Amid Continued #Sovereignty Campaign, #Wabanaki REACH Creates Play as Part of Truth-Telling Project

Evan Popp, Maine Beacon
Thu, August 31, 2023

"As part of a truth-telling initiative that seeks to illuminate the issue of land claims and the 1980 #SettlementAct as well as celebrate the resilience of #Indigenous communities, the group #WabanakiREACH has partnered with a #Maine-based #theater organization to create a play developed by and for #Wabanaki people.

"The play, titled where the river widens, is an original, community-developed production and is being put on in partnership with #ThreadbareTheatreWorkshop, a group located on the Blue Hill peninsula. The work is the first public offering based on a project in which Wabanaki REACH — an organization supporting Indigenous self-determination through education and other restorative practices — spent a year gathering more than 40 oral history interviews from Wabanaki people and those in Maine about Maine Indian land claims and the 1980 Settlement Act.

"As Beacon previously reported, Wabanaki tribes have long argued that the Settlement Act has stifled tribes’ economic development and allowed the state to treat sovereign Indigenous nations as municipalities, creating a paternalistic and unfair relationship that no other federally-recognized tribe is subject to. Given that, the Wabanaki have created a grassroots movement in the last couple years behind reforming the Settlement Act to recognize the tribes’ inherent sovereignty, but opposition from Gov. #JanetMills has stymied such efforts despite broad support for change from the public.

"Earlier this year, tribal leaders also attempted to pass a bill to ensure that the Wabanaki would have access to most federal laws that benefit Indigenous tribes around the country. Proponents of that legislation noted that because of the Settlement Act, any federal law enacted after 1980 for the benefit of tribes across the U.S. that impacts the application of Maine law doesn’t apply to the Wabanaki unless they are specifically included in the measure by Congress. However, Mills in June vetoed the measure pushed by tribal leaders to rectify that situation.

"Given the power of the stories Wabanaki REACH was able to collect on the subject, Maria Girouard, the group’s executive director, said the organization felt it was important to share those experiences with a wider audience via theater.

“We were so moved by the stories we gathered, it was a natural next step to talk about theater as a way of continuing to move the conversation from the head to the heart, to reach more people, and to gather in community,” Girouard said.

"The play is set outdoors along the #PenobscotRiver, which itself has been the subject of land claim disputes and issues related to tribal sovereignty. It stitches together music, song, dance and the interviews from Beyond the Claims: Stories from the Land & the Heart — the name of the Wabanaki REACH truth-telling initiative.

"A news release about where the river widens also describes it as a 'poetic, spare, lyrical movement through stories, place, and time” and a thought-provoking play that “not only illuminates a complex and tumultuous era, but celebrates the beauty, creativity, and resilience of Wabanaki people.'

"#Threadbare said they are excited to be working with Wabanaki REACH on the play, which features #LilahAkins, #EstherAnne, #NickBear, #WolatqinBear, #AndreaFrancis, #MariaGirouard, #DaleLolar, #GeorgeLoring, #MargoLukens, #JoshuaMcCarey, and #ErlenePaul as co-creators and performers.

"'Threadbare’s way of co-creating, not only with community members but inspired by them, aligns so beautifully with Wabanaki REACH’s values of connection and joy,' said Kate Russell, artistic director of Threadbare Theatre Workshop. 'I am grateful for the generous folks who have come together this summer to create and perform this play — they are brilliant.'

"There will be two public performances of the hour-long play on Indian Island on Sept. 16 and Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. With space limited, those who want to attend must register ahead of time to reserve seats by visiting wabanakireach.org."

https://news.yahoo.com/amid-continued-sovereignty-campaign-wabanaki-222018960.html

#IndigenousNews #WabanakiConfederacy #PenobscotNation #Maliseet #Passamaquoddy #Mikmaq #FirstNations #MaineTribes #Arts #Theatre #TruthTelling #NativeAmericans

I think they should try and get this built a lot sooner -- maybe by 2030? I suppose 2025 is unrealistic given the scope of the project...

#Maine lawmakers pass bill to jolt state's offshore #wind industry
Reuters, July 26, 2023

"Lawmakers in Maine on Wednesday passed legislation that would set a 3-gigawatt target for offshore wind deployment off the state's scenic coastline by 2040, a level that could satisfy half of its 1.3 million residents' power needs.

"The bill would help the New England state meet Governor #JanetMills' proposed goal for a decarbonized power grid by 2040 and provide a substantial boost to nascent floating wind turbine technology required in the deep waters of the Gulf of Maine."

Read more:
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/maine-lawmakers-pass-bill-jolt-states-offshore-wind-industry-2023-07-26/

#Renewables #OffshoreWind #WindPower #ClimateChange #ClimateSolutions

Jezebel: Sex. Celebrity. Politics. With Teeth: Maine Is Set to Expand Abortion Access, Become First State to Repeal Its Limit Post-Roe https://jezebel.com/maine-is-set-to-expand-abortion-access-become-first-st-1850578290 #Jezebel #dobbsvjacksonwomenshealthorganization #antiabortionmovementintheunitedstates #abortionintheunitedstates #abortionrightsmovements #lawoftheunitedstates #amyconeybarrett #brettkavanaugh #susancollins #socialissues #neilgorsuch #janetmills #danapeirce #abortion #politics

Maine Legislature vote expands sovereignty for Native American tribes

Story by By DAVID SHARP, Associated Press, June 22, 2023

"Native American tribes in #Maine took an important step toward greater sovereignty as the state Legislature voted to let most federal laws apply to #Wabanaki tribes, putting them on the same footing as other federally recognized tribes across the country.

"Both the Maine House and Senate approved the bill with enough support [from both Democrats and Republicans] Wednesday to overcome a potential veto of the bill [by Democrat Governor #JanetMills].

“Today signifies a landmark victory in the pursuit of Wabanaki self-determination," Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis said Thursday in a statement. The Penobscot are one member of the Wabanaki Nations, which encompasses Indigenous peoples living in what is now Maine.

"Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has opposed the bill, sponsored by House Speaker #RachelTalbo Ross, expressing concerns that it could lead to confusion and lawsuits. Her office had no immediate comment on the legislative action.

"#Tribes in Maine are set apart from the other 570 federally recognized tribes across the country because of the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, which stipulates they’re bound by state law and treats tribal reservations much like municipalities. That 1980 settlement for the #Passamaquoddy, #Penobscot and #Maliseet, along with a 1991 agreement for the Mi’kmaq, set the tribes apart from others in the country."

#NativeAmericanNews #Sovereignty #MaineSettlementAct #Mikmaq #FirstNations

Read more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/maine-legislature-vote-expands-sovereignty-for-native-american-tribes/ar-AA1cTsDB?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=a12572c5009845dbd3317f031419ff0a&ei=6

So irresponsible of Janet Mills and the Maine press to keep reporting she will be back at work after 5 days when most people are testing positive for over a week out. #covid #longcovid #janetmills #maine #wearamask