PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 16, 2023
Leaders of Maine’s Indigenous tribes called for expanded rights to govern their communities during a rare address to a joint session of the Legislature Thursday. Five chiefs spoke during what was only the second State of Tribes Address in state history. Tribes outside of Maine have been allowed to govern themselves independently, setting up their own courts, protecting their own lands and overseeing their own economic development efforts. They also have benefitted directly from federal programs and resources, while Maine tribes have had limited access to federal benefits because of a 43-year-old legal settlement with the state. A study released earlier this year by the Harvard Kennedy School concluded that the settlement agreement is hampering tribal economies.