Wabanaki

At a public hearing yesterday, proponents testified that although Maine law requires schools to teach Wabanaki studies, that has not been fully implemented or enforced.

The National Park Service says it's trying to strengthen relationships with Indigenous tribes across the country

The remains could be repatriated as soon as next month.

This weekend visitors got a first look at a newly completed visitor's center at the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. The completion of the statin is the result of an ongoing collaboration between the National Park Service, The Elliotsville Foundation and the Wabanaki Nations to recognize indigenous history and culture in the overall experience.

The Wabanaki Nations will now be able to contract with Acadia National Park to collect sweetgrass, which is used in tribal ceremonies and basket making.

The proposal would have expanded the Wabanaki Nations' exclusive rights to include casino-style online gambling. But the bill failed to win majorities in the House and Senate.

The bill has the backing of Wabanaki leaders as well as the Mills administration and Maine's attorney general. But it represents a dramatically scaled-back version of the tribal sovereignty measure that was originally proposed.

The potential compromise would not go nearly as far on tribal sovereignty as Wabanaki leaders say is needed. But they view it as solid, incremental progress on key issues.

The landmark state law passed more than two decades ago mandates that Maine schools to teach Wabanaki history, economics and culture. But a report issued two years ago found the law had never been fully implemented and that the Maine Department of Education largely did not enforce it.

The University of Southern Maine is giving a small nod to the fact that it sits on unceded Wabanaki land, funding a wall-sized mural created by Maine Mi’kmaq artist and alumna Marissa Joly.