Indigenous Mainers are working on a plan to boost tourism for the state’s five Wabanaki nations.
The Wabanaki Cultural Tourism Initiative received both a federal grant from Health and Human Services and a state grant from the Maine Office of Tourism.
As a member of the Penobscot Nation, Charlene Virgilio, Executive Director of the Four Directions Development Corp., the first Aboriginal community development financial institution in northern New England, said cultural preservation is at the heart of the project. Her goal is to create unique experiences to share how the Abenaki have long been stewards of the land and water.
“Canoeing, kayaking along the ancient rivers that we have, traditional fishing methods, whatever,” she said, “those kinds of things that will help preserve the culture, but also help tourists to discover this culture.
Four Directions and the initiative set to attend Governor Janet Mills Annual Meeting Tourism Conference today and tomorrow. Virgilio said authenticity is key for many Wabanaki communities interested in boosting tourism.
In addition to preserving and sharing culture, said Matthew Lewis, director of Wabanaki program and operations for Four Directions and a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, this effort is a way to bring more income to Maine’s native communities and stimulate local economies. For example, he said, there are so many artisans in the community to engage with.
“Tourism can sometimes have a negative connotation with some communities, saying we don’t want people walking through, taking pictures, doing the Disneyland kind of package,” he said. “We want meaningful engagement with the community and meaningful engagement with the culture.”
As they map out the strong four-season tourism industry they hope to achieve by 2030, Lewis said, they must also consider the infrastructure needed – from hotels and restaurants to workforce development and hotel training.
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Groups that gathered at the State House on Monday called on lawmakers and Governor Janet Mills to pass and sign a bill to address high levels of toxic chemicals in drinking water at the Pleasant Point Reservation Passamaquoddy.
Students and tribal leaders from Pleasant Point, also known as Sipayik, were joined by hundreds of allies also supporting DL 906.
This would exempt the Passamaquoddy Water District from municipal taxes — it’s the only water district in Maine that pays property taxes — and allow tribal members to source water from alternate plots of land.
Pleasant Point Tribal Government Leader Maggie Dana said her community had lived for generations with unsafe drinking water.
“Our culture is clear, water is life,” Dana said. “And to the Passamaquoddy people, it’s poison. As the Passamaquoddy people, we want to take responsibility by regulating our drinking water on our own lands.”
Opponents of the bill say ongoing water system improvements will fix the problem, but Dana noted it was a step in a greater battle for tribal sovereignty.
Since Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980Maine’s five Wabanaki nations have less authority over natural resources, gambling, and taxes than other tribal nations in the country.
Noela Altvater – a 19-year-old from Sipayik – noted that it is possible to have clean water and it will help reverse the negative health effects that people in Sipayik are facing.
“The toxicity of our water has resulted in major health risks,” Altvater said, “like liver disease, respiratory problems, cancer and kidney problems.”
Maulian Dana is a Penobscot Nation Ambassador who is President of the Wabanaki Alliance. She said it should be obvious that clean water is a basic right – but she notes that indigenous communities often have to make obvious statements and defend themselves.
“We should be outraged,” Dana said. “We should be angry, we should be furious at a lot of the living conditions that we had to endure in our homeland. But instead, we’re rising above, we keep coming back in a respectable way. This power is love.”
Maine lawmakers should vote on DL 906 this week, despite the governor expressing his opposition. Tribal leaders hope she will sign the bill if it lands on her desk.
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Knowing where to start can seem daunting for people who want to get involved in their communities, and civic engagement can mean something different for the indigenous people of Montana.
Ronnie Jo Horse, executive director of the non-profit, non-partisan group Western Native Voicewho is working to get more Montana natives involved in elections, said a motivating and empowering factor in getting people involved is to explain the relationship between tribes and the US government.
“Understand that American Indians or Alaska Natives are not another racial or ethnic group, but have a unique sovereign political status that is recognized in the U.S. Constitution, various Supreme Court decisions, executive orders , acts of Congress and other federal policies,” Horse said. .
Horse pointed out that people are also more likely to engage in elections when they understand Native American voting history. Native Americans were not granted US citizenship until 1924, then faced barriers from the Jim Crow era until the adoption of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. About two-thirds of Native Americans voted in the 2020 election in Montana. The 2022 state primary election will be held on June 7.
Horse pointed out that people can start small if they want to be civically engaged. To have the biggest impact, she said in-person conversations were the most powerful. Horse noted that unfortunately the pandemic has disrupted his organization’s ability to work in this way, but they have expanded their digital footprint.
“We had a bigger reach with the younger generation,” Horse explained. “But it was difficult because of this lack of face-to-face interaction to get the message across.”
Horse added that it’s also important for elected leaders to understand Native American communities and some of the barriers they face, especially in voting. Issues like voting by mail are critical, for example, because mailboxes can be far away from voters living on reservations or in rural parts of the state, which can be a barrier to voter turnout.
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Lights have been turned on this week for 20 families across the Navajo Nation as volunteer power company workers continue to connect previously dark homes to the grid.
Utility company workers from 10 states are participating in a collaborative effort known as the Bright Navajo. The project aims to electrify 300 homes over the next eight weeks, helping Native Americans who have lived on tribal lands for generations to turn on a light switch for the first time.
Navajo Nation resident Shirley Chee wished her parents could have been there when the power was restored.
“Seeing the lights on, my sister and I were crying and saying, ‘Oh mom, dad, look at the lights. Look at the porch lights. They’re all on.’ we just cried last night when they left,” Chee said.
The project was organized by the American Public Power Association and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. It started in 2019 but was suspended during the pandemic. It has so far connected some 230 Navajo homes to the grid.
A pair of Tempe-based Salt River Project (SRP) line crews have connected power to more than 20 homes since April 4. Each team consists of 10 workers who dedicate 12 hours a day to complete the project.
Mark Henle, a line worker for SRP, said for many families it will be the first time they have electricity in their homes.
“Yesterday we were able to complete some unstructured wire and frame work,” Henle explained. “And the family was kind enough to come and say ‘hi’ to us after we were done. And they were like, ‘You know, we’ve been waiting here for 30 years for you to give us electricity.’ It was moving.”
Officials say the process of assembling a house, including threading wires, setting posts, installing insulators, etc., is valued at around $5,500 per house.
Wayne Wisdom, senior director of distribution network services for SRP, said the end result isn’t about the money.
“Just the joy we saw on the faces when they finally got to flip that switch and the lights came on,” Wisdom remarked. “They finally had electricity, and they were able to improve their quality of life and not have to refuel their generators.”
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