SUN JOURNAL • February 13, 2022
LD 1626 is a bill currently before the Legislature that recognizes that the Penobscots, Passamaquoddies, and Maliseets should have the same rights as 570 other Native peoples throughout the United States. The Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act, passed in 1980, sought to remedy this injustice. Unfortunately, the settlement retained state power over the tribes. Subsequent disputes have required protracted litigation, investigations, or referenda that involve acrimony and distrust. We all pay for disputes that are rooted at base in Wabanakis’ efforts to protect their rights to homelands they have occupied for millennia. Opponents of this bill fear that if the state relinquishes its power, then Wabanakis will impose new and onerous regulations on their non-Native neighbors. They overlook that the state already does this to Wabanakis. ~ Joe Hall teaches Wabanaki history at Bates College