recommendations to you would be to provide training to the judiciary on the Indian Child Welfare Act. The train ing could be accomplished by using ex perts in the field on a national level. There is a disconnect between the State Court system and the Tribes on many levels. There should be an Indian advo cate placed within the State Court sys tem to be a liaison between the courts and the tribes. An Indian advocate could help fill this void. Finally, the Houlton Band of Maliseets does not have their own Court system to hear their child welfare cases. I have submitted a bill this session that will allow the Houlton Band of Maliseets to bring their child welfare cases to the Penobscot Nation’s Tribal Court until they can create their own court system. I strongly urge this committee’s full support of that bill and the above recommendations. Thank you. Fjord Seafood donates salmon to Maine Tribes The donated Atlantic Salmon were brood stock, part of Fjord seafood’s (At lantic Salmon of Maine) all-natural fam ily selection program that produces the Maine Strain Atlantic Salmon. All Maine strain salmon are the same species and subspecies as Maine river salmon, which blends together North American and European salmon bloodlines. Citing the Endangered Species Act, listing the Atlantic Salmon in Maine riv ers, the National Marine Fisheries Ser vice ordered all salmon with European genes removed from Maine waters by 2006. As a result of that order, Fjord sea food faced the prospect of destroying thousands of premier salmon. Fjord be lieves that the National Fisheries Service is wrong, and that their Maine strain salmon pose no threat to their cousins in the Maine rivers. They feel this is a devastating policy for the future of aquaculture, and it has no scientific bases. Fjord wanted to do something positive with the salmon. The idea of do nating the salmon to the tribes emerged onH Pp.nnhsmt Representative Donna Maliseets, state reach deal on Indian child welfare by Wayne L. Brown, Bangor Daily News, Tuesday, 09/17/2002 HOULTON - Representatives of the Houlton Band of Maliseets and state government Monday signed a historic agreement that will give the tribe con trol over its child welfare issues. The agreement gives the tribe partici pation in such matters as custody cases and placement of children in foster care so that those children can continue to func tion within the tribal community. “This is an exciting day for Maliseet people,” said Maliseet Chief Brenda Commander before a formal signing ceremony. “Until today, the tribe has had no say in what happened to its most precious resource - its children,” she said later to a group of about 50 people who gath ered at the tribal community center for the signing. Participating in the signing were state Attorney General Steven Rowe and Kevin Concannon, commissioner of the Department of Human Services. Officials from the Penobscot Nation and Passamaquoddy Tribe who assisted the Maliseets in their negotiations with the state also attended. The tribe long has been concerned that in child welfare matters, Maliseet children were being removed by DHS from the tribal community. That, they said, was contraiy to the intentions of the 1978 federal Indian Child Welfare Act. Christopher Francis holds one of the huge salmon scot Nation volunteered to coordinate the entire effort. He did a tremendous job. On January 16 and 17th. 2003 Clem’s planning became a reality and approximately 1.200 Atlantic Salmon weighing as much as 30 pounds each were delivered to the five native com munities in Maine bv the truck load. The Penobscot Nation, Aroostook Micmac and the Houlton Band distrib uted salmon to their tribal members. At Penobscot a processing team was set up and the salmon was cut into fillets with alot of the salmon frozen by the tribes for use throughout the winter and sum mer months for sustenance and for cer emonial events. “We are delighted that the salmon will provide healthful food to the tribal members who value salmon so highly in their customs and traditions. With this gift we celebrate and honor the Maine Tribes” said Dave Peterson, CEO of Fjord seafood USA. The Penobscot Nation sincerely thanks Fjord Seafood USA for it’s gen erous and thoughtful gift. Perhaps there Chief Barry Dana and Rep. Loring join Fjord president Davia Peterson is room in the future for us to work to watching Theodore Dana Mitchell cut fish. At far right, Steve Page, gether. Fjord Compliance Officer looks on Loring was contacted by Fjord to see if the tribes would be interested. Represen tative Loring was very pleased to say “Yes! Absolutely!” She began contact ing the tribal chiefs who in turn ap pointed a number of individuals to help organize the Giant salmon project. Clem Fay a wildlife biologist for the Penob- The law says the tribes should make decisions abonv \i\c 'Neiiare oi Indian children, without state interference. It stipulates that Indian children be placed first with extended family, and then with tribal homes or other native homes. As a last choice, an Indian child may be placed with a non-native family. Commander said Monday that in welfare cases involving Maliseet chil dren, DHS had been placing Maliseet children outside of their families or the tribe at a rate three times what it was for nontribal children. In those cases, tribal leaders said, they were losing a part of their heritage each time a child was removed from In dian culture. “Children are very impor tant ... to tribal culture,” said Donna Loring, the Indian representative to the Legislature. Rowe agreed. “There is no resource more impor tant or more vital to the tribes than their children,” he said. “Our shared goal has been protection of Maliseet children and their heritage.” Concannon said the agreement marked “a day that’s been long in com ing,” adding that he was optimistic that the work that had been done so far would form the basis for what needs to be done. Monday’s signing was only part of the process. The tribe still must develop a child- welfare code, expand its child welfare services program and establish a tribal court. Until a Maliseet court is established, the Maliseets will use the courts of the Penobscot Nation and Passamaquoddy Tribe. “The youth are our future,” Com mander said. “[Today] we are paving a new path that will lead to a more posi tive future for our entire community.” �This has been paid for and authorized by Think About It, PO Box 8727, Portland, ME 04104, John Menario, Treasurer �Frequently Asked Questions About the Proposed Resort Casino W ho will get the jobs? W ho will come to the resort? The vast majority of the jobs in the resort will be filled by Maine resi dents. Jobs will be advertised in Maine first and the resort will provide training through its own school and through courses offered at existing in stitutions of higher education. Maine people will be trained in a wide range of careers including, accounting, security, hospitality, and gaming. 85% of the revenue generated from this resort will come from out of state. Most of the visitors will come from Massachusetts and New Hamp shire. The resort will have a 60,000 square foot convention center that will attract visitors from all over the country. On average, casino patrons are above average in income. How will the resort im pact other M aine businesses? How can I contribute to the cause? The resort will spend $100 million a year buying goods and services from Maine companies every year. Employees of the resort will be paid another $130 million per year, which they in turn will spend buying goods and services in Maine. These amounts, when added to the $130 million that the resort will pay in taxes and the $50 to $100 million in profits that Maine Tribes (as owners of the resort) will receive and spend or reinvest in Maine, will materially improve conditions for other Maine businesses. And the $30 million per year that the resort will spend outside Maine on ads boost ing Maine tourism (six times the amount currently being spent by the State), will sub stantially help Maine’s tourism industry generally. The State of Connecti cut recently released a report showing that Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun boosted tourism across the state. C arston, Fred, Lott, W illiam and M cmillen, Stan. The Economic Impact o f Connecticut’s Travel and Tourism Industry, Storrs, CT: C onnecticut Center For E conom ic Analysis, May 2003) Other reports show local hotel occupancy increas ing from 40 to 80%. We are not looking for financial contributions, but we do need your help. Talk to your friends and neighbors about why this proposal is so important. If you would like to volunteer in your local community, please e-mail us or call 888-421-2991. And, above all, make sure you get out and vote on November 4! Will approval of this casino inevitably lead to the creation o f more ca sinos? The vote in November will authorize only one casino. Any additional casino would have to be authorized by the State legislature or a subsequent vote of the people. How will it affect area businesses? The resort will help businesses throughout Maine by bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars from out-of-state customers. Local businesses will ben efit by selling goods and services to the resort, its employees and guests. Will the resort pay taxes? Yes. In fact, the resort will be the largest taxpayer in Maine. Instead of an income tax (which in Maine is a maximum of 8.93% of net profit, after deduction of all costs and expenses), the resort will pay 25% of the gross revenue from its slot machines, before the deduction of any costs or expenses. This is the same tax rate paid by the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut (which are the largest taxpayers in that state), and will produce an estimated $100 million a year in gaming tax revenue for the State of Maine. (Klaus Robinson QED Hospitality Consulting, Proposed M aine Resort Casino: Im pact Study, Presentation to the Maine Gaming Study Task Force, September 30,2002) Will the resort increase gambling addiction? W hat will the resort look like? Absolutely not. Former Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Court, Daniel Wathen has stated that the Act “unequivo cally” prohibits minors from entering any place where gaming is occurring. Gambling addiction is a serious problem that demands real attention. A c co rd in g to a re c e n t study by th e H arvard M e d ic a l School 3.5% of Ameri ca n s s u ffe r from som e form o f gam bling problems. The study finds, how ever, that there is no material link between the percentage o f people with a gambling problem and proximity to a casino. The fact is that there are al ready plenty o f opportunities for people with gambling problems to get into trouble. Our collective goal must be to help people meet this addiction. Maine is one o f 14 states that does not even have a chapter o f the National Council on Problem Gaming. The proposed resort will help fund such a project and provide help for M aine people with gambling problems. Why are big companies like MBNA opposing the resort? Will the resort cause more crime and bankruptcy? We cannot understand why anyone would want to prevent the creation of 10,000 good paying jobs in Maine. We can only conclude that compa nies like MBNA (who issues the credit cards for Harrah’s and other major casinos) oppose this project so they can continue to find people who will work for low wages and few or no benefits. No. The major recent government studies have found no link between casinos and crime or bankruptcy. (General Accounting Office, 2000. Im pact of Gambling: Economic Effects More M easurable than Social Ef fects , April 2000, p.2-3) Crime is largely a function of unemployment and poor economic conditions. Bankruptcy is largely a function of the avail ability of credit cards. (Link to recent News Paper ADD-RICH) Crime has not materially increased in the towns around Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. There is no evidence of organized crime at or around either of the casinos in Connecticut. In fact, the crime rates in the towns that surround Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are significantly lower then the crime rates in the retail areas in Maine, including, Kittery, Freeport and South Portland. (Maine State Police and the Connecticut State Police, 2 0 0 0 ) 'W vt re s o rt nn'\WVie. WWv m sVy\e o i rt\e g ra n d N ew ¥Lrvg\and re s o rts o f a hundred years ago. It w ill be surrounded by an 18-hole championship g o lf course. The resort will include a range o f outstanding restaurants, shops, and conference facilities, plus a theater with top-of-the-line entertainment. Will kids be able to gamble at the resort? How many job s will be created? There will be 2,000 jobs during construction and nearly 5,000 perma nent, full-time jobs in the resort itself. The full-time jobs will include a range of occupations from maintenance, restaurant, gaming, and house keeping workers to computer, accounting, marketing, management, and ad ministrative personnel. The average earnings will be in excess of $31,000 with comprehensive health benefits. How will the resort impact housing and schools in York County? Who will build the resort? The resort casino will be designed and built by Mamell Corrao, the leader in the hospitality industry. Mamell Corrao built the world famous Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas. Mamell has entered into a project agreement with the Maine Building Trades that provides a hiring preference for Maine workers and ensures that any contractor, union or non-union can bid on the work so long as their employees are paid good wages and benefits, includ ing health coverage. The resort casino will mean more good jobs in the Sanford area. That will lead to stronger property values and increased revenue for local schools. A recent study by Charlie Colgan, the former State Economist found that there are 5,000 unemployed people in York County and another 17,000 people who commute further to work than they would like. In Sanford nearly one in every fourteen people is unemployed. (M aine Departm ent o f L a bor, Bureau o f Labor Statistics, June 2003) The bulk o f the jobs at the resort will be filled by people in these two categories, people who already have homes. Charlie Colgan, forecasts that population in York County will increase by only one twentieth o f one percent per year because o f the pres ence o f the casino. �Layout of proposed Casino in Sanford LEGEND:_________ A B C D E F G H I J K _____ Grand Hotel Casino Parking Garage Theater Restaurants & Shops Convention Center Support Services Golf Clubhouse 18 Hole Golf Course Guest Parking Employee Parking ^ / \ / Perkins Marsh Brook �CASINO INFORMATION FOR TRIBAL MEMBERS JUST A FEW AREAS WHERE CASINO FUNDS WILL IMPROVE OUR STANDARD OF LIVING: •INDIAN PREFEERNCE FOR ALL CASINO JOBS •INTERNSHIPS IN AREAS OF INTEREST •MARKET FOR ALL WABANAKI CRAFTS •HEALTH CARE AVAILABLE TO ALL TRIBAL MEMBERS •EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS TO SCHOOLS OF CHOICE •NEW MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER •UTILIZATION OF INDIAN DESIGNERS AND SCULPTERS •NEW ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE BUILDINGS •NEW HOUSING • SMALL BUSINESS START UP FUNDS •AND MUCH, MUCH MORE! �Wabanaki News page 6________________________________________________________________ Fall 2003 A Social History of Maine Indian Basketry from page 4 her and her offspring to travel by stage coach to Bangor, connect with a train on the newly constructed railway to Old Town, then take the canoe ferry home to Indian Island. In 1851, Maine’s Governor Hubbard remarked in his annual address to the State Legislature that many Indians were now “in a condition bordering upon pau perism... A part of them, at some sea sons of the year, eke out a miserable existence by leading a wondering gipsy of items particular to European taste (baskets to hold hats, combs, sewing materials, handkerchiefs, pies, and pic nic lunches), and embroidering them with ribbon-thin splint “curlicues” that reflected the tourists’s fondness for Vic torian elaboration. In 1873, during the agricultural cri sis in northeast North America, the Pe nobscot Indian agent reported that al though Indian farming efforts “have been met with a fair degree of success... like life amongst our white population, supplying them with baskets and other articles of Indian ingenuity” Ten years later, according to a re port by the Penobscot Indian agent, many Indian men were “engaged in ag riculture in the summer season, and at other seasons of the year more or less in hunting, in the logging swamp, and in driving lumber in the spring. Of the rest, a portion are engaged in making canoes, baskets, moccasins and snowshoes.” About this time, wealthy sportsmen began venturing to the Maine woods, lured by the state’s reputation as a rich hunting and fishing area. Seeking employment, local Indians presented themselves as guides to the weekend adventurers, tak ing them through the wild interior water ways in their birch bark canoes. For in stance, an official report in the 1870’s noted that Passamaquoddies at Peter Dana Point “take parties fishing to Grand Lake Stream, and are well-paid for their time, and the use of their canoes.” In the wake of these early sportshunters came vacationing “rusticators” - rich city slickers looking for a respite of simple life and communing with nature. Coastal resorts cropped up in places like Bar Harbor, Booth Bay, and Greenville. By 1872, there were 15 hotels in Bar Harbor, and Frenchman Bay was replete with the sailing yachts of bluebloods from New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Indians greeted their arrival as an economic opportunity; each summer they set up camp near the re sorts where they made and marketed “fancy” splint and sweetgrass baskets among the tourists. While most Native Americans in Maine wore European clothing by this time, it was not uncommon for basketmakers to don traditional native garb to attract attention when selling or making baskets near resorts. They also attracted buyers by making a new array the general depression of business has shortened the term of, and lessened the wages for their usual labor in the differ ent branches of lumbering operations.” However, he continued, “they have met with good success, generally, in the sale of baskets and other wares (such as axe handles, staves, shingles) of their own manufacture.” A year later, he reported that “their labor has not been in great demand, consequently low prices and short terms for their labor have pre vailed. In the sale of baskets, toy ca noes, and other articles of their home manufacture, they have met with better success, and the demand on them for fancy wares, and of original and pecu liar designs, has called into active exer cise their inventive faculties.” The ninteenth century gave rise to an ever-increasing population of Indian basketmakers. The tourist market for fancy baskets, coupled with the demand for utility baskets among local towns people and farmers transformed entire indigenous communities almost com pletely into artisan settlements with the majority of the population directly en gaged, at least seasonally, in basket pro duction. In the 1900 census at Indian Island, 66 percent of the adult popula tion listed basketry as their major liveli hood, and this remained the case at least two decades into the twentieth century. To facilitate the speedier and more re fined production demanded by the tour ist market for fancy baskets, native craftspeople began using gauges to splice their splints and wooden forms (“blocks”) to shape their baskets. Splint basketry became so prevalent among Indians in Maine that it became their cultural calling card, even though it was not part of their traditional subsis tence pattern. According to anthropolo gist Ted Brasser, it simply “succeeded furs and shell money as a source of income from white colonists. The fact that this craft became a means of showing an In dian identity... merely reflects the degree in which they have lost that identity.” Yet basketry was not ideologically divorced from native tradition. It was a craft that fit neatly into the preferred in dependent life-style of M aine’s tribespeople. Echoing their traditional seasonal migrations for hunting/gathering/trading, ninteenth and twentieth century Indians of the Northeast moved about as seasonal laborers, digging po tatoes in the fall, lumbering in the win ter, river driving in the spring, raking blueberries and hawking baskets among farmers and tourists in the summer, and making baskets whenever there was a labor lull. Of particular note in Maine is the “Indian potato basket,” a sturdy round splint basket that has been used to bring in the state’s vast potato harvest for more than a century. Prior to 1920, Maine potato farmers imported the bulk of these baskets from Nova Scotia, where many Micmacs in particular were in volved in the cottage industry. But by 1916, the brown ash supply near Canada’s Indian reserves had sharply decreased and many Indians ventured to Aroostook County to “hunt ash” and par ticipate in the annual potato harvest. These people added to the force of local Micmac and Maliseet basket weavers living scat tered throughout norther Maine. Between 1920 and 1965 especially, potato picking and basketweaving were integral factors in the migratorial seasonal working pat terns of thousands of Northeast Indians. The heyday of the state’s potato industry was the mid-twentieth century, when acre age peaked at nearly 200,000 and it took nearly 40,000 pickers to bring in the crop. Since each picker had to have a basket, that period was no doubt the heyday of potato basketry as well. In 1950, mechanical harvesters were introduced and by 1965, only half of Maine’s potato crop was gathered by hand. Since then, a decrease in farm acreage and a steady rise in mechanical harvesting have diminished the tradi tional farming demand for baskets in Aroostook. Today, only 15 percent of the county’s potato crop is harvested by hand with Indian baskets. Not surprisingly, the cottage indus try of basket weaving is on the wane among Native Americans in Maine. In addition to the decreased demand from farmers, the increasing difficulty of find ing suitable ash, the introduction of wel fare, and the high-labor/low-cash-retum nature of the work have fed into the de cline. No more than three percent of today’s adult Indian population in Maine is engaged in basketry. These artisans have had to look far beyond farmers for a market. They sell roadside, hawk their baskets shop to shop, or participate in various craft fairs around the state. In 1984, the Aroostook Micmac Council, based in Presque Isle, started a business called the Basket Bank which buys, mar kets, and distributed Micmac baskets throughout New England. Splint basketry has never been an easy or truly profitable business for the Indians in Maine. It evolved from ab solute necessity more than from roman tic devotion to the craft. As Micmac basketmaker Sarah Lund of Frenchville puts it, “It grew out of the fact that choices were few and we had to eat.” Until the mid-1960’s, Maine’s native basketmakers were often paid for their wares with foodstuffs. “If I needed flour or baking powder or whatever,” says Sarah, “I’d make a half dozen baskets, go to the store and trade them in for the amount of groceries the store owner said they were worth.” Because basketry has never, in and of itself, been a sufficient means of live lihood for most native in this region, basketmakers have long been wary of the time restrictions imposed by accept ing basket orders and prefer to keep themselves free to follow both surprise and seasonal work and pleasure oppor tunities integral to an independent, semimigratory life. “We have orders,” claims Micmac basketmaker and migrant la borer Betsy Lark of Mars Hill. “They tie you in. I’d much rather make a batch when it suits me and sell by the road side.” Sarah Lund agrees. “I’ve stayed with basketry because I like being my own boss and setting my own hours. With all its headaches and uncertainties, there’s a kind of freedom in the busi ness that keeps me going.” Such comments imply that splint baskets are more than tools or aesthetic pieces. They are, in fact, cultural arti facts representing a particular value sys tem and way of life. Although appar ently probably not indigenous among Northeast Indians, in the last 200 years the craft has come to symbolize a stub born desire for distinct identity and selfdetermination among these people whose lives have historically been tossed about by political and economic forces often beyond their control. “Basketmaking is something that’s our own,” says one basketmaker. “One thing about it is that no one cane take it away from you. Once you learn, it’s a skill you’ve always got —a door you can walk through when all the others are shut.” Harald E. L Prins has been assistant professor of anthropology at Colby Col lege. His undergraduate work was com pleted in his native Netherlands, and he received his M.A. and Ph.D from the New School for Social Research in New York City. He serves as an advisor and research consultant for the Aroostook Micmac Council and produced the film “Our Lives in Our Hands” on the Micmac Indian basketmakers in 1985. He has written and lectured extensively on Maine’s Indian culture and recently served as project scholar for the exhibi tion “The Land of Norumbega” at the Portland Museum of Art, 1987-89. Bunny McBride received her M.A. in Anthropology with honors from Colum bia University. She has served as a vis iting professor in anthropology at Principia College in Illinois (1981,1984, 1986, 1988) and as an advisor and re search consultant for the Aroostook Micmac Indian Council (1982-88). Since 1976, she has also been a free-lance writer and editor for domestic and inter national publications with regular assign ments to The Christian Science Monitor. �Fall 2003__________________________________________________________________________ _________________________ Wabanaki News page 7 Rep. Loring addresses Executive Board of NAACP from p a g e 2 agreed to pay Maine $30,000 dollars. Maine renegoti ated the 1818 treaty in 1820 with the Penobscot and 1824 with the Passamaquoddy. After separation was granted by Mass, Maine in 1833 without the consent of the Penobscot took away 95% of Penobscot land consisting of four of the Penobscot townships one of those contained the sacred Mountain Katahdin. The state established a trust fund with $50,000 dollars it placed there for the townships. In subsequent years monies from the sale of timber, hay and shore rights as well as hydro power was also placed in the trust fund. The legislature authorized leases and sale of tribal lands without their consent and sold several of the Pe nobscot Islands without compensation. During this time tribal people suffered as we were no longer al lowed to maintain our way of life by traveling from place to place according to the seasons. In 1887 Louis Mitchell, Passamaquoddy representative to the state legislature described in a speech On the floor of the House the enormity of what had happened: “ .. .Just consider today how many rich men there are in Calais, in St. Stephen, Milltown, Machias, East Machias, Columbia, Cherry field and other lumbering towns. We see good many of them worth thousands and even millions of dollars. We ask ourselves how they make most of their money? Answer is, they make it on lumber or timber once owned by the Passamaquoddy Indians...How many of their privileges have been broken: how many of their lands have been taken from them by authority of the state? In 1833 the Penobscot trust fund was established with the $50,000dollars, The Passamaquoddy fund es tablished in 1856 by a deposit of $22,500 dollars. In terest on the deposits was supposed to be paid at six percent per annum. For a period one hundred and ten years. From 1859 for Passamaquoddies, 1860 for Penobscots until 1969, no interest was ever paid, but rather went for the annual use of the Indian agents. The states treatment of Indians was paternalistic. We who had once lived in abundance were now im poverished and wherever we went in the larger soci ety we faced prejudice, discrimination and injustice. We were lazy they said, yet our livelihood had been taken from us. We lived on welfare, it was said. Yet the so-called as sistance given to us was in fact income from products taken from our land or income from the rent and lease of our land. What was income was made to appear as welfare. The state courts also held no relief for us as the judges had the same oppressive views as the state. The following court cases give you a glimpse of the courts VOTE YES! THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT WE WILL NEVER HAVE AGAIN IN OUR LIFETIME. EVERY VOTE COUNTS! WE NEED YOUR VOTE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN! PLEASE VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH attitude towards Indians: In a case decided by the Maine supreme court in 1842 Murch v Tomer 21 Me.535 The court said “Im becility on their (the Indians) part, and the dictates of humanity on ours, have necessarily prescribed to them their subjection to our paternal control...” State V Newell, 84 Me. 465 (1892), the court fol lowing Murch said “Though these Indians...perhaps consider themselves a tribe, they have for many years been without a tribal organization in any political sense.. .They are as completely subject to the State as any other inhabitants can be.” Id at 468 (This at a time when Indian representatives were in the State Legisla ture representing tribal governments) One of the worst injustices to our tribes was our disenfranchisement. It was sanctioned at the highest levels of power in the state. On March 14th 1941 the Legislature requested on solem occasion to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court the following question: “If by legislative enactment a poll tax should be imposed upon the Indians living on reservations within the state, would said poll tax be such tax as within the meaning of section 1 Article 11 of the Constitution that it would entitle Indians, subject to such tax to vote?” Answer: March 19th, 1941 To Honorable Senate of the State of Maine: “The undersigned justices of the supreme court, having considered the question upon which their ad visory opinions were requested by senate order March 14th, 1941 inform the honorable senate that we are of theopinion that it is not within the scope of our duty to answer this question in view of the fact that senate paper 486 entitled “An act Permitting Indians to vote in state elections”, to which the interrogatory refers, not only does not conform with or justify the question submitted, but is inherently illegal and insufficient.” Although Indians were m ade citizens of this coun try in 1923 Maine Indians were not allowed to vote in US elections until 1954 and state elections until 1967. Indian agents and treatment of Indian people We were Forbidden to speak our own language Marriages and offspring kept track of Children were taken from their parents and sent to Carlisle Indian school at Carlisle Penn. 1899-1912 What was income was made to appear as welfare Self image suffered/loss of self-respect Faced prejudice, discrimination and injustice Land Claims Settlement Act: The Land Claims Settlement Act was signed into law in 1980. It is a document that presently defines our relationship with the state. The terms of the Act are as follows: 54.41 M to buy 300,000 acres (both tribes) 27.70 each 27M in trust fund from which we could draw in terest only (both tribes) 13.5 each Houlton band of Maliseets $900,000 dollars to pur chase 5,000 acres State retains certain jurisdiction. Maine Indian Tribal State Commission created What did the state get from the Land Claims? V A settlement of over 2/3rds of the state lands V State did not pay one penny V State kept majority of it’s jurisdiction V Tribes were excluded from any new Fed laws V State is held harmless for any past injustices V Tribes cannot sue for past abuses or stolen re sources. V State never has to admit any wrong doing I would like to close by stating that we are all brothers and Sisters with the same history of geno cide, oppression and abuse. I think of the history here in Maine of Malaga Island where Black and biracial families lived for generations and all of a sudden the state of Maine served them an eviction notice took over the Island even to the extent of razing the houses And digging up the dead so that no trace could be found of them. They did to your people what they wanted to do to ours and have never stopped trying. It is only by economic growth and stability that we can sustain our sovereignty and power to survive as a people. Martin Luther King In his last speech “I ’ve been to the Mountain” used a parable from the bible. He spoke o f the story o f a priest and a Levite seeing a man in need on the road and failing to stop to help, perhaps because it was a dangerous spot orvthe road to stop. M artin L u th er iking said “T h e priest and the Levite asked the question “If I stop to help this man what will happen to me? But the good Samaritan re versed that question and said If I do not stop to help this man what will happen to him.” I ask that you stop and help us in our quest for survival. People of color need to unite and work together. With your help we can ignite our own economic en gine and become economically self-sufficient. This is an opportunity that the people of color in Maine may never have again. Four Directions Development Corporation (FDDC) is a non-profit Community Development Corporation Financial Institution and a Community Development Financial Institution. FDDC is the first Native Governed CDC and CDFI in Northern New England, was established in March of 2001 MISSION- Its mission is to improve the social and economic conditions of the tribal members of the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot communities by investing in affordable hous ing, tribal business ventures and small and medium size businesses. BUSINESS LOAN PROGRAMS- FDDC offers several small to medium business loan programs as summarized below. Business loans are available for equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, working capital, business expansion and real estate. FDDC will consider alternate business financing requests as deemed necessary. Max Min Program Commercial $100,000 $10,000 Real Estate $25,000 $2,500 Business Assets Business Working Capital $2,500 $25,000 Products, rates and terms subject to change. Special conditions may be applicable to each type of loan. Term 60-180 mo up to 60 mo up to 60 mo FOR MORE INFORMATIO CONTACT: Susan Hammond, Executive Director, Phone/Fax (207) 866-6545 E-Mail shammond@fourdirectionsmaine.org � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wabanaki Legislative News (Oct. 2003) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Loring, Donna M. and Donald Soctomah Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University of New England Maine Women Writers Collection Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2003-10 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cathleen Miller, UNE Julia Brush Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Donna M. Loring and Donald G. Soctomah. Used with permission. We thank University of New England for making digitized copies available. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DV-449 https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/68a2f4dc71d3eb71fc3d7e9c9b0c00b0.pdf 5ccda5931773c23a9a2740049e2b10db PDF Text Text Tribal Representatives to the Maine Legislature Donna M. Loring and Donald Soctomah Tan Kahk; Welcome to the winters issue of the Wabanaki Legisla tive Newsletter. It Dear Tribal Members, The 120th session has ended and it was a long session. During this session we have won a few and lost a few. The main thing to remember is that even though we lost our bid for a vote in bas beerv quite a year comrmW ee. of Native News in the State of Maine. Passage of the Na tive Education Bill in 2001 tops the list, this will have a posi tive impact on rela tions between the State and the Tribes for many years to come. It will be a big accomplishment to get this completed and into the public schools in the state, I would like to thank the Maine Native Education Committee for taking this great step to help make this a reality. For the 2002 session there is a lot of work ahead, with a budget shortfall programs are going to have to tighten their belts and provide better services to all. I submitted three pieces of Legislation in this 2002 session, only two were accepted for review. Bill number one is concern ing Native Repatriation of Human Remains, this has to do with the return of remains in the possession of private collectors, there is strong support for this bill. The federal law address the issue of human remains in public museums but this also needs to be up dated in Congress, we need to put more pressure on Congress to made those changes. Bill number two is an act concerning Passamaquoddy land in Grand Lake stream, the Tribe presently own 6,200 acres in this area and would like to transfer it into Reservation status. A public meeting was held in Grand Lake Stream and we are hoping for another meeting to continue the communication. I am sorry to say that the legislation I submitted please turn to page 7 otv\y lost by leo votes. 1 believe that with further discussions and the backing o f leadership we will be given the right to vote in committees. I am hoping to see that happen in the 121st. The bills 1 submitted this session were both passed. The most important piece of legislation was the bill to require the teaching of Maine Indian History in all of Maine’s public and some of Maine’s private schools. This bill LD291 was passed and is now law. It is the most comprehen sive bill enacted on Indian history in the Coun try. Other states have expressed interest by re questing copies of the bill. The second bill I submitted was the bingo bill. This bill allows the tribes to play bingo on New Years Eve and New Years Day. This bill was past and is now law. Included in this issue will be testimony on LD291 and a list of bills Representative Soctomah and I submitted this session. The last half of the 120th will begin in January I hope to con tinue to focus on education as well as health issues and ways to improve our economic base and make it sustainable. I welcome any comments or ideas you might have. Yours in the Spirit of Unity and Power Donna M Loring, Penobscot Nation Representative Rep. Donna M. Loring RR1, Box 45, Richmond, ME 04357 Rep. Donald G. Soctomah P.O. Box 102, Princeton, ME 04668 �Native American History and Culture Commission Holds First Meeting by Rep. D onna Loring An Act to Require Teaching of Maine Native American History and C ulture in M ain e’s Schools was . signed into law by Governor Angus King on June 14th 2001. The law created the Maine Native American History and Culture Commission. The Commission was established to help prepare for the inclusion of Maine Indian history and culture into Rep. Donna Loring the required course of Maine Stud quired by law from the Maine Indian ies. The Commission will be a clear Tribal State Commission. inghouse for Maine Indian resource Suzanne Desiderio, appointed by materials and will develop a website. the H oulton B and o f M aliseets. They will also help teachers access Suzanne is a Tribal Council Mem a range of teaching tools from vari ber. ous books and videos to actual na tive speakers. Brian Reynolds, appointed by the Houlton Band of Maliseets. Brian is They met for the first time at the the Education Director. Wabanaki Center on the Orono Cam William Phillips, appointed by pus o f the U niversity o f M aine. the Aroostook Band of Micmacs. C ushm an A nthony, C hair o f the LD 291 “An Act to Require Teaching Maine Native American History and Culture in Maine’s Schools” b y D onna Loring LD-291 is now Maine law. It was passed by the House June 5, 2001 and passed in the Senate June 7, 2001. It was then signed into law by Governor Angus King on June 14, 2001 I am extremely proud to have been the sponsor of this bill. It is the high point of my legislative experience to date. I know it will make a difference in our future. This bill is the most innovative and comprehensive piece of legislation in reference to the teaching of Native American His tory in the Country. No other State has created a policy that requires teaching Native American History in such detail and also provides the means to do i t . . The bill is made up of four sections: Sec 1 makes Maine Native American studies a required com ponent of Maine studies, addressing the following topics: A. Maine Tribal Government and Political Systems, their rela tionship with local, State, National and International Governments. B. Maine Native American Cultural Systems and the experience of Maine tribal peoples throughout history: C. Maine Native American Territories: and D. Maine Native American Economic Systems Sec 2 Creates the Maine Native American History and Cul ture Commission to help prepare for the inclusion of Maine Na tive American History and Culture into the required course in Maine Studies. 1. Membership consists of eight members selected by the William is the Chief. Maine Indian Tribal State Commis sion facilitated the first meeting. the Aroostook Band o f M icmacs. The appointed members of the History and Culture Commission are as follows: the Chancellor of the University of Maine System. Maureen was also elected to Chair the Commission. Rebecca Sockbeson, appointed by the Penobscot Nation. Rebecca is N ativ e Bernard is a Tribal Elder. Barney Berube, appointed by the Commission of Education. Barney is Maureen E. Smith, appointed by the Bernard Jerome, appointed by A m erican and Multicultural Affairs Coordinator at the University of Southern Maine, Portland in Bilingual Education/Department of Education. Gail Rae Carter, appointed by the Commissioner of Educaton. Gail is a Portland High School Teacher. Mary Griffith, appointed by the Commissioner of Education. Mary is a Middle School Teacher Christine Peterson, appointed by the C om m issioner o f Education. John Bear Mitchell, appointed by the Penobscot Nation. John teaches Native Studies at the Indian Island School. Christine is an Elementary School Teacher. Judy Pusey, appointed by the Commissioner of Education. Judy is Thomas Lewey, appointed by the a Curriculum Director. Passam aquoddy Tribe - Sipayik. The Commissioner will be ap Thomas is a Tribal Council member pointing one more to be determined. and a Bilingual and Cultural The Commission is the heart of Instructor. this bill and the work that they are W ayne N ew ell, appointed by P assam aq u o d d y T ribe- Motahkmikuk. Wayne is Assistant doing will determine the success or failure of this new Maine law. C O M M U N IC A TIO N AND Principal and Leader of Bilingual EDUCATION EQUALS UNDER Program and the representative re- STANDING Education including an elementary school teacher, a middle school teacher, a high school teacher, a curriculum director, a f i cation and one member selected by the Chancellor ot the Uni- 1 versify of Maine System. 2. DUTIES: The Commission shall assist school adminis trative units and educators in the exploration of a wide range of educational materials and resources. Identify resources Involve other knowledgeable organizations and Individuals able and willing to assist with this work including, but not limited to museums and educators. 3. Maine Indian Tribal State Commission will convene the first meeting of the commission no later than 30 days following the effective date of enactment. 4. REPORTING FINDINGS to the commissioner of Educa tion and a copy to MITSC The report shall consist of educational materials, opportunities for professional development, training and technical assistance. 5. Staff assistance and Resources will be provided by MITSC and each entity. elimii .. dissemination to educators in the State by June 1,2003. Sec 3 Report must include plan to assist school administrative units. Plan must include criteria to identify school administrative units having difficulty meeting instructional components. The plan for assistance must be established by July 30,2004 and imple mented by 2004-2005 School year. Sec 4 School to implement Maine Native American Studies sub ject to availability of funds. School administrative unit must present findings and support evidence to department of education that it cannot afford to implement the program. The dept of Ed shall review findings and assist in planning for implementation This bill is the result of support from the House, Senate, Gov ernors office, the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission, Depart ment of Education, University of Maine System, Tribal govern ments, grass roots organizations, interested Individuals and stu dents. It was a tremendous effort and I thank you all. �LD 291, An Act to Require Teaching of Maine Native American History from page 4 eluded information reflecting variety of perspectives. Similarly, the viewpoints of scholars and teachers were respectfully incorporated into the book. During these years relationships formed and strengthened among members of different Native communities, as well as among teachers and scholars and Native people. I believe that including information about Wabanaki people in school curriculum in primary and secondary schools and in the Learning Results can also result in building respect among people from different commu nities and backgrounds. I believe that it is only fair that history is presented in a more accurate fashion and not from the point of view of just the dominant culture. But I also believe that this is the best way to teach history and social studies. Students get much more out of their ‘studies if they can look at differing perspec tives - for example, English, French and Wabanaki points of view during colonial times. It is also important for them to realize that there were different perspectives and motivations within each community. Considering these perspectives in depth will not only make history more interesting, but will also give students more insight into contemporary issues and prepare them to be more in formed participants themselves. I hope you will vote “ought to pass” for this bill. This is a unique opportunity to deepen our Maine cur riculum in a meaningful way that may lead to increasing respect and understanding among Maine communities. I am privileged to be one of the advisors of the newly formed Civil Rights Team at Philip W.Sugg Middle School. When students on the team heard that I was going to testify on this bill, some of them wanted to join me. They are here to read their testimony after spending the morning as pages. Thank you for the opportunity to tes tify. Good afternoon Senator Mitchell- Representative Richard, and members of the committee, I am Kristen Ruby. I believe that students should learn a lot more about Maine Native Americans in school. They are an important part of Maine’s history and should be recognized for their part in our history. They have played a big part in the development of Maine, but are not recognized for it. A lot of people don’t really understand them and there are a lot of the myths they hear that aren’t true. I don’t think that it’s fair to discriminate against Maine Native Americans. Many students that don’t understand about Native Americans make fun of them and the way they talk, act, and live because it is different that the ways they talk, act, and live. I believe that these ways people act about Native Americans need to be changed forever. Good afternoon Senator Mitchell, Representative Richard, and members of the committee. I am Sabrina Bucher. I think that it would be a very good idea to have it be required to teach about Native Americans. A lot of people misunderstand them and think that they are all bad! They believe the sto ries and myths that they hear from people who don’t know what they are talking about. People are very quick to judge things when they first see something that is different. The prejudice in our society can re ally hurt people’s feelings. Maine Native Americans are a very important part of Maine’s history and they are very misunderstood. Most people think of Native Americans as stupid people who didn’t know how to build houses and buildings and stuff. The truth is that if we were more like Native Americans, then our planet would be a lot healthier, with less extinction and pol lution. I think that this is a very important Jaw and it should be passed so at least people will understand about them. Good afternoon Senator Mitchell, Representative Richard, and members of the committee. My name is Abby Wright. I think the bill should be passed. I think if young adults are educated about the culture and history of Native people it would limit discrimination, bias, and misconceptions. In the past young people have been taught only what textbook pages say. This creates misconceptions and what chil dren are taught are what they learn. If a sort of igno rance is taught the only thing you know is that sort of ignorance. Good afternoon Senator Mitchell, Representative Richard, and members of the committee. I am Jeremy Furst. I believe we should learn about the American Native’s Heritage, they study ours. 1also think we should study their history, because they were in North America before we were. It would be inter esting to study and learn the history of the Native Americans. I have always had an interest in the Na tive Americans’ ways of life. I believe most of the people of North America have some Indian heritage, even if only a small amount, and would find it inspiring to discover more about their own history. Yet I think along with the good we need to know the bad. I think it is important to know about the deaths of the many natives that occurred while oth ers sought only to control those that were already here. The Native American’s History needs to be told and taught. We the people of Maine need to know more about the history of our original forefathers. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. Legislative S entim ents presented during first half of 120th Session (T)TYveresa Hoffman, President, of the Maine Bas ket Makers Alliance Whereas, Theresa has dedicated her work towards the advancement of Indian Basket making as a art form; Whereas, her service to the native communities craft people has helped a new generation of basket makers to learn this skill; Whereas, Theresa’s service as President, she has initiated several unique training programs for the youth and other interested people; (2) Gail Sockabasin, Director of the Wabanaki Cen ter at the University of Maine at Orono Whereas, her dedicated service in the University system has helped native students gain access to higher education; Whereas, Gail has developed unique programs to interact the University with the Native communities and to help the Native communities interact with the University; (3) Wabanaki Bilingual Program of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township and Pleasant Point Whereas, the Tribal language school program was started in 1971 by Mary Ellen Stevens, Anna Hamois and Wayne Newell; Whereas, the current staff of Brenda Polchies, Regina Nicholas and Betsy Tinker of Indian Town ship and also Thomas Lewey and Grade Davis of Pleasant Point have helped preserve the Native lan guage within the Passamaquoddy communities; Whereas, they have taught the value of preserving the unique culture which has been dated since time immemorial; Whereas, the Bilingual program has published several Passamaquoddy language books and contin ues to promote a stronger dialogue within the family; (4) David Westphal, of Acadia Film Video for his work in documenting Wabanaki Tribal stories, such as “A New Dawn” ; Whereas, David has been an active volunteer as a member of a subcommittee for the Maine Tribal State commission Whereas, David has been an participant in pro moting an open dialogue between the State and the Wabanaki Tribes; f5)Bp\scopa\ Y)\ocese of Marne, Committee on In dian Relations Whereas, the Committee continual works towards strengthening the dialogue in a fair way between the Wabanaki tribe and the State of Maine; Whereas, has assisted the Tribes on several projects to show the unique culture of the Tribes, and Whereas, their presence has had a dramatic effect on helping people understand people of different ethic backgrounds; (6) Maine Tribal State Commission, which is made up of 4 state members, 4 Tribal members, a chair man jointly chosen and a director; Whereas, the Maine Indian Land Claims Settle ment Act established this commission to interpret the Settlement and numerous other issues; and Whereas, MITSC has also developed several unique training sessions and reports to help foster a better relationship between the State of Maine and the Wabanaki tribes; Whereas, MITSC works closely with the Maine Legislature and the Tribal Governments on legislation affecting the Settlement Act and tribal Relations (7) Passamaquoddy Language Preservation Project, of Pleasant Point, a Passamaquoddy Community in Washington County Whereas, have established a language program to document Passamaquoddy words into a dictionary and a computer program; Whereas, David Francis and Dolly Dana have worked with several State Universities around the country and a International University to promote the Tribal language; Whereas, have been established in the World wide Endangered Language Program and received funding; Whereas, they work as Tribal goodwill Ambassa dors to visitors to the Tribal community of Pleasant Point (8)Edward Hinckley Whereas, Edward served as the first Commissioner of the Department of Indian Affair in the State of Maine during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s as a consultant to Indian Affairs; Whereas, Edward was a Commissioner that served for the Tribe to help gain funding to fight malnutri tion, increase educational opportunities and to provide decent housing; Whereas, he helped the Maine Legislature to see the effects of the past relationship between the State of Maine and the Passamaquoddy Tribe; Whereas, Edward Hinckley is a man who help de termine the future relationship between the State of Maine and the Tribe; Whereas, Edward will always be considered a friend to the Tribe and a friend to the State. Left to right Representatives Donna Loring, Donald Soctomah, Maine House of Representative page Tihtiyas Sabattus and Rep. Al Goodwin of Pembroke �New law to foster respect of Maine's tribes by Darlene Alexander (Reprinted with permissionfrom 11119/01 Times Record) "For Native Americans, Columbus Day's a day of mourning," Donna Loring said when asked what she'd like taught in the Maine schools concerning Chris topher Columbus. Loring, a Richmond resident who is the Penobscot Nation's tribal represen tative in the Maine Legislature, is hope ful the Native American perspective will begin to be reflected more often in Maine classrooms. She sponsored an education bill signed into law by Gov. Angus King on June 14 that requires teachers to educate Maine's students about Maine's Indian history. While other states have approved similar edu cation bills, their Indian history is melded into multicultural studies, and educating students about Indians from those states isn't mandated by those states. "Maine's education bill is both his toric and unique," Loring said. "It's the only bill of its kind passed in the United States that mandates dinate meeting locations, and provide such detailed topics of Indian history." appropriate materials to implement the The mandated categories are: • Maine tribal governments and their new law that takes affect in the 2004relationships with local, state, national, 2005 school year. The Maine Native American History and international governments. and Culture Commission will seek out Maine native culture systems. • The experiences of and apply for grants to cover distribu Maine tribal people through tion and development of materials. It out history. also will design teacher workshops that • Maine Native American the University of Maine System will territories, and Maine Native sponsor. The commission's work will American economics system. minimize the cost of, and allow easy The new education law access to, the necessary teaching aids. LD291 establishes a Maine For example, Loring said, the Native American History and development of a Web site would allow Culture Commission that will teachers to download the information act as a clearing house for re needed from each category, thus reduc sources such as curriculum ing expenses. "Creating these cost-effective pro already developed, or in the process of being developed, cedures illustrates the ease of imple Rep. Loring with Governor Barry Dana Loring said. The commission menting the education bill nationally," will consider information she said. concerning present-day issues that affect Loring hopes the new bill, mentioned Testimony of Rep. Donna M. Loring on Indian culture, such as clean water, clean favorably on that level, will encourage November 5, 2001 before a committee to air and clean land. other states to enact a similar bill. She Loring has a high regard for the pub believes the implementation of Indian Review The Child Protective System lished book "Wabanaki's of Maine and history will greatly enhance Maine Good Morning Senator Turner, Representative LaVerdiere the Maritimes," which is designed to children's history because Maine history And members of the Committee teach grades 1-8. It has lesson plans and and Indian history are interwoven. I am Representative Donna M Loring, of the Penobscot Nation provides accurate details about Maine "I hope the implementation of I am here today to bring to the committee’s attention the situation that exists Indian history. Maine's Indian history into the schools "It is the best book available because will help future generations understand in Houlton between the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the State of Maine. it's the only book written to date by the Maine Indian culture and history," First I would like you to hear a little bit about the Indian Child Welfare Act. 25 Maine tribes about their own history," she said. "We will become real people USCA ss 1901. states: see attached federal law. she said. "All Maine tribes contributed to the children of the future. They will The whole purpose of the Act is to protect Indian Children from being taken to its contents." see us as people who have contributed away in great numbers from their culture and their heritage. The Indian Child The Maine Native American History to Maine history and as a valued inte Welfare Act was crafted and passed by the US Congress and supersedes any and Culture Commission's orientation gral part of Maine itself. With education conflicting laws. meeting took place on Oct. 19 with the will come understanding, and with un Today in Houlton the Houlton Band of Maliseets face an unprecedented Maine Indian Tribal State Commission derstanding will come respect, and with taking of their children by the State, twenty-nine children in the past five years. acting as an umbrella agency. The tribal respect will come partnership." I see this not only as a failure on the part of DHS to place Indian children in state commission's role will be to facili DARLENE ALEXANDER is a tate meetings, provide staff time, coor freelance writer who lives in Harpswell. extended families but also a failure on the part of the judicial system to imple ment the Indian Child Welfare Act. The loss of that many children to a tribe Does Maine reaffy want ctean water? numbering approximately six Hundred members is nothing less than genocide. by Rep. Donald Soctomah When an Indian Tribe loses it’s children it loses it’s future. Does Maine really want clean water? These numbers are more than five times the national average. The vast ma That was the question I asked myself last summer, I believe that the people of jority of children taken are being placed in non-native foster care homes. Paren Maine want clean water. Does the Legislature? Or is it going to be status quo? tal rights are being terminated at an alarming rate. I ask this committee to focus During this session of the Legislature Rep. Tom Bull introduced a bill, LD 704 An its attention on this issue and ask you why is this happening? Are DHS workers Act to Create a River and Stream Restoration Fund,” which I co-sponsored. This following Indian Child Welfare Act procedures? More importantly are the proper fund will be created from the fine money collected from pollution violations, the procedures being followed by the court system? money currently goes into the General Fund, where it is spent on a variety of other Are Judges informed and are they implementing the Indian Child Welfare issues including possibly tax rebates for the same pollution violators. Something is Act procedures in their Indian Child Welfare hearings? As some of you know I wrong here! How much money from the pollution violation goes back towards the am a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary. Last month we held Judicial Confirmation hearings. During those hearings river clean up operation? I asked at least two judicial candidates if they were familiar with the Indian By law, no money has Child Welfare Act. One of the candidates was honest enough to say no he was to be spent towards the not. I received a letter from that individual a few days later wanting me to know clean up operation on that river! I just could not be that he had become familiar with the Act. He said and I quote.”In particular, I am now mindful of the underlying pur lieve this! If a pollution vio lation occurred on the great poses of the Act to protect the interests not only of individual Indian children and families, but also the interests of the tribes themselves in achieving long rivers of Maine, shouldn’t term tribal survival. Among other things I am also now mindful of the height the fine money go towards ened evidentiary standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt as a precondition the clean up of that viola to the termination of the parental rights of an Indian parent. I hope that I am tion? That was the question never called upon to apply this law in the performance of my judicial responsi I posed at the public hear bilities but should that occur, I have you to thank for calling the Act to my atten ing in the State House on Governor Richard Doyle, Rep. Soctomah tion and I do thank you for this contribution to my continuing legal education. March 20th. The concept of and Judith Lucarelli I would think that if this Judge did not know about the Indian Child Welfare this as a precedent and are afraid that dedicating funds towards a bill like the Act then there must be others. River and Stream Restoration Fund the DEP may be more aggressive to I do not like to criticize without offering some recommendations. One of my would go against the grains of the State wards pollution violators. What kind of recommendations to you would be to provide training to the judiciary on the logic is that? If a violation occurred, than House. Indian Child Welfare Act. The training could be accomplished by using experts But there is precedent, the fines a fine should be charged! The people in the field on a national level. There is a disconnect between the State Court which are collected from violations of down river of a pollution violation system and the Tribes on many levels. There should be an Indian advocate placed , Fish and Game Laws goes back into the would agree. within the State Court system to be a liaison between the courts and the tribes. It’s time to change the status quo, Inland and Fisheries Department oper An Indian advocate could help fill this void. ating budget, this was done through a and use this fine money where it is in Finally, the Houlton Band of Maliseets does not have their own Court sys Constitutional Amendment. This is tended to go, and that is towards the tern to hear their child welfare cases. I have submitted a bill this session that will working towards the protection of clean up of rivers where the pollution allow the Houlton Band of Maliseets to bring their child welfare cases to the Maine’s wildlife, a good working con violations occurred. Penobscot Nation’s Tribal Court until they can create their own court system, Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy cept. Why can’t this work for the River strongly urge this committee’s full support of that bill and the above recommen Representative and Stream Fund? Maine Legislature dations. The Pulp And Paper Industry have Thank you. different ideas, they don’t want to see �TEN THOUSAND EAGLES by Donna M Loving Ten thousand eagles flew that day across the bright blue sky to meet the spirits on their way from fiery smoke filled tombs. They soared above the dark, black, clouds billowing from the earth and hovered for a moment there and saw the face of doom. Ten thousand eagles gathered and swooped down beneath the clouds. They found the spirits one by one and plucked them from their plight. They carried each new spirit through the black and hate filled clouds. They gave them each a shelter wrapped in warm wings oh so tight. They gave them strength and comfort too on their unexpected flight. On swift wings they flew towards their final destination where each spirit knew without any hesitation Ten thousand eagles flew that day as all the world stood still and watched in shock and horror as the trag edy unfurled. Now we are left here on this earth to face the billowing clouds and our eyes search for the eagles as we say our prayers out loud. May our spirits soar on eagle's wings above the dark black clouds of hatred, murder and revenge that keep us hatred bound. Ten thousand eagles flew that day as all the world stood still. The eagles flew above those clouds perhaps some day W e w ill. There would be peace and love and harmony they would forever be wrapped within the eagles wings through all eternity. Others testifying at public hearing Rep. Loring Would Like to Thank the Following for Their Support of LD 291, An Act to Require Teaching of Maine Native American History and Culture in Maine’s Schools: Mary Cathcart - Orono State Senator Linda McKee - Wayne State Representative Joanne Twomey - Biddeford State Representative Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy Tribal Rep. Mary Griffith & the following Philip W. Sugg Middle School of Lisbon Students: Sabrina Boucher Megan Fillmore Kristen Ruby Abby Wright Allison Smith-Poulin Jeremy Furst Kristen Ackley Sikwani Bea Dana - Penobscot Nation Roger S. Smith - Episcopal Church David Westphal - Acadia Film/ Video Judy Lucarelli - Dept, of Education Diana Scully - Maine Indian Tribal State Commision Jerome Storm Margaret Fearon Kathleen Perkins London J. Mitchell, Social Justice & Truth in Flistory (Founder/ President) Rebecca Cole-Will - Abbe Museum Carolyn Harrington Maureen Smith, PHD, Wabanaki Center Margo Lukens UMO English Dept. Karen Marysdaughter - Social Justice & Truth in History Tony Brinkley Chair of English Dept, at UMO Evie Hoffman Janice Church Gail Sockabasin - Passamaquoddy Member, Wabanaki Center & Basketry Debbie Burd - Western Mountain Alliance Ex. Dir. Margaret M. Mitchell Marilyn Roper Peter Rees Mike Walton Sherri Mitchell Penobscot Nation Member Carmen LaVertu Diane Steward - Senate Democratic Office Brain Reynolds Rebecca Sockbeson -University of Southern Maine Ron Jenkins - Maine Indian Education Superintendent Richard Silliboy-Micmac/Pres. Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance Tirrell Kimball Robert Norell Robert Ho - ME Rural Dev. Council Executive Dir. Butch Phillips-Penobscot Member, Speaker, Birchbark Canoes & Moose Calls Earnest Foust Jana Mayfield Mullen Barney Berube - Dept, of Education Jessica Sockbeson Macgregor Penobscot Member Esther Attean - Penobscot Nation Dept, of Social Services Winnie & Alex Macphedran American Friends Service Committee Jay Adams - Old Fort Western Charlotte Ritter Newell Lewey Debbie Brooks Betts Swanton - Abbe Museum Jan Kremin - USDA Rural Development Rhonda Frey - Penobscot Nation ssipsis & Georgia Mitchell Penobscot Nation, Writer, Artist, Basketry Eric Jorgenson - Maine Humanities Council Tribal Leaders William Phillips, Micmacs Brenda Commander, Maliseets Richard Stevens, Passamaquoddy (I.T.) Richard Doyle, Passamaquoddy (P.P.) Barry Dana, Penobscot Nation �LD 291, An Act to Require Teaching of Maine Native American History and Culture in Maine’s Schools Testimony at hearing Good Afternoon Senator Mitchell Representative Richard and members of the Joint Committee On Education and Cultural Affairs. I am Donna M Loring, the Repre sentative of the Penobscot Nation to the Maine State Legislature. I am here to present LD 291 An Act to Require Teaching of Maine Native American History and Culture in Maine’s Schools. Maine history and Maine Indian his tory are interwoven. You cannot teach one without the other. Make no mistake, we are unlike any other ethnic group and to compare us to minority groups and groups such as the boy scouts shows a trem endous lack of knowledge. Wabanaki tribes were here long before the Europeans came to this continent. We had our own governments, our own traditions, language and culture. We have left our mark on the State of Maine with names of Wabanaki origins such as Allagash, Androscoggin, Aroostook, Caribou, Carrabasset, Katahdin, K e n d u s k e a g , K e n n e b u n k , Norridgewock, Ogunquit, Olamon, P e n o b s c o t , Passamaquoddy, Piscatatquis, Sebago, Skowhegan, and Wiscasset (just to name a few). The Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Micmac and M aliseet tribes played a prominent role during the revolutionary War in securing the boundaries of the State more about the history of my position and my people. I was never taught one word about my tribal history in Maine schools. I realized that the average Maine citizen knew nothing about Maine Indian history let alone current Indian issues. I also found that I was spending much of my time educating and re-educating my legislative col leagues. I came to the conclusion that Maine Indian history needs to be taught in the Maine schools. The state of Maine and the Wabanaki tribes have a history together and this needs to be recognized through education. It is only through edu cation and communication that we can build a foundation of trust and partnership. The relationship that exists between the State and the Tribes is like no other we now call Maine. When Maine re quested to be separated from Massachu setts one of the conditions of its State hood was to honor the obligations that Massachusetts had with the Maine tribes. Since 1820 when Maine became a State one hundred and eighty one years ago it has had a constant relationship with the tribes. That one hundred and eighty one year relationship has gone un noticed in the history books as well as in the classrooms. Only recently has it started to cotae to light. When I was elected to the State Leg islature in October of 1997,1 came into the legislative process in mid- stream. I had no idea of the one hundred and eighty one year history of my position as a Tribal Representative or the fact that Maine is the only State that has Tribal Representatives seated in their legisla tive body. In April of 1999, The legisla ture created a Joint Standing Commit tee to study the history of the Tribal rep resentatives and their duties and pow ers. It was through this study commit tee and the research we did that I learned nationally or internationally. In fact within the past two years other countries and states have looked to Maine as a model for representation of their indig enous peoples. New South whales, Aus tralia sent a delegation to Maine in 1997 and New Brunswick, Canada showed interest in 1998. Representative Schneider and I just returned from a trip to Wisconsin. That State and its eleven tribes are looking for models of Tribal State relations and requested our participation through a presentation. They compared models from Oregon, Washington and Arizona but were most impressed with ours. Maine as a result of its historic rela tionship with the tribes has become a na tional and international model. I ask you to vote this bill out of committee as ought to pass. It is time we started to educate our children about our historically unique partnership. Let understanding and communication through education be the building blocks of anew Tribal State relationship, one that recognizes and honors the struggles and contributions of its native people. Thank you. Good afternoon Senator Mitchell, Representative Richard, and members of the committee. I am Rep. Donald Soctomah of the Passamaquoddy Tribe Tan Kahk, welcome; The time has come for the State of Maine and the Tribes of Maine; Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet, Micmac and Abanaki; to be the leaders in establishing a new era in bettering the relationship and creating a mutual un derstanding. For so long the people of the state have not known about the na tive people because of the lack of teach ing Native history. Now the Maine leg through 1989 I was the program direc tor for the Wabanaki Program of the American Friends Service Committee.’ This program worked to increase under standing and diminish tensions between Native and non-Native people in Maine. Currently I am a seventh-grade science teacher at Philip W. Sugg Middle School in Lisbon Falls. During the last four or five years that I was staff person with the Wabanaki Program, I was the coordinator and one of the writers for a project that produced The Wabanakis of Maine and the Maritimes, a 500-page curriculum guide for educators teaching about Wabanaki people at all educational levels. The book was written in response to Maine educators’ requests for materials that they could use in class rooms to teach about Maine Indian history and culture. I worked closely with a committee of Wabanaki people from Maine and the Maritimes, members of four tribes or nations who decided what to include in the book and how it should be pre sented. Numerous his torians, anthropolo gists, and archaeolo gists worked with us as well, review ing die cexc and providing schol arly perspectives on a variety of topics. In ad dition, more than a hundred Maine educa tors were Involved, telling us what they needed in the class room, field-testing our materials, and helping islature has passed the first of its kind legislation, to teach native history in the public school system. Now we follow the path laid before us, the sharing of a unique culture and the learning of a living growing culture; from surviving in the ice age with gla ciers a mile high, to changing ways of life to meet the changes in the environ ment, to helping defend this country’s freedom in all wars that were fought. The long term goal of this bill will be that the people of Maine will understand that Maine history is also Native history, they go hand in hand, and to appreciate the unique culture of the Maine Tribes. The legislation will create an under standing that will bond and honor the Tribes and the people of Maine. Maine will lead the nation with the implementation of this legislation and hopefully other states will follow. Good afternoon Senator Mitchell, Rep resentative Richard, and members of the committee. I am Mary Griffith. From 1978 to critique the.book. For the many volunteers involved in the project, this was a labor of love. We worked to present well-balanced infor mation and perspectives, believing that our work would result in increased un derstanding and fewer feelings of mis trust between Native and Non-Native communities. We included a historical perspective on the thousands of years that Native people lived in Maine be fore Europeans arrived, and continued the story right up to present day, which few history books do. When writing about periods of conflict we were care ful to treat all sides with respect and to try to consider all participants’ motiva tions and viewpoints. I was struck by the respect people who were involved in this project had for each other. Members of the Native writing committee came from different communities, different nations, and dif ferent backgrounds, and they had differ ing viewpoints on many issues. When con sensus was not possible, the committee inplease turn to page 5 �Bills of interest proposed for the Second Session of the 120th Maine Legislature by D onna Loring minutes. I urge you to recognize the importance of this bill as a tool to TITLE: An Act to Specifically Exempt Tribal Proceedings and Documents from the State Freedom o f Access Laws. This bill would specify that the state freedom of access laws do not apply to any tribal proceeding or documents held by the tribe. Amending the Freedom of Access Laws in such a manner would solidify future secu rity for intra-tribal maters and prevent unnecessary judicial conflicts be tween tribes and the state over jurisdiction of access to tribal proceedings and documents. For any bill to be allowed into legislative session during the second session it must be of an emergency nature. The Legislative Council voted not to allow this bill in and I appealed the decision on November 13th be fore the Legislative Council I made the following argument: A potentially explosive situation exists between the State and the Tribes as a result of a pending court case. This bill would not affect the pending case; However the tribes fear that the State and the paper companies are trying to extinguish their existence as tribal governments and make them political subdivisions of the state. This bill would calm those fears and would show the tribes that the State recognizes their right to exist as tribal governments and their right to protect internal tribal documents and council address the real fears of the tribes. The Council voted against allowing the bill into this session. The vote was five to five. That same day I found out the US Supreme Court had denied our appeal. I tried to get the council to reconsider but they refused. I am hoping to try again later this session. TITLE: An Act to Authorize the Trial o f Child Welfare Cases Involving the Houlton Band ofMaliseet Indians in the Penobscot Tribal Court. This bill would provide that, until such time that the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians has their own tribal court, all child welfare cases must be tried in the Penobscot Tribal Court as the Court of original jurisdiction The Legislative Council allowed this bill in. The State Department of Human Services and the Office of Attorney General are in favor of the bill so far. This bill was submitted to assist the Maliseet Tribe in keeping custody of their children. The very survival of the Maliseet Tribe depends on future generations. The State DHS removed twenty nine children from Maliseet homes in the past five years. Only four of the twenty-nine were placed in an Indian home. Maine State Museum Tribute to Vivian F. Massey, Spring 2001 Outstanding Maine Indian Portrait Project Vivian F. Massey, the first graduated from Old Town High Tribal Representatives cannot wom an P enobscot N ation School, attended post junior busi vote but are allowed to present Representative, was elected to ness college, and was employed legislation.) the Maine State Legislature in by the University of Maine at ruary 22,1998. Her portrait dedi 1972. Vivian, who served up Orono C ha ncellor’s Office in cation in the Maine State Museum to 1974, also was on the Bangor. in Augusta, one of the first out of Vivian died on Feb Penobscot Tribal Council for Vivian won her election as a several in the rotating Outstand six years as the Tribal Clerk write-in candidate by only a four- and served on the Indian Edu cation Advisory Board. vote margin after a late night re count that ended at around 2:00 am. Vivian was not able to vote ing Maine Indian Portrait Project, is still on display until January 5th and will be permanently placed in Vivian was born on March 29,1927 on Indian Island. She or present legislation. the state capitol afterwards. Vivian F. M assey (Today, Tribal issues before the last Legislative Session LD#1178 - Sponsor: SOCTOMAH Short Title: DHS TO ADOPT RULES REGARDING IN DIAN HEALTH CLINIC Original Title: Resolve, Di recting the Department of Human Services to Adopt Rules Regarding the Indian Health Clinic LD#0618 - Sponsor: SOCTOMAH Short Title: REMOVE STATE ROAD SIGNS WITH OFFEN SIVE NAMES FROM 1-95 & TURNPIKE Original Title: An Act to Re move State Road Signs with Offensive Names from Inter state Route 95 and the Maine Turnpike LD#0523 Sponsor: SOCTOMAH Short Title: CREATE A SPE CIAL MAINE INDIAN TRIBE LICENSE PLATE Original Title: An Act to Create a Special Maine Indian Tribe License Plate - LD#0517 - Sponsor: SOCTOMAH Short Title: ESTABLISH IDENTIFICATION CARD OF ME INDIAN TR AS ACCEPT ABLE FORM OF ID Original Title: An Act to Establish the Identification Card of a Maine Indian Tribe as an Acceptable Form of Identification Tribal Representative Donald Soctomah from page 1 concerning Native prisoners treatment was not accepted in this session, but I did speak to Governor King and he has scheduled a meeting to discuss this. Representative Morrison has introduced a Bill concern ing Passamaquoddy Land in Calais, allowing for 100 acres to be purchased by the Tribe for business development. If you have any questions, LD#0107 - Sponsor: you can call me at 287-1400 in SOCTOMAH Augusta or 796-2301 at Indian Short Title: ENFORCEMENT OF Township. LAWS IN T. 12 REVSTATBY You can also stop by the PASSAMAQUODDY WARDEN Maine Statehouse and I would Original Title: An Act Regarding be available to show you around the Enforcement of Laws in the and answer questions. Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12 by Passamaquoddy Wardens woliwon Rep. Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy Tribe LD#0516 - Sponsor: SOCTOMAH Short Title: ARCHAEOLOGI CAL WORK PERFORMED IN THE SHORELAND ZONES Original Title: An Act Regard ing Prehistoric and Historic Archaeological Work Per formed in the Shoreland Zone �Jf Jf Jf Jf 3f Jf 3f Jf 3f >(■4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 44 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 44 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 44 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 44 4 4 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wabanaki Legislative News (Nov. 2001) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Loring, Donna M. and Donald Soctomah Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University of New England Maine Women Writers Collection Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-11 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cathleen Miller, UNE Julia Brush Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Donna M. Loring and Donald G. Soctomah. Used with permission. We thank University of New England for making digitized copies available. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DV-475 https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/72527e920e5a85548cb8141e3e4350f5.pdf 742b9b60c927be7a08e1d44c0a22b857 PDF Text Text r~ Tribal Representatives to the Maine Legislature Donna M. Loring and Donald Soctomah Dear Tribal members, Tan Kahk; Greetings... It has been a privilege servin g for you as the P assam aqu oddy Tribal R ep resen ta tiv e to the Maine Legislature (1998 2002). Now the four year term has com e to a close and a new election for this important p osition w ill take place in the fall at Pleasant Point. This job pre-dates M aine’ state s hood, pre-dates the forma tion o f the U.S. This ambassador-like jo b for the Passamaquoddy includes meeting with other Tribes and traveling to various regions meeting agencies. There are many tasks ahead and many roa d b lo c k s to m aneuver through. Take for instance: Native American Human Rights in the Maine prison system, the Department o f Corrections is so large o f a system that any type o f change would take years, I was upset with the treatment Native prisoners receive. Even after going to the highest level in State government there was only a little attention that was given to this issue. The Department o f Human Service is another agency o f state government which is one o f the largest and has practices which affect the tribes. During the last four years DHS has made positive changes to wards our communities because o f the work o f the tribe s Social Service Depart ment, Child Welfare, Health Clinic and by Tribal Legislation, but more work is needed here. We have introduced quite a number o f legislative laws which were passed (list attached) and testified on numerous others affecting the tribe and the environment. Building a trust relationship in the legislature does promote good communications towards a mutual understanding. That communication includes giving talks at schools and town organizations throughout the state, attending public hearings and voicing the view point o f the tribe, so our input will be heard. I have also served on a number o f com m issions including the St. Croix Waterway Committee, Econom ic Development Council, ABBE Fund Raising Board, Calais Heritage Advisory C om mittee, assisted on the MITSC, Committee to review Tribal Representative, Tribal Natural Resource Committee. I have also worked on the Federal Emergency H is toric Plan, National Park Service Cultural Plant, Army National Guard Historical Cultural Plan and the Tribal Historic Preservation Plan; submitted and received four grants from the National Park Service dealing with Historic Preservation; completed application for establishment o f a Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation officer position with the Tribe. On environmental issues; submitted comments on the aquac- please turn to back p a g e The short session o f the 120th Legislature ended in early April. Although it was a short session a lot happened. First o f all,' I withdrew a bill I had submitted that would have authorized the Penobscot Nation Tribal Court to hear Child Welfare cases involving the Houlton Band o f Maliseet Indians. This would be a temporary remedy until the Houlton Band establishes its own court system. The Houlton Band tween the state Department o f Human Services , the Attorney General’office and the tribes would be a better remedy than s making a permanent change to The Land Claims Settlement Act. Negotiations are progressing and it looks like an agree ment will be reached soon. The Maine Indian History and Education Commission held meetings over the last few months and they are ready to sub mit a preliminary report to the Commissioner o f Education, Duke Albanese. The Indian History and Education Com m is sion has done a tremendous jo b and I am very proud o f their accomplishments. The biggest and most controversial issue by far is the ques tion o f a casino in Maine. The legislature voted in favor o f creating a study commission to examine the question in detail. The Speaker o f the House Michael Saxl, the President of the Senate Richard Bennett, and the President Pro-tem o f the Senate Michael Michaud will appoint the C om mission members. For the first time in Maine history, the Chief o f the Penobscot Nation and Governors o f the Passamaquoddy Tribes addressed a joint session o f the Maine State Legislature. Their speeches were widely covered on TV, radio stations and in the newspapers. They were visible to the whole State and held the attention of legislators, the Chief Justice, and the Governor. It is my hope that we will continue to be able to speak to both houses and that our brothers and sisters o f the Houlton Band o f Maliseets and the Aroostook Band o f M icmacs be included in the future. Finally, on a sad note, I will miss working with Representative Donald Soctomah who is termed out this year. Representative Soctomah was a great am bassador for the Passamaquoddy Tribe. He was always cooperative and we worked please turn to back p a g e Rep. Donna M. Loring RR1, Box 45, Richmond, ME 04357 Rep. Donald G. Soctomah P.O. Box 102, Princeton, ME 04668 �Maine’s First Ever State of the Tribes Address On motion o f Representative LORING o f the Penobscot Nation, the following Joint Resolution: (H.P. 1660) (Under suspension o f the rules, cosponsored by Senator CATHCART o f Penobscot and Representatives: BROOKS o f Winterport, BRYANT o f Dixfield, BUNKER o f Kossuth Township, ESTES o f Kittery FISHER o f Brewer, KOFFMAN o f Bar Harbor, O ’ NEIL o f Saco, SCHNEIDER o f Durham, SHERMAN o f Hodgdon, SOCTOM AH o f the Passamaquoddy Tribe, STANLEY o f Medway, TW OM EY o f Biddeford, Senators: DA GGETT o f Kennebec, ROTUNDO o f Androscoggin, SMALL o f Sagadahoc, TREAT o f Kennebec) JOINT RESOLUTION R ECOG N IZIN G THE FIRST FORM AL “ STATE OF THE TRIBES” ADDRESS TO A JOINT CONVENTION OF THE MAINE LEGISLATURE WHEREAS, the Wabanaki, People o f the Dawnland, have lived in what is now Maine for thousands o f years; and WHEREAS, the Wabanaki, including the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, the Houlton Band o f Maliseet Indians and the A roostook Band o f Micmacs, have played and continue to play a vital role in the life o f the State and are an integral part o f the social, econom ic and legal fabric o f the State; and WHEREAS, the State values and honors the vibrant culture and heritage o f these native peoples and has great respect for their tribal governments; and WHEREAS, representatives o f the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation have served in the Legislature since the earliest days o f Maine’state s hood; and WHEREAS, no tribe has ever delivered a formal “ State o f the Tribes”address to a joint convention o f the Legislature and doing so is a truly historic occasion; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED: That We, the Members o f the One Hundred and Twentieth Legislature, now assembled in the Second Regular Session, on behalf o f the people o f the State o f Maine make history as we recognize March 11, 2002 as the date o f the first ever “ State o f the Tribes” address at the Legislature; and be it further RESOLVED: That the One Hundred and Twentieth Legislature pays tribute to the native peoples o f the State and their tribal governments; and be it further RESOLVED: That suitable copies o f this resolution, ddly authenticated by the Secretary o f State, be transmitted to the Governors and Chiefs o f each o f the State’Wabanaki communities on behalf o f the people o f the State o f Maine. s HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 11, 2002 READ and ADOPTED. Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH. Clerk Governor Richard Doyle Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point (Sipayik) . . “ Throughout history, the Passamaquoddy have been there when the people and the United States needed us. Our people fought in many wars for the United States to protect our country, our land, and our way o f life. From the Revolutionary War to the present, my people have fought valiantly to protect our nation. This despite the fact we were not granted the right to vote in Maine until 1954. This is the first time in 182 that tribal leaders have addressed the Maine Legislature. We have always taken great pride in fighting for our nation to preserve its liberty. M y uncle, who recently passed to the next world, was a veteran o f World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. I know personally the type o f sacrifice that he and others like him from m y tribe made to preserve this country o f ours. ” Chief Barry Dana Penobscot Nation,,, “ need the resources to move together into the future as a strong autonomous nation, working together with our neighbors to make We our home everything we have always wanted. And this can be done. And it needs to be done now. It is time to unlock the chains of fear that stifles our Settlement. Neyan Penawepskewi. I am Penobscot...but I am also of Maine. What is good for the people o f the Penobscot nation is also good for the people o f the State o f Maine. On behalf of all my relations, the birds, the fish, the turtles, all the four-legged, the insects, the land, rocks, trees, plants, air, water and the spirit that moves through us all. Waliwani.” Governor Richard Stevens Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township (Motahkomiqkuk) . .. “ The world today is a place o f uncertainty and upheaval. We as Ameri cans remember the awful events six months ago today in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. As our people struggle with fears, doubt and worry about the future. It is our responsibility as the elected officials o f the people o f Maine and the Passamaquoddy Tribe to foster stability and accomplish a new era o f mutual respect and cooperation between ourselves. It is my Tribes responsibility to work with the State o f Maine, to find common ground, and broaden our horizons while practicing our individual culture. It is my belief that the Passamaquoddy people and the people o f Maine expect no less. A pococ nomiyaul kityaw. Until we meet again. There is no word fo r goodbye in the Passamaquoddy language because we know we will be meeting again. Woliwon" �March on Statehouse for Water Protection Tribal members and supports gather at the steps o f the statehouse to deliver the court ordered tribal paperwork to the paper companies. The Tribal Governors o f the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the chief o f the Penobscot Nation lead the march to Augusta to deliver the court ordered papers. After a two year battle in the Maine courts and a rejected hearing in the Federal courts the Tribes had to deliver paperwork concerning environmental issues, so the paper companies can review them. This was a very sad day m State and Tribal relations. The people o f Maine sided with the tribes on the issue o f clean w ater, as supporters follow ed the tribe to the statehouse steps. This was a long walk, 40 miles, starting at the 1724 Norridgewock village site, an area o f another disaster.....” Rep. Soctomah From the birchbark canoe, the Passamaquoddy people trav eled the coa st of Maine and New Brunswick Canada, har vesting just enough food for the families and leaving the rest for nature to con su m e. On a su ccessfu l hunting trip the canoeist u ses the m oose call ing horn to sign his return. Here on Grand Manan Island the invisible line between the united States and Canada has divided the traditions! lands of the Passamaquoddy tribe. EC 4 WATER PROTECTION Rep. Loring speaks out Rep. Soctomah with his sister Madonna after the March A message from Penobscot Nation Governor Barry Dana on Water Pro^r *'nn Qnm p rp•nntv May 23rd, Norridgewock, Maine on the shores o f the Kennebec River, we gathered at 5 a.m. to begin our March to Augusta. This was a civil rights style march to bring public awareness to our struggles to have the State o f Maine recog nize our sovereign status. This peaceful march helped us educate the people o f the State as to who we are and our status as a tribe. Fifty people, both Indian and non-Indian completed the march covering 39 miles. News media reporters joined us, interviewed us and helped spread the message. We concluded the walk at the Augusta Civic Center. The next morning we met at the Civic Center but this circle included 150 people. We all walked the remaining three miles from the Civic Center to the steps o f the Capitol. On the steps we delivered our speeches to the audience, which again in cluded the media. Our m essage was clear, that the State, its courts and paper industry has violated the 1980 Settlement Act by invading internal tribal matters by requesting to in spect tribal documents. On those steps we were joined by members o f the Coalition to Support Tribal Sovereignty, the Chair o f the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission, the Presi dent o f the United Southern and Eastern Tribes, the co-founder o f the the 42 mile route we received many horns and thumbs up in support. Maine Peoples Alliance, all who gave eloquent speeches in support o f our People across the State are drawing the conclusion that the fight for sov efforts. ereignty as well as the efforts for a casino are all about desire to be self- This event brought much needed attention to our struggles. All along reliant, self-governed and independent. �Remarks of Rep. Loring on the Casino proposal before the committee M y ancestors lived on this land we low tribal leaders from around the coun Office, to ensure that traffic is well-man- * unemployment rates fell on average now call Maine for thousands o f years. try who share many o f the same concerns aged, wildlife is protected, natural areas by 25% Life has been hard. I remember in the o f the Passamaquoddies and Penobscots are preserved, and growth is contained. * welfare and unemployment payments winter when we had to walk over the here in Maine. They told me that such The reason we are proposing that the ca dropped by 13% to 17% ice-covered Penobscot River. We would developments have made an enormous sino resort be close to the Maine Turn * construction industry earnings in the have to do this to g o to school, get gro difference in the lives o f their tribal mem pike is so that traffic will get in and out area increased by 18% ceries or whatever we needed to pur bers. They have created hope and oppor without ever getting on local streets or * hotel and lodging earnings increased chase. Som e times the ice would break tunity. And above all, for the first time in causing local tie-ups. up under our feet. At least one adult or two hundred years, they have made it pos by 43% * recreation and amusement earnings This will be a high quality resort - increased by 22% child would be lost to drowning every sible for Indians to be self-reliant. That is one that everyone in Maine will be proud year. We finally got a bridge in 1959. I why we have proposed a casino resort here to point to, like the great hotels from a * and there was no statistically signifi cant increase in crime or bankruptcy. remember when my grandmother would in Maine. We have talked with tribal lead hundred years ago in Bar Harbor and Po make “ ock Robin” She would make C . ers from all over the country and they have land Springs. The bottom line is that, overall, life is better. it only on certain occasions. What we told us that such developments have made We will locate in a community that didn’ realize was the occasions were t an enormous difference in the lives o f their embraces the resort. We will not just These are the facts. Casinos benefit Robin was a mixture o f flour and water. tribal members. They have created hope and opportunity and above all, for the first follow - but exceed — all state and lo cal laws with regard to environmental tourism, recreational and retail businesses. They provide jobs. They provide taxes. I was lucky to be able to g o on to c o l time in two hundred years, they have made permitting and regulation. We will pay And they make Indians self reliant. This lege, but many o f my people did not. it possible for native people to be self-re all local and state taxes. This resort will Many had to leave home because there liant. We want the same opportunity that be totally locally owned and controlled. is what I want for the people o f the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Nations. were no jobs. Many stayed and worked native peoples have elsewhere. We are no All of the money will stay and circulate Since graduating from college, I at menial tasks earning just enough to less tribal. We are no less native. That is within Maine. And the responsibility for have served in the Maine Legislature for survive. why we have proposed a casino resort here doing it right will be right here as well. five years. There have been times when in Maine. Ken Curtis, our good friend and outstand I have felt invisible. There have been times when I have been listened to. when we had nothing else to eat. C ock It was hoped that the Land Claims settlement would change all that. For the most part it has helped. It has Please know that we would not pro ing former governor and Ambassador to strengthened our sense o f identity. It made pose a development in Maine that was Canada, Maddie Corson, former chairman This is one o f the important times it possible for us to repurchase land that just g oo d for us, and not good for ev o f Guy Gannett Publishing that until re when we need Maine people to listen. had been illegally taken from us. And it eryone else. We love this land. Our re lationship to it goes beyond laws and cently owned the Portland Press Herald, and Neil Rolde, the author and former leg We need you to understand the impor regulations. It transcends governments, islator, have all agreed to serve on our tance o f self-reliance to our tribes. We need you to understand and consider the profits, and the perception o f power. We board o f directors. These people were cho benefits that have com e to other states tal econom ic standing o f native people will protect the land, always and forever. sen because they believe in this proposal can com e to ours. The world is chang has not fundamentally changed. Our per The casino resort plan is designed to en and share our commitment to doing it ing and a highly com petitive global capita income is 28% lower than non-na right. The tribes o f Maine com e as a part market is emerging. We need to form a tive per capita income, native unemploy hance our home, not hurt it. This is why the development we are ner, not as an outsider. partnership, we need to work together ment is 10 times higher than non-native proposing will be absolutely environ The University o f Chicago studied the unemployment. And native life expect ancy is only 48 years. We must do more. That is what m oved us to explore the mentally sound. We will work in part nership with the host community, the Southern M aine R egion a l Planning Com m ission, and the State Planning impact o f casinos on 100 neighboring provides a modest annual stipend o f a few hundred dollars to Indian families. Though life is better, the fundamen idea o f a casino. I have talked with fel communities for the National Gambling Impact Study Com m ission in 1999. Here’ what they found: s for a sustainable econom ic future. I want to close with this thought: What is g o o d fo r the p e o p le o f the P en obscot nation is also g,ood for the people o f the State of Maine. Tribute to John Neptune, 2002, Outstanding Maine Indian Portrait Project John Neptune, the first Penobscot Nation Tribal Repre sentative to the Maine Legislature in 1823, was re-elected to this position again in 1824, 1831, 1835, 1837, 1844. anH finally in 1 o l. Neptune, born on July 22, S 1767 was also Lieutenant Gover nor for a span of fifty years, start ing in 1816 at the age of 49 and concluding upon his death on May 8, 1865. "Neptune was born in a birchbark wigwam with a little fire in the center, and nothing civilized but a gun, an axe and an iron kettle; he slept on a couch of fir boughs overlaid with skins, wore the scantiest clothing, spoke no En glish. When his life ended, it was in a framed dwelling, with bed stead and blankets, a stove, a clock.....and white man's speech. ...It was with pride he declared him self a "good United States man " According to Fannie Hardy Eckstorm from "Old John Neptune and Other Maine Indian Shamans" (The Southwest-Anthoensen Press, 1945. Portland, ME) Known also as a medicine man, Neptune was married to an other famous shaman, Molly Molas ses. Other highlights for him were meeting with Maine's first Governor, William King, oh July 11,1820 to dis cuss the needs of his tribe and be ing the subject of Henry David Thoreau's writing. Mr. Thoreau wrote, ''....Governor Neptune...one of the humblest of them all. He told me that he was eighty-nine; but he was going moose-hunting that fall, as he had been that previous one. The Indians on the island appeared to live quite happily..." John Neptune's portrait by Obadiah Dickinson from January of 1836 was purchased for $200 in 1962 by the state of Maine. The portrait has hung in the Blaine House in Augusta, currently is in the Maine Senate Chamber, and has been re quested to be shown temporarily a the D.A.R. Museum in Washington D.C. for an exhibition in October of 2002: Forgotten Patriots, African American and American Indian Ser vice in the Revolutionary War. If sent for this exhibition, the portrait will eventually be returned to Maine's capital for permanent placement. �Rep. Donna Loring is Guest Speaker at Richmond Memorial Day Activities by Rep. Donna Loring I had the honor o f addressing the town o f R ichm ond as their key note speaker on M em orial Day. This is what I said about Native Americans: ...Native A m ericans have served with honor in all o f A m erica’ wars. s The m em bers o f the P enobscot, Passamaquoddy, M icm ac and M aliseet States including children. Approximately 12% o f the Native American population, or one third o f all a b le - b o d ie d Indian m en serv ed in WWII. This is the highest percentage o f any racial group. Several hundred Native American W omen also served with the W om en’ s Army Corp, Army Nurse Corp and the cans see duty today wherever our armed forces are stationed. W omen Veterans, Native American Veterans as w ell as Veterans o f other races and cultures were among the many souls that lost their lives since the R evo lutionary war in the service o f our coun try, protecting our freedom and our way o f life. Freedom is not free and we continue to pay the price. Wars have been fought in Europe and A sia in order to keep the enemy from our soil. With the attacks o f September 11, this country will never be the same. A few days after September 11,1 wrote a poem on behalf o f the Penobscot Na tion in honor o f those who died on that tragic day. We as native people believe that the eagle is a sacred sym bol and that our ancestors see through its eyes and it sig nifies strength, purity, and protection. My poem is called “ Ten Thousand eagles” I would like to read it to you: . Ten thousand eagles flew that day across the bright blue sky to meet the spirits on their way from fiery smoke fille d tombs. Tribes fought to help this country gain its independence from England. Since the early 1800’ the United s, States government had sent missionar ies to the tribes in order to help them assimilate into the larger society. Indian tribes resisted this and maintained their languages and cultures. This very resis tance was to play a m ajor role in win ning a world war. Eight thousand Am erican Indians to ok part in W W I. Their patriotism caused congress to pass the Indian Citi zenship A ct o f 1924. S in ce N a tiy j people were fighting s j u dying for this country, C on gress felt it only right to grant them citizenship. In WWII, m ore than 44,000 Native Am ericans served with distinction in both the European and Pacific Theaters. M ore than 40,000 others left their res ervations to work in ordinance depots, factories and other war industries. At that time there were only 350,000 Na tive A m erican s in the entire United Navy. Native people contributed to win ning W W II in a unique way. The Japa nese were adept at breaking our codes and because o f this ability they were winning the battles. It was imperative to winning the war that we have the abil ity to communicate with our forces with out our m essages being decoded by the Japanese. Navajo code talkers used codes de rived from N avajo and -;’ Native ner speech wj]]Cii Were unintelligible to the enemy. While m ost codes were consid ered unusable after one day, Navajo codes were never broken. I can’help but wonder what would t have happened if assimilation o f all the tribes were complete and all tribes spoke English only. Would we be speaking Japanese or even German today? M ore than 42,000 Native A m eri cans, m ore than 90% o f them volun teers, fought in Vietnam. Native Ameri They soared above the dark, black, clouds billow ing from the earth and hovered f o r a moment there and saw the fa c e o f doom. they would forever be wrapped within the eagles wings through all eternity. Ten thousand eagles flew that day as all the w orld stood still and watched in shock and horror as the tragedy unfurled. Now we are left here on this earth to fa c e the billow ing clouds and our eyes search f o r the eagles as we say our prayers out loud. May our spirits soa r on e a gle ’wings s above the dark black clouds o f hatred, murder and revenge that keep us hatred bound. Ten thousand eagles flew that day as all the w orld stood still. The eagles flew above those clouds perhaps som e day We will. We face a new and different kind o f war. But w e face this new war united with our brothers and sisters, Regard less o f our differences we are all Ameri cans, all o f us together. We are diverse, we are strong, w e are creative. When we respect each others differences, these differences can be used for a greater good. United we are invincible and we will prevail. In c lo s in g the last war that was fought on American soil was the Civil War. I leave you with a quote from Presi dent L incoln’ Gettysburg Address de s liv e re d on N o v e m b e r 19, 1862 jGettysburg PA.: Ten thousand eagles gathered and sw oop ed down beneath the clouds. They fo u n d the spirits one by plucked them f-'urn fheir plight. is tor us the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here thus far so They carried each new spirit through the bla ck and hate fille d clouds. nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedi cated to t\ve great task rew&vruug bet or e t tjf. e US- They gave them each a shelter wrapped in warm wings oh so tight. They gave them strength and comfort too on their unexpected flight. On swift wings they flew towards their final destination where each spirit knew without any hesitation There would be p ea ce and love and harmony That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure o f devotionThat w e here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vainthat this Nation, under God, shall have a new birth o f freedom- and that government o f the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” Wabanaki Studies Commission's Work to Date The Wabanaki Studies C om m is sion held eight full-day meetings at the University o f Maine from O cto ber 2001 through May 2002. C om mission members have talked about the follow ing areas during these meet ings: V During their O ctober 19 organi zational meeting, which was spon sored by the Wabanaki Center at the University, Com m ission members en gaged in a visioning exercise (how Maine's s c h o o ls sh ould be d o in g things differently in ten years); re v ie w e d r e s o u r c e s a v a ila b le and needed to support the work o f the Com m ission; selected their chairper son; and began to discuss the opera tions o f the Commission. V On Novem ber 5, 2001, they re view ed a draft m ission and vision statement for the Commission; shared their expectations about what the C om m ission will do; continued their discussion about operations (ground rules, process issues, p ossible sub committees, and staff for the C o m mission); and identified a number o f things that students should learn and really understand. V On D ecem ber 10, 2001, they final ized their process for selecting a staff person. They also agreed to identify what should be taught and learned and what resources are needed to do this in each o f the four topics identified in the law-tribal government, tribal culture and history, tribal territories, and tribal e c o nomics. They began with tribal territo ries, breaking down into small groups organized by grade level. V On January 8, 2002, C om m ission m em bers d iscu ssed what should be taught and learn ed w ith regard to Wabanaki econom ic systems; shared a number o f books and other resources that potentially could be helpful to teach ers and students; and em phasized the importance o f involving the Department o f Education and tribal communities in this initiative. V There was no meeting in February because o f snow. On March 4, 2002, Com m ission members and staff shared additional materials that potentially could be helpful to teachers and stu dents; d ecid e d to participate in the March 1 State o f the Tribes Day at the 1 Maine Legislature; and continued the discussion o f what should be taught and learned with regard to Wabanaki e c o nom ic systems. V Com m ission members began their meeting o f April 1-2, 2002 with a dis cussion about what they want each stu dent to know about the Wabanaki people by the time he/she graduates from high school. They also discussed who should determine what is taught and they iden tified the need for ongoing commitments to the Wabanaki Studies Com m ission by the Department o f Education, the Uni versity o f Maine, and the Maine Indian Tribal-State C om m ission . In sm all groups organized by grade level, they discu ssed what should be taught and learned about tribal government, tribal history, and tribal culture. They also had an introductory conversation with Ruth Townsend, C ollege o f Education at the University o f Maine in Orono, about the relevance o f Maine's Learning Results to Maine Native American Studies. V On May 6,2002, Commission mem bers met with Connie Manter o f the Maine Department o f Education to fur ther explore the relationship between the work o f the Com m ission and Maine's Learning Results. Ms. Manter suggested a framework for organiz ing what should be taught and learned. Com m ission members also reviewed an outline for their preliminary report (due at the beginning o f June 2002); began to discuss what they want to do in the com ing months; and decided to in v ite the D epartm en t o f E d u cation 's C o m m is s io n e r and Deputy Com m issioner to meet with them in early June. V During the meeting o f June 6, the Commission members met with Com missioner Duke Albanese and Deputy Judy Lucarelli o f the Maine Depart ment o f Education to discuss their progress to date and to share ideas about resources needed to support the implementation o f the law. They also discussed their preliminary report. The Department o f Education, the University o f Maine, and the Maine Indian Tribal-State Com m ission all have made commitments to continue to support the work o f the Wabanaki Studies Com m ission through its sec ond year. �Headlines rang out; Paper Company returns ancient burial island to the Passamaquoddy Tribe What a joyou s event as the president o f Domtar Industries traveled to Indian Township Passamaquoddy Reservation to deliver the deed to the burial island. Domtar listened as the Tribe spoke o f the smallpox epidem ic which swept over the tribe, endangering the existence o f the whole tribe. Victims traveled to the island to die so others would live...and survive as Passamaquoddy people. Rep. Soctomah Island of the Bear by GISELLE GOODMAN, Portland Press H erald Writer Sunday, May 26, 2002 Copyright 2002 Blethen Maine N ew s papers Inc. IN D IA N T 0 W N S H I P“ They left their village, know ing they CCU]^ never com e back. Burning from fever, fatigue and rashes, they paddled their canoes through the choppy waters o f B ig Lake, three m iles against the wind, to Gordon Island. O n days when the w ind was right, their fam ilies o f the tribe, still liv ing in the village, could hear across the water the restless cries o f their loved ones as they suffered and died from smallpox. Since that terrible time 150 years ago, Gordon Island has been a sacred p la c e fo r the m e m b ers o f M aine's Passamaquoddy Tribe - a burial ground for ancestors who sacrificed themselves for the sake o f others. In m ore recent times the island has been a source o f angst to the people, who yearned for G ordon Island's return but met with re fusals to sell from the paper company that ow ned it. That yearning ended last week, w hen G o rd o n Island's n ew ow n ers changed Passamaquoddy history forever by restoring the 26-acre island to the tribe. "The com in g hom e o f our elders, our ancestors, that is what means the m ost to us," said R oger Paul, a keeper o f Passamaquoddy cultural heritage. F or experts in Native A m erican studies, the gift by Domtar Inc., a Cana dian paper company, is a remarkable gestu re that is rarely seen. F or the Passamaquoddy it is an olive branch that marks a new relationship between the tribe and its neighbors. "It says there are som e g o o d people out there who want to do the right thing, who want to be our friends," said Donald Soctomah, the tribe's state representa tive. "Domtar shook our hand and we are passing that shake on to our neigh bor." The tribe celebrated the return o f the island with a powerful and emotional ceremony last Tuesday. For the first time in its history, tribal members invited the public to watch their sacred and private rituals o f honor for the spirits o f the ancestors. A pipe cerem ony offered blessing and thanks to Gordon Island. The tribe's ch ild ren p erform ed a "pine n eedle" dance, a tutuwas, out an earlier dream o f an elder. A s the elder slept, saw great schools offish swimming to ward the village, from the direction, o f the island. The other elders say she saw the tribe's ancestors returning home. The Passamaquoddy tribe is one o f the few Native American tribes that con tinues to live on its aboriginal lands, now known as Indian Township and Pleas ant Point. The tribe has been located in what is now eastern Washington County for 12,000 years. They were given their land, Gordon Island and many others in B ig Lake, in the early 1800s through a treaty with Massachusetts. Despite this treaty, their land was slow ly sold, given away or traded o ff in p ie ce s by the state and by nontribal members. G ordon Island was am ong those pieces o f land. S m a llp o x fou n d the stru g g lin g Passamaquoddy tribe sometime in the mid-19th century, when there were just 150 members o f the tribe left. The first to die from sm allpox - a virus that riddles the body with a rash o f deadly b u m p s - w as a fa m ily liv in g on M uw iniw M onihq, the Island o f the Bear, Gordon Island. It becam e a quar antined site and when members o f the mainland community began to feel the first sym ptom s o f the virus, they left their community from Peter Dana Point, got in their canoes and headed to G or don Island to die. "They left the community so the rest o f the tribe could survive," said Soctomah. "We knew it was our only chance for survival. It was a terrible point in our history." The sacrifice those Passamaquoddy made then, to live on an island separated from their community, com es as no sur prise to R ebecca Sockbeson, director o f multicultural student affairs at the Uni versity o f Southern Maine. "It sounds very heroic and brave, which it is," said Sockbeson, a member o f the Penobscot Nation. "But it was at that time the cultural norm." Native Americans were not capital ists, she said; they were communal. They made their decisions based on what was best for old P i be, not for themselves. She lias t\o doubt. \bat \be t w ho contracted sm allpox w ould have rem oved themselves from the com m u nity once they realized what a threat they were to the survival o f their people. "I’ sure being faced with the lev m els o f mass death it was also not even a ch oice that was given," Sockbeson said. "O f course you do this when there are hundreds around you who have died." Introduced into North America by European settlers, smallpox devastated the nation's Native American tribes. In Maine and in the Canadian Maritimes, for example, there were more than 20 Wabanaki tribes before the Europeans settled here. Today, there are four, in cluding the Passamaquoddy. Som e his torians have called the Europeans' intro duction o f smallpox the worst case o f gen ocide in the world's history, saying that the virus claim ed nearly 98 percent o f the original population o f Native Americans in North America. The Passamaquoddy living today are not certain how many people died from smallpox on Gordon Island. They are cer tain, however, that the 3,300 members o f the Passamaquoddy tribe alive today are here because o f the sacrifice their ances tors made on Gordon Island. The island’ only inhabitants now s are nature. It is hom e to hemlocks, birch and cedar trees. Songbirds flit among the branches while ferns grow ing from the m ossy underbrush w iggle in the breeze. For the Passamaquoddy people, it is an island deserving o f their respect, a place for spiritual renewal. P e o p le lik e R o g e r Paul, Indian Township Tribal Gov. Richard Stevens and T rib a l C o u n c il m e m b er Joe Socobasin take this very seriously. Stevens grew up knowing he should never take anything from the island, not a rock or a feather, believing that the eagle and the ow l who visit the island have left those feathers as an offering. When Paul and Socobasin visit the island, they sm udge themselves first - a practice o f cleansing thoughts and bod ies with the sm oke o f smoldering sage. A nd when they arrive, they present Co ib a S'pvtvVs, as\ oifecv cv g, o l . T b e Passamaquoddy have been try ing to get the inland back sin ce the 1990s. But at that time it was owned by pa per giant G eorgia Pacific, which re buffed repeated offers from the tribe to buy the land. This concerned the tribe, which saw an ever-present threat loom ing over their sacred burial ground. "If the right people came along with the right amount o f money, they could have com e along and built a camp here," Socobasin said. "There would have been nothing we could have done to stop it." In 2001, M ontreal-based Domtar acquired the island as part o f its purchase o f G eorgia P a cific’ W oodland Mill, s which abuts Indian Township. O n ce again, the tribe asked if it could buy the island. The answer, again, was no. Domtar, recogn izin g the cultural significance o f Gordon Island, said it would rather give the tribe the island instead. "It's refreshing to be looked at as a culture rather than as a corporation," said Stevens. "And Domtar saw our culture." A Domtar spokesman said the com pany tries to a cco m m o d a te N ative American tribes that have ties to the pa per company's land whenever possible. T h is has a m a zed m any o f the Passamaquoddy, who have for so long struggled with their neighbors to main tain their land and their way o f life. The elders have prayed for the return o f the island for so long. Now, they say, the circle o f the island's history is complete. Now, they say, the spirits o f their ancestors can finally rest in peace. �i A FAREWELL TRIBUTE TO REP. DONALD SOCTOMAH A Few Thoughts about Rep. Soctomah by Rep. Loring Since 1998,1 have had the privilege o f serving with Rep. Donald Soctomah in the Maine Legislature. 2002 marks the end o f D onald’ current tenure as Tribal s Representative to The Passamaquoddys o f Indian Township and Pleasant Point. Iam pleased that Donald will be able to spend more time closer to home, but at the same time regret losing such a powerful ally in Augusta. Donald and I worked in unison, perhaps more so than most Tribal Reps, that preceded us. One result o f that unique relationship is this newsletter itself, which I believe is the first joint tribal newsletter in our respective tribes’ 180 year history at the capitol. From.working with Donald in the stru ggle to ban the use o f the w ord squaw in association with M aine’maps, s businesses, land and water - to the uplill battle over A lbion Township (that "I truly believe Donald represented the Tribe very well. He is an honorable man and we miss his work at the Stae House." G o v ern or R ich a rd Stevens, P a ssam aq u od d y Tribe at In d ian Tow nship w e alm ost m iraculously overcame) I witnessed a man o f both great patience and conviction. Native Americans in Maine have been backed up against a wall o f oppression for so many genera tions; we are left in a position where we must demand even the m ost fundamen tal rights. Donald has always kept his passion and vision close in sight, never sidetracked from the frustrations o f be ing a lone v oice within M aine’halls o f s government, lacking the right to vote on either his comm ittee or on the floor o f the H ouse o f Representatives. Donald not only was my prime sup porter in passing a bill I sponsored to implement Native history and culture in M aine’primary and secondary schools, s he requested and w on a seat on the Joint Legislative Education Committee to en sure this first in the nation proposal sur vived the screening o f legislators. Even though Donald cou ld not vote on his committee, his v oice was important and he deserves a lot o f credit for helping to bridge the gap between tribal and state relations. Even today, as we march forward seeking social justice to control the des tiny o f our sovereignty in regards to our waters, land, and the ability for e c o nom ic survival with our casino proposal - Donald continues to stand for his tribe every step o f the way. It is not only the Passamaquoddy Tribe that he stands up for though; it is for all members o f the Wabanaki alliance -always with honor, respect, zeal, and great pride. Donald never flaunts him self nor desires popu larity like many politicians do, he only presents him self when the tribes need him. When he speaks, his words are al ways right on mark and taken to heart. I w ill m iss you in Augusta Donald, but I know that you will remain at the forefront o f Native issues, advocating for what is right for our forefathers and mothers and our future generations. Thank you for four great years. Som e Legislation proposed and passed by Rep. Donald Soctomah during his two terms Through 2001 LD 2178 An Act to Amend the Act to Implement the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Concerning the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians We were in favor o f the bill as written. The Maliseets should be sovereign as are P en obscots and Passamaquoddy. Rep. Sherman o f Houlton reluctantly sponsored by request; he was 70% against the bill in committee. Strongly support. The Maliseet Band should have the same rights as the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot. Com m ittee Report unanimous, OU GH T NOT TO PASS. LD 2418 An Act Concerning Offensive Names We com pletely supported this bill; should be a N o Brainer. The bill disal low s the use o f Squaw or squa by the State in naming public or geographic sites. It does not eliminate usage from the English lan guage. This word has always been offensive, in effect, used to demoralize native women. They are the foundation o f a healthy com munity. The State must stop sanctioning its use. Signed by the Governor on 4/3/00; Public Law Chapter 613. LD 2499 An act Concerning the Date by Which Land Must be Acquired by the Penobscot Nation We were the sponsor o f this bill. The bill will extend the deadline by which the Nation can purchase certain trust lands from 1/31/2000 to 1/31/2021. Support for this bill will help the Penobscot Nation put the remainder o f land in Trust. Never should have been a time limit. All o f the Paper Co. land around our community was re cently sold. Signed by the Governor on 4/6/00; Public Law Chapter 625. LD 2549 An Act to Implement Recom mendations Concerning the Protection of Indian Archeological Sites W e were in favor o f implementing the recommendations that will preserve these sites. A R esolve passed last session shows the concern felt for protection o f these sites. Maine must protect the sites, as we have in the past. Signed by the Governor on 5/3/00; Public Law Chapter 748. LD 3210 An Act to Change the Name in the Statutes of a Native American Orga nization Able to Issue Hunting and Fish ing Licenses W e were in favor o f this bill as long as the organization works closely with the tribes to eliminate any duplication. Allows an off-reservation group to issue licenses from Native communities governing leader. Emergency signed by the Governor on 3/ 15/00; Public Law Chapter 558. Joint Study Order Establishing a Com mittee to Study the Recognition of Sov ereign Nations in the Legislature The bill is sponsored by Rep. Brooks at my request. Hopefully, the committee will vote to recommend a stronger role in both the House and Senate for tribal repre sentatives. Tribal Representatives want and need to play a more active role in the legislative process. Every bill passed affects our com munities in one way or another. Study Report published on 4/2000; See the Executive Summary in this issue. LD 2607 An Act Concerning Previous Passamaquoddy Indian Territory Legis lation We were in favor o f the Legislature tak ing corrective action. A corrective amendment should be effec tive to change the law that was plainly in tended by all parties to the process amend ing the Implementing Act. House receded and concurred to Senate ac ceptance o f OUGHT NOT TO PASS Report. LD 2572 An Act to Fund the Cost of the Waiver of Tuition, Fees and Other Ex penses for Native American Students in the Maine Technical College System, Uni versity of Maine System and Maine Mari time Academy We were in opposition o f passage o f this measure, as it will only serve to desta bilize our funding base. I am against this bill Received Unanimous Committee OUGHT NOT T O PASS report. 2002 LD1178 - Sponsor: SOCTOMAH Short Title: DHS TO ADOPT RULES R EGARDIN G INDIAN HEALTH CLINIC Original Tide; Resolve, Directing the D e partment o f Human Services to Adopt Rules Regarding the Indian Health Clinic LD0618 - Sponsor: SOCTOMAH Short Title: REMOVE STATE ROAD SIGNS WITH OFFENSIVE NAMES FROM 1-95 & TURNPIKE Original Title: An Act to Remove State Road Signs with Offensive Names from Interstate Route 95 and the Maine Turnpike LD0523 - Sponsor: SOCTOMAH Short Title: CREATE A SPECIAL MAINE INDIAN TRIBE LICENSE PLATE Original Title: An Act to Create a Special Maine Indian Tribe License Plate LD0517 - Sponsor: SOCTOMAH Short Title: ESTABLISH IDENTIFICA TION CARD OF ME INDIAN TR AS ACCEPTABLE FORM OF ID Original Title: An Act to Establish the Iden- tification Card o f a Maine Indian Tribe as an Acceptable Form o f Identification LD0516 - Sponsor: SOCTOMAH Short Title: A R CH A EO LOG ICA L W ORK PERFO RM ED IN THE SHORELAND ZONES Original Title: An Act Regarding Prehistoric and H istoric A rch aeological Work Per formed in the Shoreland Zone LD0107 - Sponsor-. S O C T O M A H Short Title: EN FO RCEM EN T OE LAWS IN T. 12 REV STAT BY PASSAMAQUODDY WARDEN Original Title: An Act Regarding the En forcement o f Laws in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12 by Passamaquoddy War dens Tribal Legislation Signed Intao Law In The Last Legislative Session Chapter 601. Public Law LD 1940, Sponsored by Rep. Soctomah Passamaquoddy Tribes o f Indian Township and Pleasant Point. “ Act Regarding the An Repatriation of Native American Re mains” ‘ 1 22 MRSA §2842-B, as enacted by Sec. . PL 1993, c. 738, Pt. C, § , is repealed and 5 the follow ing enacted in its place: 32842-B.__Indian human remains 1 Transfer of remains. Except as provided . in subsections 2and 3.a person or entity who possesses anv human remains identified as Indian human remains shall transfer the re mains to The intertribal repatriation orga n ization that is a pp oin ted by The Passamaquoddy Tribe. Penobscot Nation. H oulton Band o f M aliseet Indians and A r o o sto o k B and o f M icm a cs for reburial. The intertribal repatriation orga nization shall make reasonable inquiry to locate the next o f kin o f the deceased. If next ofmains to the next o f kin. 2. _______ Medical Examiner cases._______ within the jurisdiction o f the Medical Ex aminer Act, the Chief Medical Examiner has authority over Indian human remains until the remains are no longer required for legal purposes. At that time, the Chief Medical Examiner shall make reasonable inquiry to locate the next o f kin o f the deceased. If next o f kin are located, the Chief Medical Examiner shall release the rem ains to the next o f kin o f the deceased. If no next o f kin are located. the remains must be released to the inter tribal repatriation organization for reburial. Kin are located, the intertribal repatriation organization shall transfer the re �...WE WILL MISS YOU IN AUGUSTA DONALD! Rep. Soctomah with local and regional tribal leaders M ore m em ories of Legislative Service Rep. Soctom ah with Gov. D oyle and Judy LucareUi, A ssistan t C om missioner of Edu cation "I'll be doing what I like best. Practicing the traditions of old and incorporating them into the new era. I hope to make a difference; be ing a bridge between two cultures, and opening doors that may have been closed.” N Kathadin ts \V sp ‘ \\. \e w\\ua\ VngVAarvOs o\ Wve>NaPawaV:\ peopXe, marry traveled to this location to be close with the spirits, but rarely climbed to the top. Many of our legends originate from this wonderful peak, as it reaches into the clouds. Today, just as it was thousands of years ago our people travel to the mountain, seeking the vision of the past and the direction to the future. We need to maintain that connection just as much it needs us... Rep. Soctomah W ho W e A re ............ "I can im agin e h o w m u ch the past d o e s in d eed m atter to us. A l though m o st p e o p le usually take it for granted and d ev ote little tim e to studyin g or thinking about it, in fact the past is re sp o n sib le for ev ery thing w e are. It is the c o re o f our humanity. T h e past is the w orld out o f w h ich w e have co m e, the m ultitude o f events and ex p erien ces that have sh aped our c o n s c io u s selv es and the so cia l w orlds w e inhabit. T o under stand h ow and w h y w e liv e as w e do, w e cann ot avoid ap pealin g to the past to explain h o w and w h y w e g o t to b e this way. ...No less im portant is the act o f rem em berin g the past, the backw ard reflective g a z e in w h ich w e se lf- co n scio u sly seek to recall the w o rld w e have lost, the vanished lan dscap e o f our form er selv es and lives, in order to gather the sign p osts b y w h ich w e find our w ay and k eep ou rselv es fro m b e c o m in g lost. I f Rep.Loring, Rep. Soctomah, Maine House Page “ Dee” Tihtiyas Sabattus (Rep. Soctomah’niece) and Rep. Al Goodwin of Pembroke s rights in Canada. The new Tribal representative has a big resposiblity ahead, so take som e time tory are the to o ls w e u se for reco llectin g that p la ce so w e can k n ow w h o and w h ere w e are. M em ory and history turn sp a ce into place, in vestin g Tan Kahk; Greetings.... .. from page 1 ultural lease issue, attended meetings on the Federal Em ergency Reg. C om m is sion debate on dam re-licensing issue, debated on the alewife issue, chaired the meeting on putting the Webber lot into trust status, and on current affairs: marched in the civ il rights march to Augusta, marched across the Interna tional Bridge to bring attention to racial profiling and to support native fishing the past is the p la ce fro m w h ich w e have com e, then m em ory and h is what w o u ld oth erw ise b e a purely b io lo g ic a l o r g e o lo g ic a l abstraction to ask questions and choose the best can with a w ealth o f hum an m eanings, and thereby turning it into the kind o f didate. The people have som e big decisions to make, it is you who will decide who and how the tribal government w ill be run for the next four years. Look at the background o f all the candidates and com e out and vote in the fall.... remembering the past and look ing towards the future; your friend, p la ce w e c h o o s e to call hom e. ...Collective identity is an intricate set o f Donald Soctomah rem em bran ces that ties the present to the past." -William Cronon, "Why the Past Matters," Wisconsin M agazine o f History, vol. 84, no. 1 (Autumn 200), 3-13. Dear Tribal m em bers from page i together as a team very well. This joint newsletter is p roof o f that partnership. Donald, I am proud to have served with you in the House and on behalf o f all our colleagues I say, “ You will be missed.” Woliwoni. Donna M. Loring ft � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wabanaki Legislative News (Dec. 2002) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Loring, Donna M. and Donald Soctomah Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University of New England Maine Women Writers Collection Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002-12 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cathleen Miller, UNE Julia Brush Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Donna M. Loring and Donald G. Soctomah. Used with permission. We thank University of New England for making digitized copies available. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DV-476 https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/5b1a92e15727110e31c6e545967634f2.pdf 46319813ed164f68af273144d8e7ef21 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Other Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wabanaki Legislative News (1999) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Loring, Donna M. and Donald Soctomah Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University of New England Maine Women Writers Collection Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1999 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cathleen Miller, UNE Meredith Ricker Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Donna M. Loring and Donald G. Soctomah. Used with permission. We thank University of New England for making digitized copies available. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DV-478 https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/ac7e71d547278d6b8080eafb07d4858c.pdf 84b3071d5744255a793941d2b2f4cca9 PDF Text Text Wabanaki Legislative Update ~ SprinQ 2000 Offensive Name law passed by Maine Legislature iA k waits Governor’s Signatured Tan Kahk, Greetings1 Dear Tribal Members, Welcome to the second edition of the “Wabanaki Legislative Update.” This newsletter is put together to inform the public on Legislative issues that affect the native communities of the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Micmac, and Maliseet. I have enjoyed my first session in 1999 and look forward to my service in the year 2001 next session. In the Second Regular Session we will be addressing the following issues: • LD 2418 An Act Concerning Offensive Names • LD An Act to Implement the Recommendations Concerning Indian Archeological Sites • LD 2178 An Act to Amend the Act to Implement the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Concerning the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians • LD 2499 An Act Concerning the Date by Which Land Must be Acquired by the Penobscot Nation • LD 3210 An Act to Change the Name in the Statutes of a Native Ameri can Organization Able to Issue Hunting and Fishing Licenses The bill. An Act Concerning Offensive Names, has received much national media publicity and this shows that Maine is a leader in this area that address issues such as this. We have held interviews with 2 in-state radio stations, 5 outof-state radio stations, and 2 British radio stations; also, an interview was taped with ABC’s 20/20 show, (which was very badly reported). Your help in the passage of this bill was the deciding factor, especially the young women who stepped forward to speak from their hearts, thank you. Other measures that we followed closely, which may have an impact on the native communities, involved the Department of Human Services, especially child welfare, education, and marine fisheries bills. Be part of the process; let your voices be heard! I would like to hear from you on issues, which may help our communities. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any of the following numbers: State House 287-1400 Indian Township office 796-2301 ~ Pleasant Point office 853-2600 Mobile 461-8673 ~ email: soctomah@nemaine.com Passamaquoddy website www.wabanaki.com Welcome to the Second Regular Session of the 119th Legislature. This is called the short session, and is comprised mostly of carry over bills and emer gency measures. Carry overs are bills that were not acted on in the First Regular Session. Emergency bills are determined by the Legislative Council to be of an emergency nature. This session is scheduled to adjourn in early April 2000. Again, in a joint effort, we bring you the second edition of the Maine Tribal Legislative News/Wabanaki Legislative Update, in one complete format. Items of interest are a history section and current issues, including an in depth look at the offensive names bill, LD 2418, sponsored by Representative Soctomah. Also, included are photos of Wabanaki Day, which was held at the Statehouse last session. We have charted our proposed bills for this short session with a brief expla nation of each one, as we did in the first edition. You have shown your support for these bills by attending the public hearings. Your presence spoke louder than words! If you have comments, concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me either by telephone, snail mail, or e-mail, as follows: Telephone/Fax 207-737-2608 55 North Front St., Richmond, ME 04357 dmldab @wiscasset.net I wish you health and happiness for the new millennium. Yours in the Spirit of Unity, // . /vj, / * * /*<? ---- -/- Donna M. Loring Penobscot Nation, Tribal Representative Wabanaki Legislative Update Rep. Donna Loring 55 North Front S t, Richmond, ME 04357 Rep. Donald Soctomah P.O. Box 102, Princeton, ME 04668 Woliwon, Thanks, Donald Soctomah Tribal Representative, Passamaquoddy Tribe Printed at the expense of Representatives Soctomah and Loring �OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES Testimonials for and against LD 2418 - An Act Concerning Offensive Names —Patricia Smith Ranzoni, Bucksport Because of medical troubles I was unable to attend the hearing on the bill to remove the word “squaw” from M aine place nam es; and for same reasons do not feel up to the letter this subject deserves. Neverthe less, I must add my voice, and the voice of my family, to the record on behalf of this important legislation and appreciate the opportunity to in sert testimony, however inadequate, this way. From the time I learned we are d escended from E uropeans w ho settled on land belonging to Native Peoples, I have sought to educate m yself and our family on what is known and unknown about our part in history here as related to the tribes. This path could only lead to great sorrow, as well as humbling gratitude for an “old love, too, between us,” as I have written in my poetry in honor of generational relationships between some N ative friends and some in our line. It has long troubled me that our, M aine’s, First Peoples are routinely expected to support special efforts— days, conferences, discussions, occa sions, organizations, legislation and so forth— aimed at promoting “diver sity” and an understanding of and be tween other races and cultures here, while their own situation and dis crim in atio n s o ften rem ain o v er looked or discounted. The matter of the usage of squaw, a remnant of old thinking, in much the same way as “nigger” has come to be seen, is but one example. One can only guess how it must feel for tribal members to have to appear before a legislature made up of descendants of those who invaded and, by means not wholly honorable, as the record shows, took over their homelands, to ask for understanding in this matter of great meaning for their people. If M aine’s Native Peoples aren’t included in what is meant by recent efforts toward cross-cultural respect, then the easy term “diversity” rings hollow; and without the hard and painful work to hear and act upon what is needed to make things right, is nothing but a hollow, false, and cruel term with little more meaning than any other social fad. From reports in the newspapers, tribal representatives and members have articulated most clearly, pas sionately, and successfully the ratio nale for their request. They are their own indisputable source. I want to speak, also, as a woman here. Having no right to call M aine’s first and least known women “sis ters,” I nevertheless, stand with them in outrage against the reality of what this word has meant in their lives. That non-Natives have inexcusably endowed this word with shame, here and around the world, is irrefutable, having been docum ented through both folk and scholarly histories. It can never be righted but through changes the Natives, themselves, ask for in order to retrieve their honor. Please listen. Let it not, again, be solely about the lesser profit of business, but this time, about the greater profit of hu man respect. We cannot undo what has been done, but we can begin new, now that we know. We can return the mountains, rivers, islands and points to the Native women of this place in this way. First, proclaiming sorrow for what has been taken, then invit ing them to name these places in a new spirit of presence we can honor, protect, and celebrate with them. Please. For our family, ancestors and de scendants. please turn to page 3 Maine’s Native Americans Gain Passage of LD 2418 by Representative Donald Soctomah As we enter a new millen nium, I have hope for a better relationship between the native population and the State of M aine. In order for us to achieve this improved relationship, we must end 400 years of hurt and discrimination. We must learn to live together peacefully, by hon oring and respecting each other. This hope was the motivat ing factor behind legislation that would end the use of a demoral izing and dehumanizing term in the State of Maine. The passage of this bill by the Maine House or Represen tatives and Senate will soon be signed into law by Governor Angus S. King, Jr.. It w ill rem ove the word squaw from place names in the state. This is not an issue of politi cal correctness. It is about basic human decency and respect for one’s fellow citizens. The new law protects an under repre sented group in our state, native women. Our wom en-grandmothers, mothers, and daugh ters, are all entitled to protection against basic human rights vio lations, such as the use of demor alizing language. The driving force behind this bill is hundreds of native women, who are con tinually offended by the use of this fensive, derogatory words. Native assaulted by two men, who con women have the right to define tinually yelled, “you dirty slang word. The Thesaurus of Slang iden themselves. squaw ” as they repeatedly tifies the word “squaw” as a syn We need to grow and under kicked her. onym for prostitute,, harlot, hussy, stand that the use of the term In 1998, there was a high and floozy. The dictionary identi squaw shows a lack of compas school fight that eventually fies this word as one that is used sion to human beings, it is hard turned into a racial incident. N a for the general population to imag tive girls were called squaws, to offend native females. After generations of exposure, ine how hurtful a word can be un this resulted in death threats be the word squaw is seen as a neu less it is directed toward them, ing painted on the walls. This new law sends, with tral word to the general public. But their culture, or racial background. Rep. Gerald Talbot worked great effectiveness, a goodwill to native females this word con tinues to be a slanderous attack diligently in 1974 to remove the message of understanding to the against them and their culture. ”N” word from place names in Native people of this state: Violent incidents occur more of Maine. He had to convince other Maine will stop sanctioning the ten near the native communities, representatives how hurtful and use of offensive words, which where the clash between cultures hateful this word is to Maine citi dehumanize and exploit the na zens and its visitors. tive people. still exists. During that floor debate, the The native people and the When native people name a geographic feature, such as a river offensiveness of the word squaw native communities of Maine, or a mountain, the term used will was questioned. Several represen askd for the passage of this bill describe a specific location, for the tatives stated that to the native to end the perpetuation of dehu ease of the traveler, or to denote population, it was an offensive manizing language that has been its spiritual significance. The term. This is not a new issue to used to define our women. It is never an aggressive act name of the Kennebec River de Maine, it is a 400 year old issue for a people to exercise their scribes the contours of the river. that needs to be stopped Nationally, Maine now joins right to self determination. It is Mount Katahdin was named to three other states which have re an intrinsic right that is woven signify the spirits of the mountain moved the word squaw from name into the fiber of values that this and its geography. The term squaw was not origi places. In North Carolina, the U.S. country was founded on. The following Cheyenne nally used for place names, as the Justice Department was involved word did not exist before the in the removal of the word from a proverb summarizes the point of 1600’s. It is not a linguist’s defi school system in March of 1999. this bill concisely, “A nation is There is no other word used to never conquered until the hearts nition of the original native word day which hurts native women as of its women are on the ground.” that is of concern, it is the way the Every time this defamatory term has been used to define na much as the word squaw. The term tive women in its current context. has been used as a slanderous as term is used, the hearts of our Through communication and edu sault in hate crimes; last year, a women take another blow. cation we can rid the state of of- native woman was being brutally OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES �FFENS aga'"S’have a chance to change women. We BLIC L° 2411-* " A tlensive Names from page 2 c l O come to be felt as the word whore that sexual connotation and to give the respect to Native women that they feels... dirty, degrading, and shameful. My people have suffered great in d ig n atio n u n d er w hite rule in Houlton for many generations. We did not have a land base before 1980 but for safety and community, our families settled in the same area.... always delegated to the least desirable land, tor behind the legislation, w hich would remove the word squaw from deserve. Being a Native man, and the father of seven daughters, I do not want to see them, or anyone else’s daughter, have to carry these verbal scars for the rest of their lives. This Bill will send, with great effectiveness, a goodwill message of understanding to the Native people of this State: That Maine will stop sanctioning the use o f offensive place nam es w ithin the State o f Maine. This is not an issue about political correctness; it is about basic human decency and respect for one’s fellow citizens. It is not a linguist’s definition of the original Native word words that dehumanize and exploit the Native people. The Native comm unities o f the Passam aquoddy, Penobscot, M aliseet and M icMac, including elected governmental officials of these Tribes, representing is of concern; it is the way the term has been used to define Native " ~ H“ w om en in its c u rre n t co n te x t. 7,500 people, have signed a resolu- Donald Soctomah Judiciary Com m ittee - C hairs Senator Longley and Representative Thompson. Today is an im portant day in Maine Native history. We are step ping forw ard to address a term , which has been used for many years to degrade and dehumanize native women. This was the motivating fac- . • r , „ Through communication and education we can rid this State of offensive, derogatory words, so that Native women will have the right to define themselves. This Bill seeks to protect an under represented group within this State, N ative Women. T hey are e n title d to p ro te c tio n against basic hum an rights violations, such as the use o f demoralizing language. The driving force be hind this Bill is the hundreds of Na tive Women, who are continually offended by the use of this slang word. To the general public, after generations of exposure, the word squaw is seen as a neutral word, but to the Native Women this word con tinues to be a slanderous attack against them and their culture. In ra cial incidents involving hate and physical violence this word is con tinually used to attack Native people. These incidents occur more often near the Native communities, where unfortunately the clash of the cultures still exists. We need to grow and understand that the use of the term squaw shows a lack of compassion for human be ings. It is hard for the general popu lation to imagine how hurtful a word can be unless it is directed at them, their culture, or their racial back ground. In other areas where the squaw word is used to define geographic features, we can enhance the history of the area by using the correct terms. For example, Squaw Mountain can be called M aquaso M ountain in honor of C hief K ineo’s mother to whom the legend refers. A nother place, called Squaw Bosom, makes a c o n n o ta tio n to w ard s N ativ e o f the Year of the Native Woman. We ask the State of Maine and the Federal government to recognize this d e c i ration by stopping the use of the term squaw. One experience that is burned into my memory was coming home one day and seeing a big road sign at the end of our road that said SQUAW KNOLL. When I entered my home I found my mother in tears... she was so humiliated Can you for a moment im a g in e imagine how a black American finding a sign »ad e - e d by ,he ,„w „ gov—— ernment at the end of their road that read Niqger Knoll would feel? We felt no less insulted. My mother made my two brothers go down and remove the sign. It was a very courageous act because she knew that they could be charged with tampering with town property. But it was Today you will hear testimony on how the S .... word is being used against Native women. You need to listen because the vast general popu- m ore im portant to not allow our lation does not get to hear this, now people to be treated with such bla is the time for this to be told. tant racism. The sign did not return... I ask for passage of this Bill to the road now carries the name Co&an end the perpetuation of dehumaniz Road. ing language that has been used to Long before the current debate define Native women. It is never an over the word began we shared the aggressive act for a people to exer common experience of being taunted cise their right to self-determination. by the word squaw. Women of my It is an intrinsic right that is woven tribe describe the taunting they were into the fiber of values that this coun subjected to in the 60’s in downtown try was founded upon. Houlton as children and teenagers, being surrounded by local w hite youth giving their imitation (as seen -Brenda Commander, TYibal on television) of an Indian war cry Chief, Houlton Band of Maliseet and calling them squaws. N ative Indians young people did not venture down Good M orning. I come before town alone ... but even in the com you this morning as a Native woman, pany of others they were not safe daughter, mother of a daughter, and guarded from verbal assaults... and the Chief of the Houlton Band of it certainly did not come from young Maliseet Indians, to tell you how the people only.... it was just as likely to use of the word squaw has affected come from an adult. my life, and that of my mother... my I would like to be able to say that sisters... my aunt’s... and the lives of such things would not happen today all the women of my tribe. but I cannot. As recently as two years I have not spoken to even one ago, one o f our trib al eld ers, a Maliseet woman who is not offended woman, was standing in front of the by the use of the word squaw. We do C ounty courthouse in dow ntow n not know how the word originated... H oulton, w hen a group o f youth but we are certain it did not origi circled her doing their imitation of a nate from our tongue. We did not use war yelp, calling her ’squaw’. It was the term to describe ourselves; it was a devastating experience for her... cast upon us by the white settlers. We bringing back all the old hurts. are unsure of its original meaning, As a people who for so long have but we do know how it came to be not had a voice that was heard in used. It has been used to taunt and Maine we did not feel empowered to degrade us as women. The word has even think about addressing this is- s u e .... we are th a n k fu l to Rep. Soctomah, for bringing this issue to the public conscience and giving us a voice. —Emma Nicolar My name is Emma Nicolar. I am a 58-year-old Penobscot woman. I want to express my gratitude to those individuals who have worked so hard and persistently to get this bill where it is today. This “Act” is a long time overdue. I am a P en o b sco t In d ian woman— I am not a “squaw” al though I have been called that many times in my life. I don’t have the time to detail here how detrimental this societal abuse was to the develop- n ie ^ f ZZZZ. Z I won’t go into what I’ve had to do to heal from the pain that it inflicted, but I did heal. I was born on the Penobscot Indian R eservation in Maine in 1942 but grew up in other areas other than the reservation. My parents separated when I was around 4 years old and I went to live in Connecticut. My mother later put us in a foster home in Milford, ME. I was six years old then, and that is where I fvt& remember bevrvj det graded andmade to feellike “ doggie poo” (mild expletive) because I was an Indian. I went to live with my dad on Indian Island when 1 w as 11 years old, and went to Old Town schools. In gang units Old Town youths were famous for calling me and others “squaw”, dirty Indians, and making sexually unacceptable remarks. During the 1940’s and 1950’s what did anyone know of unaccept able behavior -next to nothing! I had to grin and bear whatever came my way. It was at this time, junior high I believe, that I began to develop a defensive attitude. Playing basketball or engaging in other athletic activi ties, if I was better at the game, the only way the non-Indian girls could put me down was to make remarks about my being an Indian, not just one - on - one, but always as a group/ gang. The chip on my shoulder grew during my teenage years, and at one time I carried a knife on me at all times and used it a couple of times when physically accosted by non-In dian boys. I went to live in M assa chusetts during high school with an older brother and had hoped that be ing Indian wouldn’t follow me there, but it did. My sister and I were the please turn to page 6 OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES �1999 WABANAKI DAY ATTHE MAINE STATE HOUSE �1999 WABANAKI DAY ATTHE MAINE STATE HOUSE �OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES Testimonials for and against LD 2418 - An Act Concerning Offensive Names fro p g 3 mae only two Indians in the school sys tem and we were never allowed to forget it. I have never been endeared by non - Indians for my ethnic back ground, but always the edge of dirt, filth, and second-rate citizen was present in their remarks. Needless to say I became an adult with no self esteem. However, I had one charac teristic which saved me - persever ance. I was going to survive in spite of all the name calling and hurt and I did. Today, I know all about bigotry, slander, prejudice, and how to pro tect myself from the hurt and pain. I ’ve watched the Native population of this country struggle, just as the Negro population has, to gain respect and dignity. You cannot get away with calling me “squaw” today be cause I know the laws and will use them against you. You cannot call my daughter names, or my son, and get away with it because I will come to their rescue if they can’t handle it themselves. I have held the current school system s acco u n tab le fo r p reju d ices d isp lay ed du rin g my children’s education. Squaw Valley, California, and Squaw M ountain, M aine, are two very beautiful places. I consider my self a beautiful person today, and will not tolerate being called “squaw” . Change these names in this new mil lennium, and transform these sites back to their natural beauty. If you must continue to use Native ethnicity as a basis for naming these sites, there are some beautiful names in the Native languages, which would be more appropriate. I have argued at another committee meeting about the use of the word “sovereignty”, as I argue today about the use of the word “squaw.” We as Native peoples never needed these words, we have always known who we are and have a lan guage to describe ourselves. These are your words, and “squaw” is a misnomer. I ’m sure we’re all famil iar with the description of this word in W ebster’s Collegiate Dictionary. But have you ever taken the time to find out what an Indian woman was called in her own language. Each tribal language is different but each tribe has a w ord, or d eriv ativ es thereof, for designating a N ative w om an or d e sc rib in g a N ativ e woman. Do these place names that contain “squaw” today have to have an ethnic tone? How far would you get today if you called these places “Frog M ountain” , “Nigger M oun tain”, or some such ethnic slur? We are adults today, and possess the power to make changes, and I pray to the power to my understanding that you will change all place names with the word “squaw” in it in the State of Maine. —Richard M. Doyle, Office of the Governor G ood M orning to the d istin guished Chairs and Members of the Judiciary Committee. I am honored to be here this morning to testify in favor of L.D. 2418, an Act Concerning Offensive Names. This act would correct a defamation that has been perpetuated against Indian Women specifically, and Indian People in general. I will not condone this word by speaking it here today, but the bill specifies the word in question. This word has been used to defile Indian women ever since the European invasion of this land. You have been provided with the origins of this word by Represen tative Soctomah, MITSC, and oth ers, I will not go there. What I do want to talk about is how it feels to an Indian Person, obviously a male perspective, to hear someone use such a word. I have heard the “s” word many times in my life. Each time it has been used to inflict pain and stereotype Indian women. The word as I hear and perceive it denotes an Indian woman who is easy, an In dian woman who is promiscuous, a slut, a whore. When the term is used generally the meaning is intensified. Each time I hear this word I am of fended to the point of madness and disgusted that the dominant society allows and tolerates such racist lan guage. I have heard our women tell me about ex-boyfriends chasing them around in public calling them the “s” word loudly, having this term painted on a door or wall to brand them, and other arduous stories. I have heard for m yself white men saying things like “it’s Saturday night, guess I’ll take a trip to the res ervation and snag me one of those “s” words” (this from UMM staff), “better get home before my s” word goes on the warpath”, “the girl was so drunk out of her mind, if I didn’t know better I would swear she was a “s” word, as well as many other ex amples of racially loaded idiocy. This same type of racism is cur rently allowed by the State in the naming of businesses, geographic features, natural resources, sport teams, and all types of groups. The non - Native will try to tell Thompson, and members of the com you that these words are not offen mittee, I am Sharon Libby Jones, a sive or were not meant to be offen selectmen for the town Greenville, speaking against L.D. 2418. sive. I am a small business owner, a I hope that this committee under stands that the “s” word in today’s S ele ctm e n fo r the Town o f society is offensive to Native people. Greenville and a former State Rep There is no justification or explana resentative that represented District tion that can change the fact that this 111, which is located in Piscataquis term is racist. Others may try to tell County and includes 11 towns, two this com m ittee that banning this plantations and several organized ter word will infringe upon or even de ritories in Northern Maine. Several stroy part of another Indian language. of these unorganized territories are I do not accept this premise either, L ittle Squaw Tow nship and Big since this “s” word may be a bastard Squaw Township. L.D. 2418, An Act Concerning ization of an Indian word, changed in ignorance to classify and demean. Offensive Names, is a step in the I do not know of any Indian culture wrong direction for Maine. I think that would allow others to use their all of us here recognize the impor words to shame and attack their Na tance of the State’s history. We need to understand the state’s tribal cul tive sisters and brothers. L.D. 2418 goes further than just ture and history. Piscataquis County, banning a word, it seeks to officially for over 100 years, has recognized celebrate our Native Women for all and realized the importance of the they have contributed to the Indian Native American culture and history. family, the Indian culture, and to the Currently, the Piscataquis County State of Maine. It is a positive ap Economic Council has begun survey proach. Proclaiming this millennial research on the cultural heritage of year The Year of the Native Ameri the region. This research project will can Woman would honor all native be gathering information from his people while providing hope for the torians, storytellers, and traditional future that all people will be in har businesses. The information will be m ony, and m u tu al respect w ill catalogued and used to develop a a bound for one another. cultural heritage m ap, which w ill b e If it were up to my Tribe, this used to inform tbe citizens of tbe term, along with other racially offen State and our travelers to the region sive words, (excuse my language) of the richness of our history. such as “redskin” would be prohib We are m oving fo rw ard in ited and if anyone dare utter the Greenville with a Natural Resource word, then strict penalties would ap Education Center. The concept of this ply. But it is not up to us, it is up to facility is to house orientation and in the Maine Legislature to pass a bill terpretation services, educational that would make it known to all, that exhibits, on- and off-site programs, the State of Maine does not tolerate interpretive trails, and events that ex racism. That the State of Maine will plain and celebrate the unique natu not allow Indian women or any other ral and cultural heritage of the region. group to be publicly ridiculed, that Piscataquis County is the poor the State of Maine recognizes and ap est County in the State with the least preciates diversity, that the State of population of any other county. We Maine pays honor to Native Women are rich with natural resources, his for their strength, their accomplish tory, culture and pride. The Native ments, their vision, their compassion, Americans are very much a part of our history. their beauty, and their tolerance. Less than one week ago, I re Thank you for allowing me to speak my words and hope each of the ceived a Public Hearing Notice about members consider them in deliber this important Public Hearing. Since ating this matter. Please support L. then there have been several articles and notifications that were sent to the D .2418. Woliwon (thank you) naka Tahu citizens of the area. Tremendous feel ings, reflections on history, as well (and stop) as strong emotions, have been pour ing in from the Native Americans and citizens of the Moosehead Lake Re —Sharon Libby Jones gion. In less than 24 hours nearly 300 Greenville Selectmen people signed petitions that were lo and Former State Representative, cated in just a few of our businesses District 111 please turn to page 7 Senator Longley, Representative OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES �Speech to the 63rd Maine Legislature, in 1887 by Lewis Mitchell Representative of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians I was authorized by the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians to come here before you for the purpose of making known to you what the Passamaquoddy Indians have done for the American people, and how we have been used by the American people and how we used them. In 1775 or 1776, in the struggle between Great Britain and America, your people came to us for assistance. You authorized Col. John Allan to speak to us and you said, “He is our mouth, believe what he says to you.” After many kind words and promises, Francis Joseph, who was the chief of the tribe at that time, accepted his offer. He promised to go and help his people gain their indepen dence. Immediately he sent his captains to different parts of his coun try to notify his people to prepare for immediate war. In a few days Francis Joseph gathered an army of six hundred men. At that time, and many years before that, the Passamaquoddy Tribe was the head quarters of the Abnaki Nation. Passamaquoddy Tribe can show you by a letter from Col. John Allan when he authorized the Passamaquoddy Indians to guard the coast form Machias to Passamaquoddy, and authorized them to seize the enemy’s vessels. And according to his orders we can show you by the affidavit, Capt. Sopiel Socktoma, with fifty others of his tribe, captured an armed schooner in Passamaquoddy Bay, and they ran her to Machias and gave her up to Col. John Allan. We know the Indians who served in that war are passed out of existence, but the Passamaquoddy Tribe helped the Americans in that war, and the tribe is still in existence, Now we bountily ask your attention to help us by letting the Legislature examine the pa pers and refer them to Congress, if they see fit. In the treaties of 1725, 1794, and Governor Dummer’s treaty of 1727, and in the laws of Massachusetts and Maine at their separa tion, we were guaranteed the right to hunt and fish forever. In the year 1854 or 1857 some dishonest person or persons pre sented a petition to the Maine Legislature, asking the State to sell the Indians’ land - Indians did not need it - so the Legislature passed a resolve, that a certain piece of land, situated in the Town of Perry, owned by the Indians, would be sold by public auction, on such day, at Perry (they must have arranged everything so they wouldn’t bid against each other) and that land was sold for the small sum of $500.00. The Indians opposed the sale of it. Now their firewood costs the Indians of Pleasant Point $ 1,500.00 a year. If that land had not been sold, the Indians would not suffer for want of firewood. Thousands of cords of cordwood have been cut, and wood is on it yet. The land cleared by the Indians was also sold. Now we claim again that this is not right. An Indian agent himself bought this land afterward and again when we lost the claim on the Islands the case Granger vs. Indians, we not only lost the claim, but $2,500.00 out of the Indians in favor of Mr. Granger. Just consider, today, how many rich men there are in Calais, in St. Stephen, M illtown, M achias, East M achias, Colum bia, Cherryfield, and other lumbering towns. We see a good many of them worth thousands and even millions of dollars. We ask our selves, how they make most of their money? Answer is, they make it on lumber or timber once owned by the Passamaquoddy Indians. How many of their privileges have been broken? How many of their lands have been taken from them by authority of the State? Now, we say to ourselves, these Indians ought to have everything they ask for. They deserve assistance. We are sent here to help the poor and defend their rights. Now, this plainly shows us how much worse a people of five hundred and thirty souls are, stripped of their whole country, their privileges on which they depend for their living; all the land they claim to own now being only ten acres. If one or two men in this body were Indians they would fight like braves for their rights. Now look at yourselves and see whether I am right or wrong. If you find any insulting language in my speech, I ask your pardon. I don’t mean to insult anybody, but simply tell you of our wrong. Testimonials from page 6 in the area. Yes Native Americans ganization, for years have promoted sign them as well. That is how strong the word “Squaw ” w hether it be our feelings are for the history of the Squaw Brook, Little Squaw Brook word “Squaw.” Campground, hiking and biking trails The im p o rtan ce of the w ord throughout the Townships, on menus, “Squaw” is not only important to the signs, Squaw Mountain Resort and h e rita g e o f the area b u t to our G olf Course and our magnificent economy locally and Statewide. Big Mountain called “Big Squaw Moun Squaw Mountain, an internationally tain”. known ski area in Big Squaw Town Think for a moment the impact, ship, is very important to our area. economically and historically, on this T his M ou n tain at one tim e was unique area of the State. The follow owned by the State. Located on ma ing D epartm ents w ould have to jestic M oosehead Lake are wonder change many statues and regulations ful areas such as Squaw Bay, Squaw and maps of the area. All Business Point and Squaw Point Subdivision. Brochures, The Town of Greenville, The State owns a cam pground on Emergency Management Agencies, Squaw Brook. The water supply for The Department of Transportation, the Town of Greenville comes from The Departm ent of Conservation, a well located in Little Squaw Town The Department of Inland Fisheries ship. The Town has a sanitary land and Wildlife, The Health and Infor fill in Little Squaw Township. There m atio n C en ter (EM S law ), is a growing industrial park located Piscataquis County Law Enforce in this Township. We have a boom ment Agencies. ing snow m obile industry located We have recently had completed throughout Little and Big Squaw areas for the E-911 system that con Townships, and Big Squaw Moun tain the word “Squaw” . The evacua tain. The trails systems (ITS 86 plus tion designation for our immediate local trails) in these areas are some area is Big Squaw Mountain. the best in the State. Think what this change would do (Expenditures per Snowmobile for the State Forestry Division in our for a resident are near $600.00 and a area. They maintain an immense and nonresident $1,100.00). Businesses, complex system for Forest Fires Pro the S tate o f M ain e and the tection. Moosehead Lake Region Chamber Please do not remove forever the of Commerce, the Moosehead His word “Squaw” from the Moosehead torical Society, our schools and the Regions heritage by passing this leg islation. Thank you. Shaw Public Library, International Seaplane Fly In Or Partial listing of organizations supporting the elimination of “Squaw” from name places in Maine TribesAroostook Band of Micmacs Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkokmikuk (Indian Township) Houlton band of Maliseets Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik (Pleasant Point) Penobscot Nation United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (23 federally recognized tribes) Other Native OrganizationsAIM Daughters of the First Light IRATE NACHME Wabanaki Mental Health, Inc. Administration of Governor Angus S. King, Jr.Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission Religious OrganizationsCatholic Diocese of Maine Episcopal Diocese of Maine, Committee on Indian Relations Friends Committee on Maine Public Policy Maine Council of Churches Maine Holocaust Human Rights Center Other OrganizationsBlack Education and Cultural History, Inc. (Former Representative Jerry Talbot, Founder) Hall-Dale Middle School Civil Rights Team Maine AFL-CIO Maine Civil Liberties Union Maine Human Rights Commission Maine Lesbian Gay Political Alliance Maine Women’s Lobby NAACP National Coalition Building Institute____________________________ _ �Protection of Indian Archeological Sites In the spring of 1999 the 119th Legislature passed the following Resolve requiring the study of the issue of looting and vandalism of Native American archeo logical sites, and preparation of a report recommend ing solutions: Resolved: That the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and the Representatives of the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe jointly shall con duct a review of the threats to Native American ar cheological sites from looting and vandalisfn and re port their recommendations for implementing a moni toring or stewardship program for site protection and preservation. The review must also involve the fol lowing law enforcement agencies: the Maine Warden Service, the Maine Forest Service, the Bureau of ma rine Patrol, and local and state law enforcement. The review must also involve the Native American com munity and other interested parties. To fulfill this legislative charge, Arthur Spiess held a series of meetings with Donald Soctomah in August and September 1999. Spiess, Soctomah and Represen tative Donna Loring also met on September 8, 1999. Then Spiess met with the law enforcement agencies mentioned in the legislation and held discussions over the telephone during September through December 1999. Donald Soctomah presented the legislation to inter-tribal meetings for discussion. Comments were sought form the board of the Maine Archeological Society. Late Breaking News The bill is designed to provide increased protec tion for archeological sites. It amends the definition of an archeological site on state-controlled land to include a site judged eligible for listing on the national Regis ter of Historic Places by the Maine Historic Preserva tion Commission and approved by the appropriate land managing agency director or local governing body. Current law requires the site to be listed on the Na tional Register of Historic Places. It also makes the unlawful excavation of a pro tected archeological site a Class E crime for which a fine of not less than $250 must be adjudged. The court may order the defendant to pay an amount equal to the reasonable cost of a proper archeological excavation, had the area that was unlawfully excavated been prop erly excavated. A provision that an emergency archeological site designation may be made for a period not to exceed 10 years and that the Director of the Maine historic preservation Commission and the landowner shall specify in writing the area that is the subject of such a designation. It provides funding for increased monitoring of archeological sites. This funding supports a part-time monitoring coordinator using existing part-time project personnel and site monitors. It also provides funds for the development and delivery of training materials for law enforcement officers. On March 3, 2000, on the morning show at 7:30 a.m., the KISS 94.5 DJ, Stan Marckoon advocated over the public airways to call the new Sacajewea Dollar the “Squaw Buck.” Those of you who wish to express your feelings on this issue, may write to the Station Manager at the following address: Mr. Mark Osborne Co-owner/General Manager KISS 94.5 Radio Station PO Box 9494 Ellsworth, ME 04605 For further information, you may also contact: Jessica Sockbeson McGregor 1410 Essex St. Bangor, ME 04401 Tel: (207) 990-2613 Fax: (207) 947-7840 E-mail: jsockbe@aol.com Census 2000 Be s ir e to fill out your census 200 0 form . I t is imperative th at Tribal Members be counted in the New Millennium TRIBAL ISSUES BEFORE THE 119™ SECOND REGULAR SESSION LD # an d Bl T itle il LD 2178 An Act to Amend the Act to Im plem ent the Maine Indian Claims Settlem ent Concerning the Houlton Band o f Maliseet Indians Com m ent b y R ep. Loring I am in favor o f the bill as written. The Maliseets should be sovereign as are Penobscots and Passamaquoddy. Rep. Sherman o f Houlton reluctantly sponsored by request; he was 7 0 % against the bill in com mittee. Com m ent b y R ep. Soctom ah Strongly support. The Maliseet Band should have the same rights as the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot. C urrent B illS ta tu s Public Hearing held 1 /2 8 /0 0 ; was tabled for 30 days so all parties could reach agreem ent on language and c o n ten t Failed to pass in Committee. LD 2418 An Act Concerning Offensive Names I completely support this bill; should be a "No Brainer." The bill disallows the use of Squaw or squa by the State in naming public or geographic sites. I t does not elim inate usage from the English language. This word has always been offensive, in effect, used to demoralize native w om en. They are the foundation o f a healthy community. The State must stop sanctioning its use. Public Hearing held 1 /2 8 /0 0 in Judiciary com m ittee; passed in both the House and Senate; now awaiting Governor's signature. LD 2499 An act Concerning the Date by Which Land Must be Acquired by the Penobscot Nation I am the sponsor of this bill. The bill will extend the deadline by which the Nation can purchase certain trust Support for this bill will help the Penobscot Nation put the remainder of land in Trust. The never should have been a tim e limit. All of the Paper Co. land around our com m unity was recently sold. Public Hearing held 2 /9 /0 0 in Judiciary com mittee; passed in both the House and Senate; now awaiting Governor's signature. lands from 1 /3 1 /2 0 0 0 to 1 /3 1 /2 0 2 1 . LD 2549 An Act to Im plem ent Recommendations Concerning the Protection of Indian Archeological Sites I am in favor o f implementing the recommendations that will preserve these sites. A Resolve passed last session shows th e concern felt for protection o f these sites. Maine must protect the sites, as w e have in the past. Public Hearing held on 2 /2 8 /0 0 ; passed 13-0 in committee; awaiting final enactm ent. LD 3210 An Act to Change the Name in the Statutes of a Native American Organization Able to Issue Hunting and Fishing Licenses I am in favor of this bill as long as the organization works closely with Allows an off-reservation group to issue licenses from Native the tribes to eliminate any duplication. communities' governing leader. Passed Committee; is currently in Second Reading in the House of Representatives; awaiting final The bill is sponsored by Rep. Brooks a t my request. Hopefully, the com mittee will vote to recommend a stronger role in both the House and Tribal Representatives w ant and need Report Pending. to play a m ore active role in the legislative process. Every bill passed affects our communities in one way or another. Joint Study Order Establishing a Committee to Study the Recognition o f Sovereign Nations in the Legislature Senate for tribal representatives. enactment. LD 2607 An Act Concerning Previous Passamaquoddy Indian Territory Legislation I am in favor of the Legislature taking corrective action. A corrective am endm ent should be effective to change the law that was plainly intended by all parties to the process amending the Im plem enting Act. Referred to the Com m ittee on Judiciary matters on March 7, 2000. LD 2572 An Act to Fund the Cost of the W aiver of Tuition, Fees and Other I am in opposition o f passage o f this measure, as it will only serve to I am against the passage of this bill. Received Unanimous Ought Not to Pass report. Expenses for Native American Students in the Maine Technical destabilize our funding base. College System, University of Maine System and Maine Maritim e Academy 1 1 � https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/b8cc7c306b7e3ab56df81a0ab8a147d1.pdf 84b3071d5744255a793941d2b2f4cca9 PDF Text Text Wabanaki Legislative Update ~ SprinQ 2000 Offensive Name law passed by Maine Legislature iA k waits Governor’s Signatured Tan Kahk, Greetings1 Dear Tribal Members, Welcome to the second edition of the “Wabanaki Legislative Update.” This newsletter is put together to inform the public on Legislative issues that affect the native communities of the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Micmac, and Maliseet. I have enjoyed my first session in 1999 and look forward to my service in the year 2001 next session. In the Second Regular Session we will be addressing the following issues: • LD 2418 An Act Concerning Offensive Names • LD An Act to Implement the Recommendations Concerning Indian Archeological Sites • LD 2178 An Act to Amend the Act to Implement the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Concerning the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians • LD 2499 An Act Concerning the Date by Which Land Must be Acquired by the Penobscot Nation • LD 3210 An Act to Change the Name in the Statutes of a Native Ameri can Organization Able to Issue Hunting and Fishing Licenses The bill. An Act Concerning Offensive Names, has received much national media publicity and this shows that Maine is a leader in this area that address issues such as this. We have held interviews with 2 in-state radio stations, 5 outof-state radio stations, and 2 British radio stations; also, an interview was taped with ABC’s 20/20 show, (which was very badly reported). Your help in the passage of this bill was the deciding factor, especially the young women who stepped forward to speak from their hearts, thank you. Other measures that we followed closely, which may have an impact on the native communities, involved the Department of Human Services, especially child welfare, education, and marine fisheries bills. Be part of the process; let your voices be heard! I would like to hear from you on issues, which may help our communities. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any of the following numbers: State House 287-1400 Indian Township office 796-2301 ~ Pleasant Point office 853-2600 Mobile 461-8673 ~ email: soctomah@nemaine.com Passamaquoddy website www.wabanaki.com Welcome to the Second Regular Session of the 119th Legislature. This is called the short session, and is comprised mostly of carry over bills and emer gency measures. Carry overs are bills that were not acted on in the First Regular Session. Emergency bills are determined by the Legislative Council to be of an emergency nature. This session is scheduled to adjourn in early April 2000. Again, in a joint effort, we bring you the second edition of the Maine Tribal Legislative News/Wabanaki Legislative Update, in one complete format. Items of interest are a history section and current issues, including an in depth look at the offensive names bill, LD 2418, sponsored by Representative Soctomah. Also, included are photos of Wabanaki Day, which was held at the Statehouse last session. We have charted our proposed bills for this short session with a brief expla nation of each one, as we did in the first edition. You have shown your support for these bills by attending the public hearings. Your presence spoke louder than words! If you have comments, concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me either by telephone, snail mail, or e-mail, as follows: Telephone/Fax 207-737-2608 55 North Front St., Richmond, ME 04357 dmldab @wiscasset.net I wish you health and happiness for the new millennium. Yours in the Spirit of Unity, // . /vj, / * * /*<? ---- -/- Donna M. Loring Penobscot Nation, Tribal Representative Wabanaki Legislative Update Rep. Donna Loring 55 North Front S t, Richmond, ME 04357 Rep. Donald Soctomah P.O. Box 102, Princeton, ME 04668 Woliwon, Thanks, Donald Soctomah Tribal Representative, Passamaquoddy Tribe Printed at the expense of Representatives Soctomah and Loring �OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES Testimonials for and against LD 2418 - An Act Concerning Offensive Names —Patricia Smith Ranzoni, Bucksport Because of medical troubles I was unable to attend the hearing on the bill to remove the word “squaw” from M aine place nam es; and for same reasons do not feel up to the letter this subject deserves. Neverthe less, I must add my voice, and the voice of my family, to the record on behalf of this important legislation and appreciate the opportunity to in sert testimony, however inadequate, this way. From the time I learned we are d escended from E uropeans w ho settled on land belonging to Native Peoples, I have sought to educate m yself and our family on what is known and unknown about our part in history here as related to the tribes. This path could only lead to great sorrow, as well as humbling gratitude for an “old love, too, between us,” as I have written in my poetry in honor of generational relationships between some N ative friends and some in our line. It has long troubled me that our, M aine’s, First Peoples are routinely expected to support special efforts— days, conferences, discussions, occa sions, organizations, legislation and so forth— aimed at promoting “diver sity” and an understanding of and be tween other races and cultures here, while their own situation and dis crim in atio n s o ften rem ain o v er looked or discounted. The matter of the usage of squaw, a remnant of old thinking, in much the same way as “nigger” has come to be seen, is but one example. One can only guess how it must feel for tribal members to have to appear before a legislature made up of descendants of those who invaded and, by means not wholly honorable, as the record shows, took over their homelands, to ask for understanding in this matter of great meaning for their people. If M aine’s Native Peoples aren’t included in what is meant by recent efforts toward cross-cultural respect, then the easy term “diversity” rings hollow; and without the hard and painful work to hear and act upon what is needed to make things right, is nothing but a hollow, false, and cruel term with little more meaning than any other social fad. From reports in the newspapers, tribal representatives and members have articulated most clearly, pas sionately, and successfully the ratio nale for their request. They are their own indisputable source. I want to speak, also, as a woman here. Having no right to call M aine’s first and least known women “sis ters,” I nevertheless, stand with them in outrage against the reality of what this word has meant in their lives. That non-Natives have inexcusably endowed this word with shame, here and around the world, is irrefutable, having been docum ented through both folk and scholarly histories. It can never be righted but through changes the Natives, themselves, ask for in order to retrieve their honor. Please listen. Let it not, again, be solely about the lesser profit of business, but this time, about the greater profit of hu man respect. We cannot undo what has been done, but we can begin new, now that we know. We can return the mountains, rivers, islands and points to the Native women of this place in this way. First, proclaiming sorrow for what has been taken, then invit ing them to name these places in a new spirit of presence we can honor, protect, and celebrate with them. Please. For our family, ancestors and de scendants. please turn to page 3 Maine’s Native Americans Gain Passage of LD 2418 by Representative Donald Soctomah As we enter a new millen nium, I have hope for a better relationship between the native population and the State of M aine. In order for us to achieve this improved relationship, we must end 400 years of hurt and discrimination. We must learn to live together peacefully, by hon oring and respecting each other. This hope was the motivat ing factor behind legislation that would end the use of a demoral izing and dehumanizing term in the State of Maine. The passage of this bill by the Maine House or Represen tatives and Senate will soon be signed into law by Governor Angus S. King, Jr.. It w ill rem ove the word squaw from place names in the state. This is not an issue of politi cal correctness. It is about basic human decency and respect for one’s fellow citizens. The new law protects an under repre sented group in our state, native women. Our wom en-grandmothers, mothers, and daugh ters, are all entitled to protection against basic human rights vio lations, such as the use of demor alizing language. The driving force behind this bill is hundreds of native women, who are con tinually offended by the use of this fensive, derogatory words. Native assaulted by two men, who con women have the right to define tinually yelled, “you dirty slang word. The Thesaurus of Slang iden themselves. squaw ” as they repeatedly tifies the word “squaw” as a syn We need to grow and under kicked her. onym for prostitute,, harlot, hussy, stand that the use of the term In 1998, there was a high and floozy. The dictionary identi squaw shows a lack of compas school fight that eventually fies this word as one that is used sion to human beings, it is hard turned into a racial incident. N a for the general population to imag tive girls were called squaws, to offend native females. After generations of exposure, ine how hurtful a word can be un this resulted in death threats be the word squaw is seen as a neu less it is directed toward them, ing painted on the walls. This new law sends, with tral word to the general public. But their culture, or racial background. Rep. Gerald Talbot worked great effectiveness, a goodwill to native females this word con tinues to be a slanderous attack diligently in 1974 to remove the message of understanding to the against them and their culture. ”N” word from place names in Native people of this state: Violent incidents occur more of Maine. He had to convince other Maine will stop sanctioning the ten near the native communities, representatives how hurtful and use of offensive words, which where the clash between cultures hateful this word is to Maine citi dehumanize and exploit the na zens and its visitors. tive people. still exists. During that floor debate, the The native people and the When native people name a geographic feature, such as a river offensiveness of the word squaw native communities of Maine, or a mountain, the term used will was questioned. Several represen askd for the passage of this bill describe a specific location, for the tatives stated that to the native to end the perpetuation of dehu ease of the traveler, or to denote population, it was an offensive manizing language that has been its spiritual significance. The term. This is not a new issue to used to define our women. It is never an aggressive act name of the Kennebec River de Maine, it is a 400 year old issue for a people to exercise their scribes the contours of the river. that needs to be stopped Nationally, Maine now joins right to self determination. It is Mount Katahdin was named to three other states which have re an intrinsic right that is woven signify the spirits of the mountain moved the word squaw from name into the fiber of values that this and its geography. The term squaw was not origi places. In North Carolina, the U.S. country was founded on. The following Cheyenne nally used for place names, as the Justice Department was involved word did not exist before the in the removal of the word from a proverb summarizes the point of 1600’s. It is not a linguist’s defi school system in March of 1999. this bill concisely, “A nation is There is no other word used to never conquered until the hearts nition of the original native word day which hurts native women as of its women are on the ground.” that is of concern, it is the way the Every time this defamatory term has been used to define na much as the word squaw. The term tive women in its current context. has been used as a slanderous as term is used, the hearts of our Through communication and edu sault in hate crimes; last year, a women take another blow. cation we can rid the state of of- native woman was being brutally OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES �FFENS aga'"S’have a chance to change women. We BLIC L° 2411-* " A tlensive Names from page 2 c l O come to be felt as the word whore that sexual connotation and to give the respect to Native women that they feels... dirty, degrading, and shameful. My people have suffered great in d ig n atio n u n d er w hite rule in Houlton for many generations. We did not have a land base before 1980 but for safety and community, our families settled in the same area.... always delegated to the least desirable land, tor behind the legislation, w hich would remove the word squaw from deserve. Being a Native man, and the father of seven daughters, I do not want to see them, or anyone else’s daughter, have to carry these verbal scars for the rest of their lives. This Bill will send, with great effectiveness, a goodwill message of understanding to the Native people of this State: That Maine will stop sanctioning the use o f offensive place nam es w ithin the State o f Maine. This is not an issue about political correctness; it is about basic human decency and respect for one’s fellow citizens. It is not a linguist’s definition of the original Native word words that dehumanize and exploit the Native people. The Native comm unities o f the Passam aquoddy, Penobscot, M aliseet and M icMac, including elected governmental officials of these Tribes, representing is of concern; it is the way the term has been used to define Native " ~ H“ w om en in its c u rre n t co n te x t. 7,500 people, have signed a resolu- Donald Soctomah Judiciary Com m ittee - C hairs Senator Longley and Representative Thompson. Today is an im portant day in Maine Native history. We are step ping forw ard to address a term , which has been used for many years to degrade and dehumanize native women. This was the motivating fac- . • r , „ Through communication and education we can rid this State of offensive, derogatory words, so that Native women will have the right to define themselves. This Bill seeks to protect an under represented group within this State, N ative Women. T hey are e n title d to p ro te c tio n against basic hum an rights violations, such as the use o f demoralizing language. The driving force be hind this Bill is the hundreds of Na tive Women, who are continually offended by the use of this slang word. To the general public, after generations of exposure, the word squaw is seen as a neutral word, but to the Native Women this word con tinues to be a slanderous attack against them and their culture. In ra cial incidents involving hate and physical violence this word is con tinually used to attack Native people. These incidents occur more often near the Native communities, where unfortunately the clash of the cultures still exists. We need to grow and understand that the use of the term squaw shows a lack of compassion for human be ings. It is hard for the general popu lation to imagine how hurtful a word can be unless it is directed at them, their culture, or their racial back ground. In other areas where the squaw word is used to define geographic features, we can enhance the history of the area by using the correct terms. For example, Squaw Mountain can be called M aquaso M ountain in honor of C hief K ineo’s mother to whom the legend refers. A nother place, called Squaw Bosom, makes a c o n n o ta tio n to w ard s N ativ e o f the Year of the Native Woman. We ask the State of Maine and the Federal government to recognize this d e c i ration by stopping the use of the term squaw. One experience that is burned into my memory was coming home one day and seeing a big road sign at the end of our road that said SQUAW KNOLL. When I entered my home I found my mother in tears... she was so humiliated Can you for a moment im a g in e imagine how a black American finding a sign »ad e - e d by ,he ,„w „ gov—— ernment at the end of their road that read Niqger Knoll would feel? We felt no less insulted. My mother made my two brothers go down and remove the sign. It was a very courageous act because she knew that they could be charged with tampering with town property. But it was Today you will hear testimony on how the S .... word is being used against Native women. You need to listen because the vast general popu- m ore im portant to not allow our lation does not get to hear this, now people to be treated with such bla is the time for this to be told. tant racism. The sign did not return... I ask for passage of this Bill to the road now carries the name Co&an end the perpetuation of dehumaniz Road. ing language that has been used to Long before the current debate define Native women. It is never an over the word began we shared the aggressive act for a people to exer common experience of being taunted cise their right to self-determination. by the word squaw. Women of my It is an intrinsic right that is woven tribe describe the taunting they were into the fiber of values that this coun subjected to in the 60’s in downtown try was founded upon. Houlton as children and teenagers, being surrounded by local w hite youth giving their imitation (as seen -Brenda Commander, TYibal on television) of an Indian war cry Chief, Houlton Band of Maliseet and calling them squaws. N ative Indians young people did not venture down Good M orning. I come before town alone ... but even in the com you this morning as a Native woman, pany of others they were not safe daughter, mother of a daughter, and guarded from verbal assaults... and the Chief of the Houlton Band of it certainly did not come from young Maliseet Indians, to tell you how the people only.... it was just as likely to use of the word squaw has affected come from an adult. my life, and that of my mother... my I would like to be able to say that sisters... my aunt’s... and the lives of such things would not happen today all the women of my tribe. but I cannot. As recently as two years I have not spoken to even one ago, one o f our trib al eld ers, a Maliseet woman who is not offended woman, was standing in front of the by the use of the word squaw. We do C ounty courthouse in dow ntow n not know how the word originated... H oulton, w hen a group o f youth but we are certain it did not origi circled her doing their imitation of a nate from our tongue. We did not use war yelp, calling her ’squaw’. It was the term to describe ourselves; it was a devastating experience for her... cast upon us by the white settlers. We bringing back all the old hurts. are unsure of its original meaning, As a people who for so long have but we do know how it came to be not had a voice that was heard in used. It has been used to taunt and Maine we did not feel empowered to degrade us as women. The word has even think about addressing this is- s u e .... we are th a n k fu l to Rep. Soctomah, for bringing this issue to the public conscience and giving us a voice. —Emma Nicolar My name is Emma Nicolar. I am a 58-year-old Penobscot woman. I want to express my gratitude to those individuals who have worked so hard and persistently to get this bill where it is today. This “Act” is a long time overdue. I am a P en o b sco t In d ian woman— I am not a “squaw” al though I have been called that many times in my life. I don’t have the time to detail here how detrimental this societal abuse was to the develop- n ie ^ f ZZZZ. Z I won’t go into what I’ve had to do to heal from the pain that it inflicted, but I did heal. I was born on the Penobscot Indian R eservation in Maine in 1942 but grew up in other areas other than the reservation. My parents separated when I was around 4 years old and I went to live in Connecticut. My mother later put us in a foster home in Milford, ME. I was six years old then, and that is where I fvt& remember bevrvj det graded andmade to feellike “ doggie poo” (mild expletive) because I was an Indian. I went to live with my dad on Indian Island when 1 w as 11 years old, and went to Old Town schools. In gang units Old Town youths were famous for calling me and others “squaw”, dirty Indians, and making sexually unacceptable remarks. During the 1940’s and 1950’s what did anyone know of unaccept able behavior -next to nothing! I had to grin and bear whatever came my way. It was at this time, junior high I believe, that I began to develop a defensive attitude. Playing basketball or engaging in other athletic activi ties, if I was better at the game, the only way the non-Indian girls could put me down was to make remarks about my being an Indian, not just one - on - one, but always as a group/ gang. The chip on my shoulder grew during my teenage years, and at one time I carried a knife on me at all times and used it a couple of times when physically accosted by non-In dian boys. I went to live in M assa chusetts during high school with an older brother and had hoped that be ing Indian wouldn’t follow me there, but it did. My sister and I were the please turn to page 6 OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES �1999 WABANAKI DAY ATTHE MAINE STATE HOUSE �1999 WABANAKI DAY ATTHE MAINE STATE HOUSE �OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES Testimonials for and against LD 2418 - An Act Concerning Offensive Names fro p g 3 mae only two Indians in the school sys tem and we were never allowed to forget it. I have never been endeared by non - Indians for my ethnic back ground, but always the edge of dirt, filth, and second-rate citizen was present in their remarks. Needless to say I became an adult with no self esteem. However, I had one charac teristic which saved me - persever ance. I was going to survive in spite of all the name calling and hurt and I did. Today, I know all about bigotry, slander, prejudice, and how to pro tect myself from the hurt and pain. I ’ve watched the Native population of this country struggle, just as the Negro population has, to gain respect and dignity. You cannot get away with calling me “squaw” today be cause I know the laws and will use them against you. You cannot call my daughter names, or my son, and get away with it because I will come to their rescue if they can’t handle it themselves. I have held the current school system s acco u n tab le fo r p reju d ices d isp lay ed du rin g my children’s education. Squaw Valley, California, and Squaw M ountain, M aine, are two very beautiful places. I consider my self a beautiful person today, and will not tolerate being called “squaw” . Change these names in this new mil lennium, and transform these sites back to their natural beauty. If you must continue to use Native ethnicity as a basis for naming these sites, there are some beautiful names in the Native languages, which would be more appropriate. I have argued at another committee meeting about the use of the word “sovereignty”, as I argue today about the use of the word “squaw.” We as Native peoples never needed these words, we have always known who we are and have a lan guage to describe ourselves. These are your words, and “squaw” is a misnomer. I ’m sure we’re all famil iar with the description of this word in W ebster’s Collegiate Dictionary. But have you ever taken the time to find out what an Indian woman was called in her own language. Each tribal language is different but each tribe has a w ord, or d eriv ativ es thereof, for designating a N ative w om an or d e sc rib in g a N ativ e woman. Do these place names that contain “squaw” today have to have an ethnic tone? How far would you get today if you called these places “Frog M ountain” , “Nigger M oun tain”, or some such ethnic slur? We are adults today, and possess the power to make changes, and I pray to the power to my understanding that you will change all place names with the word “squaw” in it in the State of Maine. —Richard M. Doyle, Office of the Governor G ood M orning to the d istin guished Chairs and Members of the Judiciary Committee. I am honored to be here this morning to testify in favor of L.D. 2418, an Act Concerning Offensive Names. This act would correct a defamation that has been perpetuated against Indian Women specifically, and Indian People in general. I will not condone this word by speaking it here today, but the bill specifies the word in question. This word has been used to defile Indian women ever since the European invasion of this land. You have been provided with the origins of this word by Represen tative Soctomah, MITSC, and oth ers, I will not go there. What I do want to talk about is how it feels to an Indian Person, obviously a male perspective, to hear someone use such a word. I have heard the “s” word many times in my life. Each time it has been used to inflict pain and stereotype Indian women. The word as I hear and perceive it denotes an Indian woman who is easy, an In dian woman who is promiscuous, a slut, a whore. When the term is used generally the meaning is intensified. Each time I hear this word I am of fended to the point of madness and disgusted that the dominant society allows and tolerates such racist lan guage. I have heard our women tell me about ex-boyfriends chasing them around in public calling them the “s” word loudly, having this term painted on a door or wall to brand them, and other arduous stories. I have heard for m yself white men saying things like “it’s Saturday night, guess I’ll take a trip to the res ervation and snag me one of those “s” words” (this from UMM staff), “better get home before my s” word goes on the warpath”, “the girl was so drunk out of her mind, if I didn’t know better I would swear she was a “s” word, as well as many other ex amples of racially loaded idiocy. This same type of racism is cur rently allowed by the State in the naming of businesses, geographic features, natural resources, sport teams, and all types of groups. The non - Native will try to tell Thompson, and members of the com you that these words are not offen mittee, I am Sharon Libby Jones, a sive or were not meant to be offen selectmen for the town Greenville, speaking against L.D. 2418. sive. I am a small business owner, a I hope that this committee under stands that the “s” word in today’s S ele ctm e n fo r the Town o f society is offensive to Native people. Greenville and a former State Rep There is no justification or explana resentative that represented District tion that can change the fact that this 111, which is located in Piscataquis term is racist. Others may try to tell County and includes 11 towns, two this com m ittee that banning this plantations and several organized ter word will infringe upon or even de ritories in Northern Maine. Several stroy part of another Indian language. of these unorganized territories are I do not accept this premise either, L ittle Squaw Tow nship and Big since this “s” word may be a bastard Squaw Township. L.D. 2418, An Act Concerning ization of an Indian word, changed in ignorance to classify and demean. Offensive Names, is a step in the I do not know of any Indian culture wrong direction for Maine. I think that would allow others to use their all of us here recognize the impor words to shame and attack their Na tance of the State’s history. We need to understand the state’s tribal cul tive sisters and brothers. L.D. 2418 goes further than just ture and history. Piscataquis County, banning a word, it seeks to officially for over 100 years, has recognized celebrate our Native Women for all and realized the importance of the they have contributed to the Indian Native American culture and history. family, the Indian culture, and to the Currently, the Piscataquis County State of Maine. It is a positive ap Economic Council has begun survey proach. Proclaiming this millennial research on the cultural heritage of year The Year of the Native Ameri the region. This research project will can Woman would honor all native be gathering information from his people while providing hope for the torians, storytellers, and traditional future that all people will be in har businesses. The information will be m ony, and m u tu al respect w ill catalogued and used to develop a a bound for one another. cultural heritage m ap, which w ill b e If it were up to my Tribe, this used to inform tbe citizens of tbe term, along with other racially offen State and our travelers to the region sive words, (excuse my language) of the richness of our history. such as “redskin” would be prohib We are m oving fo rw ard in ited and if anyone dare utter the Greenville with a Natural Resource word, then strict penalties would ap Education Center. The concept of this ply. But it is not up to us, it is up to facility is to house orientation and in the Maine Legislature to pass a bill terpretation services, educational that would make it known to all, that exhibits, on- and off-site programs, the State of Maine does not tolerate interpretive trails, and events that ex racism. That the State of Maine will plain and celebrate the unique natu not allow Indian women or any other ral and cultural heritage of the region. group to be publicly ridiculed, that Piscataquis County is the poor the State of Maine recognizes and ap est County in the State with the least preciates diversity, that the State of population of any other county. We Maine pays honor to Native Women are rich with natural resources, his for their strength, their accomplish tory, culture and pride. The Native ments, their vision, their compassion, Americans are very much a part of our history. their beauty, and their tolerance. Less than one week ago, I re Thank you for allowing me to speak my words and hope each of the ceived a Public Hearing Notice about members consider them in deliber this important Public Hearing. Since ating this matter. Please support L. then there have been several articles and notifications that were sent to the D .2418. Woliwon (thank you) naka Tahu citizens of the area. Tremendous feel ings, reflections on history, as well (and stop) as strong emotions, have been pour ing in from the Native Americans and citizens of the Moosehead Lake Re —Sharon Libby Jones gion. In less than 24 hours nearly 300 Greenville Selectmen people signed petitions that were lo and Former State Representative, cated in just a few of our businesses District 111 please turn to page 7 Senator Longley, Representative OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES �Speech to the 63rd Maine Legislature, in 1887 by Lewis Mitchell Representative of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians I was authorized by the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians to come here before you for the purpose of making known to you what the Passamaquoddy Indians have done for the American people, and how we have been used by the American people and how we used them. In 1775 or 1776, in the struggle between Great Britain and America, your people came to us for assistance. You authorized Col. John Allan to speak to us and you said, “He is our mouth, believe what he says to you.” After many kind words and promises, Francis Joseph, who was the chief of the tribe at that time, accepted his offer. He promised to go and help his people gain their indepen dence. Immediately he sent his captains to different parts of his coun try to notify his people to prepare for immediate war. In a few days Francis Joseph gathered an army of six hundred men. At that time, and many years before that, the Passamaquoddy Tribe was the head quarters of the Abnaki Nation. Passamaquoddy Tribe can show you by a letter from Col. John Allan when he authorized the Passamaquoddy Indians to guard the coast form Machias to Passamaquoddy, and authorized them to seize the enemy’s vessels. And according to his orders we can show you by the affidavit, Capt. Sopiel Socktoma, with fifty others of his tribe, captured an armed schooner in Passamaquoddy Bay, and they ran her to Machias and gave her up to Col. John Allan. We know the Indians who served in that war are passed out of existence, but the Passamaquoddy Tribe helped the Americans in that war, and the tribe is still in existence, Now we bountily ask your attention to help us by letting the Legislature examine the pa pers and refer them to Congress, if they see fit. In the treaties of 1725, 1794, and Governor Dummer’s treaty of 1727, and in the laws of Massachusetts and Maine at their separa tion, we were guaranteed the right to hunt and fish forever. In the year 1854 or 1857 some dishonest person or persons pre sented a petition to the Maine Legislature, asking the State to sell the Indians’ land - Indians did not need it - so the Legislature passed a resolve, that a certain piece of land, situated in the Town of Perry, owned by the Indians, would be sold by public auction, on such day, at Perry (they must have arranged everything so they wouldn’t bid against each other) and that land was sold for the small sum of $500.00. The Indians opposed the sale of it. Now their firewood costs the Indians of Pleasant Point $ 1,500.00 a year. If that land had not been sold, the Indians would not suffer for want of firewood. Thousands of cords of cordwood have been cut, and wood is on it yet. The land cleared by the Indians was also sold. Now we claim again that this is not right. An Indian agent himself bought this land afterward and again when we lost the claim on the Islands the case Granger vs. Indians, we not only lost the claim, but $2,500.00 out of the Indians in favor of Mr. Granger. Just consider, today, how many rich men there are in Calais, in St. Stephen, M illtown, M achias, East M achias, Colum bia, Cherryfield, and other lumbering towns. We see a good many of them worth thousands and even millions of dollars. We ask our selves, how they make most of their money? Answer is, they make it on lumber or timber once owned by the Passamaquoddy Indians. How many of their privileges have been broken? How many of their lands have been taken from them by authority of the State? Now, we say to ourselves, these Indians ought to have everything they ask for. They deserve assistance. We are sent here to help the poor and defend their rights. Now, this plainly shows us how much worse a people of five hundred and thirty souls are, stripped of their whole country, their privileges on which they depend for their living; all the land they claim to own now being only ten acres. If one or two men in this body were Indians they would fight like braves for their rights. Now look at yourselves and see whether I am right or wrong. If you find any insulting language in my speech, I ask your pardon. I don’t mean to insult anybody, but simply tell you of our wrong. Testimonials from page 6 in the area. Yes Native Americans ganization, for years have promoted sign them as well. That is how strong the word “Squaw ” w hether it be our feelings are for the history of the Squaw Brook, Little Squaw Brook word “Squaw.” Campground, hiking and biking trails The im p o rtan ce of the w ord throughout the Townships, on menus, “Squaw” is not only important to the signs, Squaw Mountain Resort and h e rita g e o f the area b u t to our G olf Course and our magnificent economy locally and Statewide. Big Mountain called “Big Squaw Moun Squaw Mountain, an internationally tain”. known ski area in Big Squaw Town Think for a moment the impact, ship, is very important to our area. economically and historically, on this T his M ou n tain at one tim e was unique area of the State. The follow owned by the State. Located on ma ing D epartm ents w ould have to jestic M oosehead Lake are wonder change many statues and regulations ful areas such as Squaw Bay, Squaw and maps of the area. All Business Point and Squaw Point Subdivision. Brochures, The Town of Greenville, The State owns a cam pground on Emergency Management Agencies, Squaw Brook. The water supply for The Department of Transportation, the Town of Greenville comes from The Departm ent of Conservation, a well located in Little Squaw Town The Department of Inland Fisheries ship. The Town has a sanitary land and Wildlife, The Health and Infor fill in Little Squaw Township. There m atio n C en ter (EM S law ), is a growing industrial park located Piscataquis County Law Enforce in this Township. We have a boom ment Agencies. ing snow m obile industry located We have recently had completed throughout Little and Big Squaw areas for the E-911 system that con Townships, and Big Squaw Moun tain the word “Squaw” . The evacua tain. The trails systems (ITS 86 plus tion designation for our immediate local trails) in these areas are some area is Big Squaw Mountain. the best in the State. Think what this change would do (Expenditures per Snowmobile for the State Forestry Division in our for a resident are near $600.00 and a area. They maintain an immense and nonresident $1,100.00). Businesses, complex system for Forest Fires Pro the S tate o f M ain e and the tection. Moosehead Lake Region Chamber Please do not remove forever the of Commerce, the Moosehead His word “Squaw” from the Moosehead torical Society, our schools and the Regions heritage by passing this leg islation. Thank you. Shaw Public Library, International Seaplane Fly In Or Partial listing of organizations supporting the elimination of “Squaw” from name places in Maine TribesAroostook Band of Micmacs Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkokmikuk (Indian Township) Houlton band of Maliseets Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik (Pleasant Point) Penobscot Nation United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (23 federally recognized tribes) Other Native OrganizationsAIM Daughters of the First Light IRATE NACHME Wabanaki Mental Health, Inc. Administration of Governor Angus S. King, Jr.Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission Religious OrganizationsCatholic Diocese of Maine Episcopal Diocese of Maine, Committee on Indian Relations Friends Committee on Maine Public Policy Maine Council of Churches Maine Holocaust Human Rights Center Other OrganizationsBlack Education and Cultural History, Inc. (Former Representative Jerry Talbot, Founder) Hall-Dale Middle School Civil Rights Team Maine AFL-CIO Maine Civil Liberties Union Maine Human Rights Commission Maine Lesbian Gay Political Alliance Maine Women’s Lobby NAACP National Coalition Building Institute____________________________ _ �Protection of Indian Archeological Sites In the spring of 1999 the 119th Legislature passed the following Resolve requiring the study of the issue of looting and vandalism of Native American archeo logical sites, and preparation of a report recommend ing solutions: Resolved: That the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and the Representatives of the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe jointly shall con duct a review of the threats to Native American ar cheological sites from looting and vandalisfn and re port their recommendations for implementing a moni toring or stewardship program for site protection and preservation. The review must also involve the fol lowing law enforcement agencies: the Maine Warden Service, the Maine Forest Service, the Bureau of ma rine Patrol, and local and state law enforcement. The review must also involve the Native American com munity and other interested parties. To fulfill this legislative charge, Arthur Spiess held a series of meetings with Donald Soctomah in August and September 1999. Spiess, Soctomah and Represen tative Donna Loring also met on September 8, 1999. Then Spiess met with the law enforcement agencies mentioned in the legislation and held discussions over the telephone during September through December 1999. Donald Soctomah presented the legislation to inter-tribal meetings for discussion. Comments were sought form the board of the Maine Archeological Society. Late Breaking News The bill is designed to provide increased protec tion for archeological sites. It amends the definition of an archeological site on state-controlled land to include a site judged eligible for listing on the national Regis ter of Historic Places by the Maine Historic Preserva tion Commission and approved by the appropriate land managing agency director or local governing body. Current law requires the site to be listed on the Na tional Register of Historic Places. It also makes the unlawful excavation of a pro tected archeological site a Class E crime for which a fine of not less than $250 must be adjudged. The court may order the defendant to pay an amount equal to the reasonable cost of a proper archeological excavation, had the area that was unlawfully excavated been prop erly excavated. A provision that an emergency archeological site designation may be made for a period not to exceed 10 years and that the Director of the Maine historic preservation Commission and the landowner shall specify in writing the area that is the subject of such a designation. It provides funding for increased monitoring of archeological sites. This funding supports a part-time monitoring coordinator using existing part-time project personnel and site monitors. It also provides funds for the development and delivery of training materials for law enforcement officers. On March 3, 2000, on the morning show at 7:30 a.m., the KISS 94.5 DJ, Stan Marckoon advocated over the public airways to call the new Sacajewea Dollar the “Squaw Buck.” Those of you who wish to express your feelings on this issue, may write to the Station Manager at the following address: Mr. Mark Osborne Co-owner/General Manager KISS 94.5 Radio Station PO Box 9494 Ellsworth, ME 04605 For further information, you may also contact: Jessica Sockbeson McGregor 1410 Essex St. Bangor, ME 04401 Tel: (207) 990-2613 Fax: (207) 947-7840 E-mail: jsockbe@aol.com Census 2000 Be s ir e to fill out your census 200 0 form . I t is imperative th at Tribal Members be counted in the New Millennium TRIBAL ISSUES BEFORE THE 119™ SECOND REGULAR SESSION LD # an d Bl T itle il LD 2178 An Act to Amend the Act to Im plem ent the Maine Indian Claims Settlem ent Concerning the Houlton Band o f Maliseet Indians Com m ent b y R ep. Loring I am in favor o f the bill as written. The Maliseets should be sovereign as are Penobscots and Passamaquoddy. Rep. Sherman o f Houlton reluctantly sponsored by request; he was 7 0 % against the bill in com mittee. Com m ent b y R ep. Soctom ah Strongly support. The Maliseet Band should have the same rights as the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot. C urrent B illS ta tu s Public Hearing held 1 /2 8 /0 0 ; was tabled for 30 days so all parties could reach agreem ent on language and c o n ten t Failed to pass in Committee. LD 2418 An Act Concerning Offensive Names I completely support this bill; should be a "No Brainer." The bill disallows the use of Squaw or squa by the State in naming public or geographic sites. I t does not elim inate usage from the English language. This word has always been offensive, in effect, used to demoralize native w om en. They are the foundation o f a healthy community. The State must stop sanctioning its use. Public Hearing held 1 /2 8 /0 0 in Judiciary com m ittee; passed in both the House and Senate; now awaiting Governor's signature. LD 2499 An act Concerning the Date by Which Land Must be Acquired by the Penobscot Nation I am the sponsor of this bill. The bill will extend the deadline by which the Nation can purchase certain trust Support for this bill will help the Penobscot Nation put the remainder of land in Trust. The never should have been a tim e limit. All of the Paper Co. land around our com m unity was recently sold. Public Hearing held 2 /9 /0 0 in Judiciary com mittee; passed in both the House and Senate; now awaiting Governor's signature. lands from 1 /3 1 /2 0 0 0 to 1 /3 1 /2 0 2 1 . LD 2549 An Act to Im plem ent Recommendations Concerning the Protection of Indian Archeological Sites I am in favor o f implementing the recommendations that will preserve these sites. A Resolve passed last session shows th e concern felt for protection o f these sites. Maine must protect the sites, as w e have in the past. Public Hearing held on 2 /2 8 /0 0 ; passed 13-0 in committee; awaiting final enactm ent. LD 3210 An Act to Change the Name in the Statutes of a Native American Organization Able to Issue Hunting and Fishing Licenses I am in favor of this bill as long as the organization works closely with Allows an off-reservation group to issue licenses from Native the tribes to eliminate any duplication. communities' governing leader. Passed Committee; is currently in Second Reading in the House of Representatives; awaiting final The bill is sponsored by Rep. Brooks a t my request. Hopefully, the com mittee will vote to recommend a stronger role in both the House and Tribal Representatives w ant and need Report Pending. to play a m ore active role in the legislative process. Every bill passed affects our communities in one way or another. Joint Study Order Establishing a Committee to Study the Recognition o f Sovereign Nations in the Legislature Senate for tribal representatives. enactment. LD 2607 An Act Concerning Previous Passamaquoddy Indian Territory Legislation I am in favor of the Legislature taking corrective action. A corrective am endm ent should be effective to change the law that was plainly intended by all parties to the process amending the Im plem enting Act. Referred to the Com m ittee on Judiciary matters on March 7, 2000. LD 2572 An Act to Fund the Cost of the W aiver of Tuition, Fees and Other I am in opposition o f passage o f this measure, as it will only serve to I am against the passage of this bill. Received Unanimous Ought Not to Pass report. Expenses for Native American Students in the Maine Technical destabilize our funding base. College System, University of Maine System and Maine Maritim e Academy 1 1 � https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/0ea14c66cd20e82b7d1c31a5e020fac8.pdf 84b3071d5744255a793941d2b2f4cca9 PDF Text Text Wabanaki Legislative Update ~ SprinQ 2000 Offensive Name law passed by Maine Legislature iA k waits Governor’s Signatured Tan Kahk, Greetings1 Dear Tribal Members, Welcome to the second edition of the “Wabanaki Legislative Update.” This newsletter is put together to inform the public on Legislative issues that affect the native communities of the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Micmac, and Maliseet. I have enjoyed my first session in 1999 and look forward to my service in the year 2001 next session. In the Second Regular Session we will be addressing the following issues: • LD 2418 An Act Concerning Offensive Names • LD An Act to Implement the Recommendations Concerning Indian Archeological Sites • LD 2178 An Act to Amend the Act to Implement the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Concerning the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians • LD 2499 An Act Concerning the Date by Which Land Must be Acquired by the Penobscot Nation • LD 3210 An Act to Change the Name in the Statutes of a Native Ameri can Organization Able to Issue Hunting and Fishing Licenses The bill. An Act Concerning Offensive Names, has received much national media publicity and this shows that Maine is a leader in this area that address issues such as this. We have held interviews with 2 in-state radio stations, 5 outof-state radio stations, and 2 British radio stations; also, an interview was taped with ABC’s 20/20 show, (which was very badly reported). Your help in the passage of this bill was the deciding factor, especially the young women who stepped forward to speak from their hearts, thank you. Other measures that we followed closely, which may have an impact on the native communities, involved the Department of Human Services, especially child welfare, education, and marine fisheries bills. Be part of the process; let your voices be heard! I would like to hear from you on issues, which may help our communities. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any of the following numbers: State House 287-1400 Indian Township office 796-2301 ~ Pleasant Point office 853-2600 Mobile 461-8673 ~ email: soctomah@nemaine.com Passamaquoddy website www.wabanaki.com Welcome to the Second Regular Session of the 119th Legislature. This is called the short session, and is comprised mostly of carry over bills and emer gency measures. Carry overs are bills that were not acted on in the First Regular Session. Emergency bills are determined by the Legislative Council to be of an emergency nature. This session is scheduled to adjourn in early April 2000. Again, in a joint effort, we bring you the second edition of the Maine Tribal Legislative News/Wabanaki Legislative Update, in one complete format. Items of interest are a history section and current issues, including an in depth look at the offensive names bill, LD 2418, sponsored by Representative Soctomah. Also, included are photos of Wabanaki Day, which was held at the Statehouse last session. We have charted our proposed bills for this short session with a brief expla nation of each one, as we did in the first edition. You have shown your support for these bills by attending the public hearings. Your presence spoke louder than words! If you have comments, concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me either by telephone, snail mail, or e-mail, as follows: Telephone/Fax 207-737-2608 55 North Front St., Richmond, ME 04357 dmldab @wiscasset.net I wish you health and happiness for the new millennium. Yours in the Spirit of Unity, // . /vj, / * * /*<? ---- -/- Donna M. Loring Penobscot Nation, Tribal Representative Wabanaki Legislative Update Rep. Donna Loring 55 North Front S t, Richmond, ME 04357 Rep. Donald Soctomah P.O. Box 102, Princeton, ME 04668 Woliwon, Thanks, Donald Soctomah Tribal Representative, Passamaquoddy Tribe Printed at the expense of Representatives Soctomah and Loring �OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES Testimonials for and against LD 2418 - An Act Concerning Offensive Names —Patricia Smith Ranzoni, Bucksport Because of medical troubles I was unable to attend the hearing on the bill to remove the word “squaw” from M aine place nam es; and for same reasons do not feel up to the letter this subject deserves. Neverthe less, I must add my voice, and the voice of my family, to the record on behalf of this important legislation and appreciate the opportunity to in sert testimony, however inadequate, this way. From the time I learned we are d escended from E uropeans w ho settled on land belonging to Native Peoples, I have sought to educate m yself and our family on what is known and unknown about our part in history here as related to the tribes. This path could only lead to great sorrow, as well as humbling gratitude for an “old love, too, between us,” as I have written in my poetry in honor of generational relationships between some N ative friends and some in our line. It has long troubled me that our, M aine’s, First Peoples are routinely expected to support special efforts— days, conferences, discussions, occa sions, organizations, legislation and so forth— aimed at promoting “diver sity” and an understanding of and be tween other races and cultures here, while their own situation and dis crim in atio n s o ften rem ain o v er looked or discounted. The matter of the usage of squaw, a remnant of old thinking, in much the same way as “nigger” has come to be seen, is but one example. One can only guess how it must feel for tribal members to have to appear before a legislature made up of descendants of those who invaded and, by means not wholly honorable, as the record shows, took over their homelands, to ask for understanding in this matter of great meaning for their people. If M aine’s Native Peoples aren’t included in what is meant by recent efforts toward cross-cultural respect, then the easy term “diversity” rings hollow; and without the hard and painful work to hear and act upon what is needed to make things right, is nothing but a hollow, false, and cruel term with little more meaning than any other social fad. From reports in the newspapers, tribal representatives and members have articulated most clearly, pas sionately, and successfully the ratio nale for their request. They are their own indisputable source. I want to speak, also, as a woman here. Having no right to call M aine’s first and least known women “sis ters,” I nevertheless, stand with them in outrage against the reality of what this word has meant in their lives. That non-Natives have inexcusably endowed this word with shame, here and around the world, is irrefutable, having been docum ented through both folk and scholarly histories. It can never be righted but through changes the Natives, themselves, ask for in order to retrieve their honor. Please listen. Let it not, again, be solely about the lesser profit of business, but this time, about the greater profit of hu man respect. We cannot undo what has been done, but we can begin new, now that we know. We can return the mountains, rivers, islands and points to the Native women of this place in this way. First, proclaiming sorrow for what has been taken, then invit ing them to name these places in a new spirit of presence we can honor, protect, and celebrate with them. Please. For our family, ancestors and de scendants. please turn to page 3 Maine’s Native Americans Gain Passage of LD 2418 by Representative Donald Soctomah As we enter a new millen nium, I have hope for a better relationship between the native population and the State of M aine. In order for us to achieve this improved relationship, we must end 400 years of hurt and discrimination. We must learn to live together peacefully, by hon oring and respecting each other. This hope was the motivat ing factor behind legislation that would end the use of a demoral izing and dehumanizing term in the State of Maine. The passage of this bill by the Maine House or Represen tatives and Senate will soon be signed into law by Governor Angus S. King, Jr.. It w ill rem ove the word squaw from place names in the state. This is not an issue of politi cal correctness. It is about basic human decency and respect for one’s fellow citizens. The new law protects an under repre sented group in our state, native women. Our wom en-grandmothers, mothers, and daugh ters, are all entitled to protection against basic human rights vio lations, such as the use of demor alizing language. The driving force behind this bill is hundreds of native women, who are con tinually offended by the use of this fensive, derogatory words. Native assaulted by two men, who con women have the right to define tinually yelled, “you dirty slang word. The Thesaurus of Slang iden themselves. squaw ” as they repeatedly tifies the word “squaw” as a syn We need to grow and under kicked her. onym for prostitute,, harlot, hussy, stand that the use of the term In 1998, there was a high and floozy. The dictionary identi squaw shows a lack of compas school fight that eventually fies this word as one that is used sion to human beings, it is hard turned into a racial incident. N a for the general population to imag tive girls were called squaws, to offend native females. After generations of exposure, ine how hurtful a word can be un this resulted in death threats be the word squaw is seen as a neu less it is directed toward them, ing painted on the walls. This new law sends, with tral word to the general public. But their culture, or racial background. Rep. Gerald Talbot worked great effectiveness, a goodwill to native females this word con tinues to be a slanderous attack diligently in 1974 to remove the message of understanding to the against them and their culture. ”N” word from place names in Native people of this state: Violent incidents occur more of Maine. He had to convince other Maine will stop sanctioning the ten near the native communities, representatives how hurtful and use of offensive words, which where the clash between cultures hateful this word is to Maine citi dehumanize and exploit the na zens and its visitors. tive people. still exists. During that floor debate, the The native people and the When native people name a geographic feature, such as a river offensiveness of the word squaw native communities of Maine, or a mountain, the term used will was questioned. Several represen askd for the passage of this bill describe a specific location, for the tatives stated that to the native to end the perpetuation of dehu ease of the traveler, or to denote population, it was an offensive manizing language that has been its spiritual significance. The term. This is not a new issue to used to define our women. It is never an aggressive act name of the Kennebec River de Maine, it is a 400 year old issue for a people to exercise their scribes the contours of the river. that needs to be stopped Nationally, Maine now joins right to self determination. It is Mount Katahdin was named to three other states which have re an intrinsic right that is woven signify the spirits of the mountain moved the word squaw from name into the fiber of values that this and its geography. The term squaw was not origi places. In North Carolina, the U.S. country was founded on. The following Cheyenne nally used for place names, as the Justice Department was involved word did not exist before the in the removal of the word from a proverb summarizes the point of 1600’s. It is not a linguist’s defi school system in March of 1999. this bill concisely, “A nation is There is no other word used to never conquered until the hearts nition of the original native word day which hurts native women as of its women are on the ground.” that is of concern, it is the way the Every time this defamatory term has been used to define na much as the word squaw. The term tive women in its current context. has been used as a slanderous as term is used, the hearts of our Through communication and edu sault in hate crimes; last year, a women take another blow. cation we can rid the state of of- native woman was being brutally OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES �FFENS aga'"S’have a chance to change women. We BLIC L° 2411-* " A tlensive Names from page 2 c l O come to be felt as the word whore that sexual connotation and to give the respect to Native women that they feels... dirty, degrading, and shameful. My people have suffered great in d ig n atio n u n d er w hite rule in Houlton for many generations. We did not have a land base before 1980 but for safety and community, our families settled in the same area.... always delegated to the least desirable land, tor behind the legislation, w hich would remove the word squaw from deserve. Being a Native man, and the father of seven daughters, I do not want to see them, or anyone else’s daughter, have to carry these verbal scars for the rest of their lives. This Bill will send, with great effectiveness, a goodwill message of understanding to the Native people of this State: That Maine will stop sanctioning the use o f offensive place nam es w ithin the State o f Maine. This is not an issue about political correctness; it is about basic human decency and respect for one’s fellow citizens. It is not a linguist’s definition of the original Native word words that dehumanize and exploit the Native people. The Native comm unities o f the Passam aquoddy, Penobscot, M aliseet and M icMac, including elected governmental officials of these Tribes, representing is of concern; it is the way the term has been used to define Native " ~ H“ w om en in its c u rre n t co n te x t. 7,500 people, have signed a resolu- Donald Soctomah Judiciary Com m ittee - C hairs Senator Longley and Representative Thompson. Today is an im portant day in Maine Native history. We are step ping forw ard to address a term , which has been used for many years to degrade and dehumanize native women. This was the motivating fac- . • r , „ Through communication and education we can rid this State of offensive, derogatory words, so that Native women will have the right to define themselves. This Bill seeks to protect an under represented group within this State, N ative Women. T hey are e n title d to p ro te c tio n against basic hum an rights violations, such as the use o f demoralizing language. The driving force be hind this Bill is the hundreds of Na tive Women, who are continually offended by the use of this slang word. To the general public, after generations of exposure, the word squaw is seen as a neutral word, but to the Native Women this word con tinues to be a slanderous attack against them and their culture. In ra cial incidents involving hate and physical violence this word is con tinually used to attack Native people. These incidents occur more often near the Native communities, where unfortunately the clash of the cultures still exists. We need to grow and understand that the use of the term squaw shows a lack of compassion for human be ings. It is hard for the general popu lation to imagine how hurtful a word can be unless it is directed at them, their culture, or their racial back ground. In other areas where the squaw word is used to define geographic features, we can enhance the history of the area by using the correct terms. For example, Squaw Mountain can be called M aquaso M ountain in honor of C hief K ineo’s mother to whom the legend refers. A nother place, called Squaw Bosom, makes a c o n n o ta tio n to w ard s N ativ e o f the Year of the Native Woman. We ask the State of Maine and the Federal government to recognize this d e c i ration by stopping the use of the term squaw. One experience that is burned into my memory was coming home one day and seeing a big road sign at the end of our road that said SQUAW KNOLL. When I entered my home I found my mother in tears... she was so humiliated Can you for a moment im a g in e imagine how a black American finding a sign »ad e - e d by ,he ,„w „ gov—— ernment at the end of their road that read Niqger Knoll would feel? We felt no less insulted. My mother made my two brothers go down and remove the sign. It was a very courageous act because she knew that they could be charged with tampering with town property. But it was Today you will hear testimony on how the S .... word is being used against Native women. You need to listen because the vast general popu- m ore im portant to not allow our lation does not get to hear this, now people to be treated with such bla is the time for this to be told. tant racism. The sign did not return... I ask for passage of this Bill to the road now carries the name Co&an end the perpetuation of dehumaniz Road. ing language that has been used to Long before the current debate define Native women. It is never an over the word began we shared the aggressive act for a people to exer common experience of being taunted cise their right to self-determination. by the word squaw. Women of my It is an intrinsic right that is woven tribe describe the taunting they were into the fiber of values that this coun subjected to in the 60’s in downtown try was founded upon. Houlton as children and teenagers, being surrounded by local w hite youth giving their imitation (as seen -Brenda Commander, TYibal on television) of an Indian war cry Chief, Houlton Band of Maliseet and calling them squaws. N ative Indians young people did not venture down Good M orning. I come before town alone ... but even in the com you this morning as a Native woman, pany of others they were not safe daughter, mother of a daughter, and guarded from verbal assaults... and the Chief of the Houlton Band of it certainly did not come from young Maliseet Indians, to tell you how the people only.... it was just as likely to use of the word squaw has affected come from an adult. my life, and that of my mother... my I would like to be able to say that sisters... my aunt’s... and the lives of such things would not happen today all the women of my tribe. but I cannot. As recently as two years I have not spoken to even one ago, one o f our trib al eld ers, a Maliseet woman who is not offended woman, was standing in front of the by the use of the word squaw. We do C ounty courthouse in dow ntow n not know how the word originated... H oulton, w hen a group o f youth but we are certain it did not origi circled her doing their imitation of a nate from our tongue. We did not use war yelp, calling her ’squaw’. It was the term to describe ourselves; it was a devastating experience for her... cast upon us by the white settlers. We bringing back all the old hurts. are unsure of its original meaning, As a people who for so long have but we do know how it came to be not had a voice that was heard in used. It has been used to taunt and Maine we did not feel empowered to degrade us as women. The word has even think about addressing this is- s u e .... we are th a n k fu l to Rep. Soctomah, for bringing this issue to the public conscience and giving us a voice. —Emma Nicolar My name is Emma Nicolar. I am a 58-year-old Penobscot woman. I want to express my gratitude to those individuals who have worked so hard and persistently to get this bill where it is today. This “Act” is a long time overdue. I am a P en o b sco t In d ian woman— I am not a “squaw” al though I have been called that many times in my life. I don’t have the time to detail here how detrimental this societal abuse was to the develop- n ie ^ f ZZZZ. Z I won’t go into what I’ve had to do to heal from the pain that it inflicted, but I did heal. I was born on the Penobscot Indian R eservation in Maine in 1942 but grew up in other areas other than the reservation. My parents separated when I was around 4 years old and I went to live in Connecticut. My mother later put us in a foster home in Milford, ME. I was six years old then, and that is where I fvt& remember bevrvj det graded andmade to feellike “ doggie poo” (mild expletive) because I was an Indian. I went to live with my dad on Indian Island when 1 w as 11 years old, and went to Old Town schools. In gang units Old Town youths were famous for calling me and others “squaw”, dirty Indians, and making sexually unacceptable remarks. During the 1940’s and 1950’s what did anyone know of unaccept able behavior -next to nothing! I had to grin and bear whatever came my way. It was at this time, junior high I believe, that I began to develop a defensive attitude. Playing basketball or engaging in other athletic activi ties, if I was better at the game, the only way the non-Indian girls could put me down was to make remarks about my being an Indian, not just one - on - one, but always as a group/ gang. The chip on my shoulder grew during my teenage years, and at one time I carried a knife on me at all times and used it a couple of times when physically accosted by non-In dian boys. I went to live in M assa chusetts during high school with an older brother and had hoped that be ing Indian wouldn’t follow me there, but it did. My sister and I were the please turn to page 6 OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES �1999 WABANAKI DAY ATTHE MAINE STATE HOUSE �1999 WABANAKI DAY ATTHE MAINE STATE HOUSE �OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES Testimonials for and against LD 2418 - An Act Concerning Offensive Names fro p g 3 mae only two Indians in the school sys tem and we were never allowed to forget it. I have never been endeared by non - Indians for my ethnic back ground, but always the edge of dirt, filth, and second-rate citizen was present in their remarks. Needless to say I became an adult with no self esteem. However, I had one charac teristic which saved me - persever ance. I was going to survive in spite of all the name calling and hurt and I did. Today, I know all about bigotry, slander, prejudice, and how to pro tect myself from the hurt and pain. I ’ve watched the Native population of this country struggle, just as the Negro population has, to gain respect and dignity. You cannot get away with calling me “squaw” today be cause I know the laws and will use them against you. You cannot call my daughter names, or my son, and get away with it because I will come to their rescue if they can’t handle it themselves. I have held the current school system s acco u n tab le fo r p reju d ices d isp lay ed du rin g my children’s education. Squaw Valley, California, and Squaw M ountain, M aine, are two very beautiful places. I consider my self a beautiful person today, and will not tolerate being called “squaw” . Change these names in this new mil lennium, and transform these sites back to their natural beauty. If you must continue to use Native ethnicity as a basis for naming these sites, there are some beautiful names in the Native languages, which would be more appropriate. I have argued at another committee meeting about the use of the word “sovereignty”, as I argue today about the use of the word “squaw.” We as Native peoples never needed these words, we have always known who we are and have a lan guage to describe ourselves. These are your words, and “squaw” is a misnomer. I ’m sure we’re all famil iar with the description of this word in W ebster’s Collegiate Dictionary. But have you ever taken the time to find out what an Indian woman was called in her own language. Each tribal language is different but each tribe has a w ord, or d eriv ativ es thereof, for designating a N ative w om an or d e sc rib in g a N ativ e woman. Do these place names that contain “squaw” today have to have an ethnic tone? How far would you get today if you called these places “Frog M ountain” , “Nigger M oun tain”, or some such ethnic slur? We are adults today, and possess the power to make changes, and I pray to the power to my understanding that you will change all place names with the word “squaw” in it in the State of Maine. —Richard M. Doyle, Office of the Governor G ood M orning to the d istin guished Chairs and Members of the Judiciary Committee. I am honored to be here this morning to testify in favor of L.D. 2418, an Act Concerning Offensive Names. This act would correct a defamation that has been perpetuated against Indian Women specifically, and Indian People in general. I will not condone this word by speaking it here today, but the bill specifies the word in question. This word has been used to defile Indian women ever since the European invasion of this land. You have been provided with the origins of this word by Represen tative Soctomah, MITSC, and oth ers, I will not go there. What I do want to talk about is how it feels to an Indian Person, obviously a male perspective, to hear someone use such a word. I have heard the “s” word many times in my life. Each time it has been used to inflict pain and stereotype Indian women. The word as I hear and perceive it denotes an Indian woman who is easy, an In dian woman who is promiscuous, a slut, a whore. When the term is used generally the meaning is intensified. Each time I hear this word I am of fended to the point of madness and disgusted that the dominant society allows and tolerates such racist lan guage. I have heard our women tell me about ex-boyfriends chasing them around in public calling them the “s” word loudly, having this term painted on a door or wall to brand them, and other arduous stories. I have heard for m yself white men saying things like “it’s Saturday night, guess I’ll take a trip to the res ervation and snag me one of those “s” words” (this from UMM staff), “better get home before my s” word goes on the warpath”, “the girl was so drunk out of her mind, if I didn’t know better I would swear she was a “s” word, as well as many other ex amples of racially loaded idiocy. This same type of racism is cur rently allowed by the State in the naming of businesses, geographic features, natural resources, sport teams, and all types of groups. The non - Native will try to tell Thompson, and members of the com you that these words are not offen mittee, I am Sharon Libby Jones, a sive or were not meant to be offen selectmen for the town Greenville, speaking against L.D. 2418. sive. I am a small business owner, a I hope that this committee under stands that the “s” word in today’s S ele ctm e n fo r the Town o f society is offensive to Native people. Greenville and a former State Rep There is no justification or explana resentative that represented District tion that can change the fact that this 111, which is located in Piscataquis term is racist. Others may try to tell County and includes 11 towns, two this com m ittee that banning this plantations and several organized ter word will infringe upon or even de ritories in Northern Maine. Several stroy part of another Indian language. of these unorganized territories are I do not accept this premise either, L ittle Squaw Tow nship and Big since this “s” word may be a bastard Squaw Township. L.D. 2418, An Act Concerning ization of an Indian word, changed in ignorance to classify and demean. Offensive Names, is a step in the I do not know of any Indian culture wrong direction for Maine. I think that would allow others to use their all of us here recognize the impor words to shame and attack their Na tance of the State’s history. We need to understand the state’s tribal cul tive sisters and brothers. L.D. 2418 goes further than just ture and history. Piscataquis County, banning a word, it seeks to officially for over 100 years, has recognized celebrate our Native Women for all and realized the importance of the they have contributed to the Indian Native American culture and history. family, the Indian culture, and to the Currently, the Piscataquis County State of Maine. It is a positive ap Economic Council has begun survey proach. Proclaiming this millennial research on the cultural heritage of year The Year of the Native Ameri the region. This research project will can Woman would honor all native be gathering information from his people while providing hope for the torians, storytellers, and traditional future that all people will be in har businesses. The information will be m ony, and m u tu al respect w ill catalogued and used to develop a a bound for one another. cultural heritage m ap, which w ill b e If it were up to my Tribe, this used to inform tbe citizens of tbe term, along with other racially offen State and our travelers to the region sive words, (excuse my language) of the richness of our history. such as “redskin” would be prohib We are m oving fo rw ard in ited and if anyone dare utter the Greenville with a Natural Resource word, then strict penalties would ap Education Center. The concept of this ply. But it is not up to us, it is up to facility is to house orientation and in the Maine Legislature to pass a bill terpretation services, educational that would make it known to all, that exhibits, on- and off-site programs, the State of Maine does not tolerate interpretive trails, and events that ex racism. That the State of Maine will plain and celebrate the unique natu not allow Indian women or any other ral and cultural heritage of the region. group to be publicly ridiculed, that Piscataquis County is the poor the State of Maine recognizes and ap est County in the State with the least preciates diversity, that the State of population of any other county. We Maine pays honor to Native Women are rich with natural resources, his for their strength, their accomplish tory, culture and pride. The Native ments, their vision, their compassion, Americans are very much a part of our history. their beauty, and their tolerance. Less than one week ago, I re Thank you for allowing me to speak my words and hope each of the ceived a Public Hearing Notice about members consider them in deliber this important Public Hearing. Since ating this matter. Please support L. then there have been several articles and notifications that were sent to the D .2418. Woliwon (thank you) naka Tahu citizens of the area. Tremendous feel ings, reflections on history, as well (and stop) as strong emotions, have been pour ing in from the Native Americans and citizens of the Moosehead Lake Re —Sharon Libby Jones gion. In less than 24 hours nearly 300 Greenville Selectmen people signed petitions that were lo and Former State Representative, cated in just a few of our businesses District 111 please turn to page 7 Senator Longley, Representative OFFENSIVE NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC PLACES �Speech to the 63rd Maine Legislature, in 1887 by Lewis Mitchell Representative of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians I was authorized by the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians to come here before you for the purpose of making known to you what the Passamaquoddy Indians have done for the American people, and how we have been used by the American people and how we used them. In 1775 or 1776, in the struggle between Great Britain and America, your people came to us for assistance. You authorized Col. John Allan to speak to us and you said, “He is our mouth, believe what he says to you.” After many kind words and promises, Francis Joseph, who was the chief of the tribe at that time, accepted his offer. He promised to go and help his people gain their indepen dence. Immediately he sent his captains to different parts of his coun try to notify his people to prepare for immediate war. In a few days Francis Joseph gathered an army of six hundred men. At that time, and many years before that, the Passamaquoddy Tribe was the head quarters of the Abnaki Nation. Passamaquoddy Tribe can show you by a letter from Col. John Allan when he authorized the Passamaquoddy Indians to guard the coast form Machias to Passamaquoddy, and authorized them to seize the enemy’s vessels. And according to his orders we can show you by the affidavit, Capt. Sopiel Socktoma, with fifty others of his tribe, captured an armed schooner in Passamaquoddy Bay, and they ran her to Machias and gave her up to Col. John Allan. We know the Indians who served in that war are passed out of existence, but the Passamaquoddy Tribe helped the Americans in that war, and the tribe is still in existence, Now we bountily ask your attention to help us by letting the Legislature examine the pa pers and refer them to Congress, if they see fit. In the treaties of 1725, 1794, and Governor Dummer’s treaty of 1727, and in the laws of Massachusetts and Maine at their separa tion, we were guaranteed the right to hunt and fish forever. In the year 1854 or 1857 some dishonest person or persons pre sented a petition to the Maine Legislature, asking the State to sell the Indians’ land - Indians did not need it - so the Legislature passed a resolve, that a certain piece of land, situated in the Town of Perry, owned by the Indians, would be sold by public auction, on such day, at Perry (they must have arranged everything so they wouldn’t bid against each other) and that land was sold for the small sum of $500.00. The Indians opposed the sale of it. Now their firewood costs the Indians of Pleasant Point $ 1,500.00 a year. If that land had not been sold, the Indians would not suffer for want of firewood. Thousands of cords of cordwood have been cut, and wood is on it yet. The land cleared by the Indians was also sold. Now we claim again that this is not right. An Indian agent himself bought this land afterward and again when we lost the claim on the Islands the case Granger vs. Indians, we not only lost the claim, but $2,500.00 out of the Indians in favor of Mr. Granger. Just consider, today, how many rich men there are in Calais, in St. Stephen, M illtown, M achias, East M achias, Colum bia, Cherryfield, and other lumbering towns. We see a good many of them worth thousands and even millions of dollars. We ask our selves, how they make most of their money? Answer is, they make it on lumber or timber once owned by the Passamaquoddy Indians. How many of their privileges have been broken? How many of their lands have been taken from them by authority of the State? Now, we say to ourselves, these Indians ought to have everything they ask for. They deserve assistance. We are sent here to help the poor and defend their rights. Now, this plainly shows us how much worse a people of five hundred and thirty souls are, stripped of their whole country, their privileges on which they depend for their living; all the land they claim to own now being only ten acres. If one or two men in this body were Indians they would fight like braves for their rights. Now look at yourselves and see whether I am right or wrong. If you find any insulting language in my speech, I ask your pardon. I don’t mean to insult anybody, but simply tell you of our wrong. Testimonials from page 6 in the area. Yes Native Americans ganization, for years have promoted sign them as well. That is how strong the word “Squaw ” w hether it be our feelings are for the history of the Squaw Brook, Little Squaw Brook word “Squaw.” Campground, hiking and biking trails The im p o rtan ce of the w ord throughout the Townships, on menus, “Squaw” is not only important to the signs, Squaw Mountain Resort and h e rita g e o f the area b u t to our G olf Course and our magnificent economy locally and Statewide. Big Mountain called “Big Squaw Moun Squaw Mountain, an internationally tain”. known ski area in Big Squaw Town Think for a moment the impact, ship, is very important to our area. economically and historically, on this T his M ou n tain at one tim e was unique area of the State. The follow owned by the State. Located on ma ing D epartm ents w ould have to jestic M oosehead Lake are wonder change many statues and regulations ful areas such as Squaw Bay, Squaw and maps of the area. All Business Point and Squaw Point Subdivision. Brochures, The Town of Greenville, The State owns a cam pground on Emergency Management Agencies, Squaw Brook. The water supply for The Department of Transportation, the Town of Greenville comes from The Departm ent of Conservation, a well located in Little Squaw Town The Department of Inland Fisheries ship. The Town has a sanitary land and Wildlife, The Health and Infor fill in Little Squaw Township. There m atio n C en ter (EM S law ), is a growing industrial park located Piscataquis County Law Enforce in this Township. We have a boom ment Agencies. ing snow m obile industry located We have recently had completed throughout Little and Big Squaw areas for the E-911 system that con Townships, and Big Squaw Moun tain the word “Squaw” . The evacua tain. The trails systems (ITS 86 plus tion designation for our immediate local trails) in these areas are some area is Big Squaw Mountain. the best in the State. Think what this change would do (Expenditures per Snowmobile for the State Forestry Division in our for a resident are near $600.00 and a area. They maintain an immense and nonresident $1,100.00). Businesses, complex system for Forest Fires Pro the S tate o f M ain e and the tection. Moosehead Lake Region Chamber Please do not remove forever the of Commerce, the Moosehead His word “Squaw” from the Moosehead torical Society, our schools and the Regions heritage by passing this leg islation. Thank you. Shaw Public Library, International Seaplane Fly In Or Partial listing of organizations supporting the elimination of “Squaw” from name places in Maine TribesAroostook Band of Micmacs Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkokmikuk (Indian Township) Houlton band of Maliseets Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik (Pleasant Point) Penobscot Nation United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (23 federally recognized tribes) Other Native OrganizationsAIM Daughters of the First Light IRATE NACHME Wabanaki Mental Health, Inc. Administration of Governor Angus S. King, Jr.Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission Religious OrganizationsCatholic Diocese of Maine Episcopal Diocese of Maine, Committee on Indian Relations Friends Committee on Maine Public Policy Maine Council of Churches Maine Holocaust Human Rights Center Other OrganizationsBlack Education and Cultural History, Inc. (Former Representative Jerry Talbot, Founder) Hall-Dale Middle School Civil Rights Team Maine AFL-CIO Maine Civil Liberties Union Maine Human Rights Commission Maine Lesbian Gay Political Alliance Maine Women’s Lobby NAACP National Coalition Building Institute____________________________ _ �Protection of Indian Archeological Sites In the spring of 1999 the 119th Legislature passed the following Resolve requiring the study of the issue of looting and vandalism of Native American archeo logical sites, and preparation of a report recommend ing solutions: Resolved: That the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and the Representatives of the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe jointly shall con duct a review of the threats to Native American ar cheological sites from looting and vandalisfn and re port their recommendations for implementing a moni toring or stewardship program for site protection and preservation. The review must also involve the fol lowing law enforcement agencies: the Maine Warden Service, the Maine Forest Service, the Bureau of ma rine Patrol, and local and state law enforcement. The review must also involve the Native American com munity and other interested parties. To fulfill this legislative charge, Arthur Spiess held a series of meetings with Donald Soctomah in August and September 1999. Spiess, Soctomah and Represen tative Donna Loring also met on September 8, 1999. Then Spiess met with the law enforcement agencies mentioned in the legislation and held discussions over the telephone during September through December 1999. Donald Soctomah presented the legislation to inter-tribal meetings for discussion. Comments were sought form the board of the Maine Archeological Society. Late Breaking News The bill is designed to provide increased protec tion for archeological sites. It amends the definition of an archeological site on state-controlled land to include a site judged eligible for listing on the national Regis ter of Historic Places by the Maine Historic Preserva tion Commission and approved by the appropriate land managing agency director or local governing body. Current law requires the site to be listed on the Na tional Register of Historic Places. It also makes the unlawful excavation of a pro tected archeological site a Class E crime for which a fine of not less than $250 must be adjudged. The court may order the defendant to pay an amount equal to the reasonable cost of a proper archeological excavation, had the area that was unlawfully excavated been prop erly excavated. A provision that an emergency archeological site designation may be made for a period not to exceed 10 years and that the Director of the Maine historic preservation Commission and the landowner shall specify in writing the area that is the subject of such a designation. It provides funding for increased monitoring of archeological sites. This funding supports a part-time monitoring coordinator using existing part-time project personnel and site monitors. It also provides funds for the development and delivery of training materials for law enforcement officers. On March 3, 2000, on the morning show at 7:30 a.m., the KISS 94.5 DJ, Stan Marckoon advocated over the public airways to call the new Sacajewea Dollar the “Squaw Buck.” Those of you who wish to express your feelings on this issue, may write to the Station Manager at the following address: Mr. Mark Osborne Co-owner/General Manager KISS 94.5 Radio Station PO Box 9494 Ellsworth, ME 04605 For further information, you may also contact: Jessica Sockbeson McGregor 1410 Essex St. Bangor, ME 04401 Tel: (207) 990-2613 Fax: (207) 947-7840 E-mail: jsockbe@aol.com Census 2000 Be s ir e to fill out your census 200 0 form . I t is imperative th at Tribal Members be counted in the New Millennium TRIBAL ISSUES BEFORE THE 119™ SECOND REGULAR SESSION LD # an d Bl T itle il LD 2178 An Act to Amend the Act to Im plem ent the Maine Indian Claims Settlem ent Concerning the Houlton Band o f Maliseet Indians Com m ent b y R ep. Loring I am in favor o f the bill as written. The Maliseets should be sovereign as are Penobscots and Passamaquoddy. Rep. Sherman o f Houlton reluctantly sponsored by request; he was 7 0 % against the bill in com mittee. Com m ent b y R ep. Soctom ah Strongly support. The Maliseet Band should have the same rights as the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot. C urrent B illS ta tu s Public Hearing held 1 /2 8 /0 0 ; was tabled for 30 days so all parties could reach agreem ent on language and c o n ten t Failed to pass in Committee. LD 2418 An Act Concerning Offensive Names I completely support this bill; should be a "No Brainer." The bill disallows the use of Squaw or squa by the State in naming public or geographic sites. I t does not elim inate usage from the English language. This word has always been offensive, in effect, used to demoralize native w om en. They are the foundation o f a healthy community. The State must stop sanctioning its use. Public Hearing held 1 /2 8 /0 0 in Judiciary com m ittee; passed in both the House and Senate; now awaiting Governor's signature. LD 2499 An act Concerning the Date by Which Land Must be Acquired by the Penobscot Nation I am the sponsor of this bill. The bill will extend the deadline by which the Nation can purchase certain trust Support for this bill will help the Penobscot Nation put the remainder of land in Trust. The never should have been a tim e limit. All of the Paper Co. land around our com m unity was recently sold. Public Hearing held 2 /9 /0 0 in Judiciary com mittee; passed in both the House and Senate; now awaiting Governor's signature. lands from 1 /3 1 /2 0 0 0 to 1 /3 1 /2 0 2 1 . LD 2549 An Act to Im plem ent Recommendations Concerning the Protection of Indian Archeological Sites I am in favor o f implementing the recommendations that will preserve these sites. A Resolve passed last session shows th e concern felt for protection o f these sites. Maine must protect the sites, as w e have in the past. Public Hearing held on 2 /2 8 /0 0 ; passed 13-0 in committee; awaiting final enactm ent. LD 3210 An Act to Change the Name in the Statutes of a Native American Organization Able to Issue Hunting and Fishing Licenses I am in favor of this bill as long as the organization works closely with Allows an off-reservation group to issue licenses from Native the tribes to eliminate any duplication. communities' governing leader. Passed Committee; is currently in Second Reading in the House of Representatives; awaiting final The bill is sponsored by Rep. Brooks a t my request. Hopefully, the com mittee will vote to recommend a stronger role in both the House and Tribal Representatives w ant and need Report Pending. to play a m ore active role in the legislative process. Every bill passed affects our communities in one way or another. Joint Study Order Establishing a Committee to Study the Recognition o f Sovereign Nations in the Legislature Senate for tribal representatives. enactment. LD 2607 An Act Concerning Previous Passamaquoddy Indian Territory Legislation I am in favor of the Legislature taking corrective action. A corrective am endm ent should be effective to change the law that was plainly intended by all parties to the process amending the Im plem enting Act. Referred to the Com m ittee on Judiciary matters on March 7, 2000. LD 2572 An Act to Fund the Cost of the W aiver of Tuition, Fees and Other I am in opposition o f passage o f this measure, as it will only serve to I am against the passage of this bill. Received Unanimous Ought Not to Pass report. Expenses for Native American Students in the Maine Technical destabilize our funding base. College System, University of Maine System and Maine Maritim e Academy 1 1 � https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/files/original/f14de8084f14269ea05de18bd26b49e6.pdf 854a8bbd674c471ee6fa9eb9e568ca5b PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Other Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wabanaki Legislative News (Spring 2000) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Loring, Donna M. and Donald Soctomah Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University of New England Maine Women Writers Collection Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cathleen Miller, UNE Meredith Ricker Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Donna M. Loring and Donald G. Soctomah. Used with permission. We thank University of New England for making digitized copies available. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf