Wabanaki Alliance

In an appearance on Maine Calling on Monday, Maulian Bryant, the executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance, also said tribal leaders are still debating how best to approach matters of tribal sovereignty under a second Trump term and in a new Congress.

Yale University's Peabody Museum says human remains and other items taken from Maine more than seventy years ago may soon be returned to the Wabanaki Nations.

The bill saw widespread support in both chambers despite Mills' opposition. Her administration has argued the bill would create legal uncertainty and lead to years-long litigation over environmental regulations and other matters.

The bill, LD 2004, states that any laws passed by Congress pertaining to other federally recognized Indian tribes would also apply to the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, the Mi'kmaq Nation and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians.

Some of the money will be used for general park improvements such as roads and paths but there are also plans to fund creation of a visitor contact station and Wabanaki-directed programming and projects.

In many ways the address mirrored the first one that took place 21 years ago. This time, however, the tribes addressed state lawmakers who are far more receptive to their main goal — greater self-governance — than the legislators who preceded them.

Mills, all white in suffragette-style and wearing a pair of iconic “Bean Boots,” gave an aspirational inaugural address, front loaded with accomplishments and backfilled with a to-do list for her next four years in office.

The Wabanaki tribes have been largely excluded from more than 150 federal laws because of the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, creating what tribal leaders say are longstanding disparities.

Gov. Janet Mills signed into law on Monday a bill that adds Maine to the list of states that have legalized sports gambling and that gives Wabanaki tribes exclusive access to the booming online betting market.

In this week's Pulse: The status of the tribal sovereignty bill and its political implications.