EVENTS CALENDAR
Rally for the Penobscot River and Wabanaki Sovereignty
JOIN US SUNDAY AUGUST 1ST, 2021, 2:30-6PM
Penobscot River at Bangor Waterfront
Join members of the Penobscot Nation in solidarity for our River rights which have been under attack by the State of Maine. This month, the Federal Court of Appeals again sided with the State's assertion that the Penobscot River running through Penobscot land is not part of Penobscot territory. The Penobscot People have lived along the Penobscot River since time immemorial. The River is our relative, one who has granted us with the gift of life and the ability to thrive. We have always been protectors of the River, she is where we derive our namesake as a people. We are just as much a part of the river as the river is a part of us. Historically the Penobscot River has been our main source for transportation and sustenance, things that have been rendered near impossible with the construction of dams along the waterways and the continued pollution of the river which makes the fish and the animals that feed upon the fish toxic to eat. The state of Maine has been in an ongoing process attempting to steal the river from the Penobscot people.
We will have speakers from Penobscot Nation and other Wabanaki Tribes discussing movement forward and how to best show up to support Maine’s Indigenous peoples in our fight to uphold our sovereignty and our fundamental role as protectors of the Penobscot River. Our sovereign rights, and ability to protect the River do not solely impact Penobscot People; our sovereignty is crucial for securing a livable future which includes all peoples in Maine. We must all come together to show solidarity. Current organizational co-sponsors include Sunlight Media Collective, Dawnland Environmental Defense, Land Peace Foundation, Bomazeen Land Trust, Racial Equity and Justice, and Community Water Justice.
Where we are:
In 2012 The state of Maine claimed that the Penobscot River was not a part of Penobscot Territory which means the state would have sole jurisdiction when it comes to water quality standards, environmental protections, and elver and fishing regulations. We took the state to court and in 2015 the State of Maine ruled that the Penobscot River is not a part of Penobscot Territory. We immediately filed an appeal and in 2017 the State again ruled against our sovereign kinship ties and roles as protectors of the river, stating that Maine had somehow come into ownership of the main stem of the river without being able to cite how or when that happened.
An En Banc review of the Penobscot Nation river rights case was conducted to determine if Federal Indian Law was adequately applied when siding with the State of Maine’s claim that no portion of the Penobscot River is within Penobscot territory.
Within Federal Indian Law, what is referred to as the “Canons of Construction” are designed to protect federally-recognized Tribes, by siding with the Tribal position if there are ambiguities in the case.
During testimony of the En Banc review the Attorney General’s office itself brought up the fact that there exist ambiguities as to when and how the river was ceded, and to the boundaries of our reservation. However, despite their acknowledgment of this, on July 6th, 2021, in a 3-2 decision, it was decided by the First Circuit Court of Appeals that the state of Maine somehow did adequately apply Federal Indian law in their theft of the Penobscot River.
This is yet another step back the tribe has seen since the state first made unfounded claims that they had full control of the river despite the river never being ceded in treaty, through land transfer, or by any other means. The State of Maine continues to threaten and undermine tribal sovereignty at every turn, and in every way they can, while Janet Mills office somehow tries to claim that she is supportive of Maine's tribes.
As sovereignty bills and revisions to the Land Claims Act are moving forward to next legislative session, we need all hands on deck supporting Indigenous sovereignty here in Maine, because tribal sovereignty does not just effect Wabanaki People, it affects all of our combined futures here on Earth.
Hidden Landscapes Film Showings (in Western Massachusetts)
https://nolumbekaproject.org
The Hidden Landscape Project represents the joined efforts of professional, Native, and antiquarian researchers who have generously volunteered to combine their expertise into a chronicle of research- a series of video stories that investigate the archaeological history and the modern legacy of the Northeastern Native civilization. The combined vision of so many researchers working together also represents a new approach to the long standing and often very heated controversy that surrounds the ceremonial stone landscapes of North America. Join Doug Harris, Ceremonial Stone Landscapes researcher, Ted Timreck, director of the Hidden Landscapes films, and guest panelists for a five- part series featuring the films, panel discussions, and Q & A. This series is co-sponsored by the Nolumbeka Project, River Valley Co-op, and the Karuna Center for Peace Building and a grant from the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. Registration is required and limited to 500. Donations are requested. Pre-screenings are available for a fee at www.twtimreck.com
About the presenters:
Indigenous Approaches to Emotional Wellness, on the University of Maine campus and online.
October 1-3, 2021
Co-sponsored by Coyote Institute, the Native Studies Program, the Intermedia Program, and the Medical Arts and Humanities Program of the University of Maine at Orono.
For three days, in this hybrid conference, we will celebrate M'iqmaq elder Albert Marshall and his concept of two-eyed seeing which originated at Cape Breton University and Eskasoni First Nation. Two-eyed seeing establishes the equal validity of indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing to contemporary scientific knowledge as we explore wellbeing.
We will be meeting in three locations: Cumbia, UK; the University of Maine at Orono; and in Soho, New York City.
The meeting will start at 8 am each day in the U.K. (which is 3 am in Maine and New York City) and the European presentations (and all presentations) will be recorded for later viewing by those in other time zones or as desired. We will start at 8 am in Maine and New York City, face-to-face and virtual. We will end each day at 5 pm. We hope people attending in person will continue to interact with discussion, song, music, dance, etc., after 5 pm.
The schedule will be posted as it is developed, and we have a many interesting people already committed to attend including Albert Marshall (who will be live on the University of Maine campus) from Eskasoni First Nation, Nova Scotia; Rennie Linklater, PhD, Director of Aboriginal Programming at the Center for Addictions and Mental Health, Torono, Canada; Margaret Mete, BSN, MPH, PhD and indigenous colleagues from the University of Alaska at Anchorage; Wiremu Nia Nia and Alister Bush, MD of the Maori Mental Health Service near Wellington, New Zealand; Natalie Tolbert, PhD, cultural anthropologist from the U.K.; Bob Vetter, PhD, anthropologist and Temescal leader from Long Island, New York; Joe Bartholomew, indigenous activitist from the U.K.; Marquis Bureau, MA, PhD-Cand. from St. Paul University, Ottawa; Judy Atkinson, PhD, Australian aboriginal woman and author of Trauma Trails; and more. Full details to follow this announcement.
We will showcase local Wabanaki indigenous artists, elders, storytellers, and cultural leaders. All fees collected will be used to bring elders to campus and to support indigenous speakers and artists.
Link to more information about the Conference and for Registration
JOIN US SUNDAY AUGUST 1ST, 2021, 2:30-6PM
Penobscot River at Bangor Waterfront
Join members of the Penobscot Nation in solidarity for our River rights which have been under attack by the State of Maine. This month, the Federal Court of Appeals again sided with the State's assertion that the Penobscot River running through Penobscot land is not part of Penobscot territory. The Penobscot People have lived along the Penobscot River since time immemorial. The River is our relative, one who has granted us with the gift of life and the ability to thrive. We have always been protectors of the River, she is where we derive our namesake as a people. We are just as much a part of the river as the river is a part of us. Historically the Penobscot River has been our main source for transportation and sustenance, things that have been rendered near impossible with the construction of dams along the waterways and the continued pollution of the river which makes the fish and the animals that feed upon the fish toxic to eat. The state of Maine has been in an ongoing process attempting to steal the river from the Penobscot people.
We will have speakers from Penobscot Nation and other Wabanaki Tribes discussing movement forward and how to best show up to support Maine’s Indigenous peoples in our fight to uphold our sovereignty and our fundamental role as protectors of the Penobscot River. Our sovereign rights, and ability to protect the River do not solely impact Penobscot People; our sovereignty is crucial for securing a livable future which includes all peoples in Maine. We must all come together to show solidarity. Current organizational co-sponsors include Sunlight Media Collective, Dawnland Environmental Defense, Land Peace Foundation, Bomazeen Land Trust, Racial Equity and Justice, and Community Water Justice.
Where we are:
In 2012 The state of Maine claimed that the Penobscot River was not a part of Penobscot Territory which means the state would have sole jurisdiction when it comes to water quality standards, environmental protections, and elver and fishing regulations. We took the state to court and in 2015 the State of Maine ruled that the Penobscot River is not a part of Penobscot Territory. We immediately filed an appeal and in 2017 the State again ruled against our sovereign kinship ties and roles as protectors of the river, stating that Maine had somehow come into ownership of the main stem of the river without being able to cite how or when that happened.
An En Banc review of the Penobscot Nation river rights case was conducted to determine if Federal Indian Law was adequately applied when siding with the State of Maine’s claim that no portion of the Penobscot River is within Penobscot territory.
Within Federal Indian Law, what is referred to as the “Canons of Construction” are designed to protect federally-recognized Tribes, by siding with the Tribal position if there are ambiguities in the case.
During testimony of the En Banc review the Attorney General’s office itself brought up the fact that there exist ambiguities as to when and how the river was ceded, and to the boundaries of our reservation. However, despite their acknowledgment of this, on July 6th, 2021, in a 3-2 decision, it was decided by the First Circuit Court of Appeals that the state of Maine somehow did adequately apply Federal Indian law in their theft of the Penobscot River.
This is yet another step back the tribe has seen since the state first made unfounded claims that they had full control of the river despite the river never being ceded in treaty, through land transfer, or by any other means. The State of Maine continues to threaten and undermine tribal sovereignty at every turn, and in every way they can, while Janet Mills office somehow tries to claim that she is supportive of Maine's tribes.
As sovereignty bills and revisions to the Land Claims Act are moving forward to next legislative session, we need all hands on deck supporting Indigenous sovereignty here in Maine, because tribal sovereignty does not just effect Wabanaki People, it affects all of our combined futures here on Earth.
Hidden Landscapes Film Showings (in Western Massachusetts)
https://nolumbekaproject.org
The Hidden Landscape Project represents the joined efforts of professional, Native, and antiquarian researchers who have generously volunteered to combine their expertise into a chronicle of research- a series of video stories that investigate the archaeological history and the modern legacy of the Northeastern Native civilization. The combined vision of so many researchers working together also represents a new approach to the long standing and often very heated controversy that surrounds the ceremonial stone landscapes of North America. Join Doug Harris, Ceremonial Stone Landscapes researcher, Ted Timreck, director of the Hidden Landscapes films, and guest panelists for a five- part series featuring the films, panel discussions, and Q & A. This series is co-sponsored by the Nolumbeka Project, River Valley Co-op, and the Karuna Center for Peace Building and a grant from the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. Registration is required and limited to 500. Donations are requested. Pre-screenings are available for a fee at www.twtimreck.com
About the presenters:
- Doug Harris, Ceremonial Stone Landscapes Preservationist, retired Deputy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Narragansett Tribe, is a veteran of twenty years of historical preservation work in the Northeast
- T. W. Timreck is a Peabody award-winning documentary filmmaker whose programs have been featured on PBS and other networks around the globe. “Hidden Landscapes” is a multi-part series that tells the story of early Eastern Native American sea cultures and offers a radical perspective on the Indigenous history of northeastern North America
- Professor Frederick M. Wiseman is the Coordinator of the Vermont Indigenous Heritage Center, an Indigenous rights activist and author of many scholarly and popular books on archaeology, ethnohistory and ethnobotany
- Evan Pritchard (Mi’kmaq descendant) is author of 18 hardcover and trade paperback titles (including four anthologies and two self-published paperbacks) plus 36 other self-published books to date. As a popular adjunct professor, he has taught courses in Native American studies at Marist, Vassar and Pace
- Tim Mentz, of the Standing Rock Sioux of South Dakota, became the nation’s first Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (1996 to 2008). Tim is co-owner of Makoche Wowapi (earth writings), a 17-person cultural resources firm focused on identification and protection of Dakota/Lakota cultural heritage sites.
Indigenous Approaches to Emotional Wellness, on the University of Maine campus and online.
October 1-3, 2021
Co-sponsored by Coyote Institute, the Native Studies Program, the Intermedia Program, and the Medical Arts and Humanities Program of the University of Maine at Orono.
For three days, in this hybrid conference, we will celebrate M'iqmaq elder Albert Marshall and his concept of two-eyed seeing which originated at Cape Breton University and Eskasoni First Nation. Two-eyed seeing establishes the equal validity of indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing to contemporary scientific knowledge as we explore wellbeing.
We will be meeting in three locations: Cumbia, UK; the University of Maine at Orono; and in Soho, New York City.
The meeting will start at 8 am each day in the U.K. (which is 3 am in Maine and New York City) and the European presentations (and all presentations) will be recorded for later viewing by those in other time zones or as desired. We will start at 8 am in Maine and New York City, face-to-face and virtual. We will end each day at 5 pm. We hope people attending in person will continue to interact with discussion, song, music, dance, etc., after 5 pm.
The schedule will be posted as it is developed, and we have a many interesting people already committed to attend including Albert Marshall (who will be live on the University of Maine campus) from Eskasoni First Nation, Nova Scotia; Rennie Linklater, PhD, Director of Aboriginal Programming at the Center for Addictions and Mental Health, Torono, Canada; Margaret Mete, BSN, MPH, PhD and indigenous colleagues from the University of Alaska at Anchorage; Wiremu Nia Nia and Alister Bush, MD of the Maori Mental Health Service near Wellington, New Zealand; Natalie Tolbert, PhD, cultural anthropologist from the U.K.; Bob Vetter, PhD, anthropologist and Temescal leader from Long Island, New York; Joe Bartholomew, indigenous activitist from the U.K.; Marquis Bureau, MA, PhD-Cand. from St. Paul University, Ottawa; Judy Atkinson, PhD, Australian aboriginal woman and author of Trauma Trails; and more. Full details to follow this announcement.
We will showcase local Wabanaki indigenous artists, elders, storytellers, and cultural leaders. All fees collected will be used to bring elders to campus and to support indigenous speakers and artists.
Link to more information about the Conference and for Registration
