FARMINGTON – A full week of events organized by the University of Maine at Farmington will honor the area’s first settlers; the state has officially recognized the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day since 2019. Previously, the holiday had been dubbed Columbus Day with the intention of recognizing Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas, however, updated historical accounts prove that Columbus and his party of travelers were responsible for the transatlantic slave trade and the murder of millions of Indigenous people. Maine is one of seven states that have resolved to recognize the nation’s first true settlers, rather than the colonization imposed by Columbus and his men.
UMF has publicly recognized that the campus is located on the traditional homelands of the Abenaki people of Anmessokkanti. An Indigenous Land and Water Acknowledgment can be read fully by clicking here. Written by Mali Obomsawin (Odanak Abenaki First Nation) with input from Darren Ranco (Penobscot Nation), the acknowledgment states:
“We pledge to continue our collaboration with Wabanaki people to further decolonize spaces and to transform UMF into a place that honors Wabanaki and other Indigenous peoples. We acknowledge that this is an ongoing process in which the University of Maine at Farmington promises to partake, in partnership the many Indigenous individuals who have contributed to this important cause.”
The week will explore a variety of Indigenous issues and will be held both in person and virtually. All events are free and open to the public.
On Monday, Oct. 11 a virtual teach-in will be facilitated by the Bomazeen Land Trust and the Sunlight Media Collective. Bomazeen Land Trust is a non-profit founded and run by Wabanki people, including Obomsawin, and the Sunlight Media Collective is a group of media makers and activists, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. The day will include a series of films for participants to watch, with a follow up question and answer session on Wednesday, Oct. 13. The following films are now available online:
The Penobscot: Ancestral River, Contested Territory (45 min)
The Penobscot: Ancestral River, Contested Territory traverses the landscape of deal-making and deal-breaking which has historically defined tribal-state relations in Maine. Spanning from the 1700’s to the present-day legal battle being played out in Penobscot Nation v. Mills, the film illustrates the history of Penobscots’ tenacious fight to retain their territory and their inherent, treaty-reserved sustenance fishing rights for future generations. The Penobscot: Ancestral River, Contested Territory features the Penobscot people’s traditional, centuries-long stewardship to ensure a healthy ecosystem for all of Maine. It tells the urgent, inspiring story of a struggle for justice and cultural survival in the face of an astonishingly open abuse of state power.
Film: The Saga Continues (7 min)
The Saga Continues is a August 2021 update to the Penobscot River case written by Maria Girouard (Penobscot Nation), an historian with a particular interest and expertise in the Maine Indian Land Claims.
Film: Kihtahkomikumon (Our Land) – #IslandBack in Passamaquoddy Territory (20 min)
About Kihtahkomikumon (Our Land) – #IslandBack in Passamaquoddy Territory: In 2021, by an act of humanism, solidarity, and reparation, the Passamaquoddy tribe has been reunited with 140 acres of their unceded Ancestral territory – part of the largest island in Kci Monosakom, (Big Lake) Maine. To the Passamaquoddy people, it’s more than land return; it is the return of a stolen family member. In this short film, we join Passamaquoddy community members who are finally able to reunite with their non-human relatives. This short film documents the backstory of this island, the process of its theft, and the story of its return.
Questions and comments can be submitted here. On Wednesday, Oct. 13, Maria Girouard and other Wabanaki speakers will facilitate a discussion based on the comments and questions submitted.
Also on Wednesday, in-person at the Emery Community Arts Center Performance Space, a series of presentations and profiles will address how the Wabanaki people have been protecting their homelands, throughout history as well as today. Issues such as water quality, waste mismanagement, land claims proceedings, and the #LandBack movement will all be discussed.
The event will begin at 11:45 with speaker Dawn Neptune Adams. Adams is a member of the Penobscot Nation and a filmmaker with Sunlight Media Collective. Her grassroots environmental activist résumé began with protecting Indigenous Sacred sites in Huntington Beach, CA in 1998 and continues in the present with Indigenous advocacy at Penobscot Tribal, local, state, and national levels.
Maria Girouard of Penobscot Nation will continue the discussion. Girouard is a historian with a particular interest and expertise in the Maine Indian Land Claims. A longstanding community organizer, educator, and steward of the homelands, Girouard has spoken extensively on topics including Penobscot history, the Maine Indian Land Claims, food justice, and the current legal battle being waged over the Penobscots’ ancestral river. She is a co-founder of the Sunlight Media Collective and of The Peoples’ Garden on Indian Island. She has served her tribal community in the past as an elected member of Penobscot Tribal Council and director of the Penobscot Cultural and Historic Preservation Department. She holds a Master’s in History from the University of Maine and currently works as the Executive Director for the non-profit organization Wabanaki REACH.
Mali Obomsawin of Odanak Abenaki First Nation is an organizer, and educator for racial justice and Indigenous sovereignty. She serves as the Executive Director of Bomazeen Land Trust and is a member of Sunlight Media Collective and Racial Equity and Justice. After growing up in Farmington, Maine, Mali went on to study at Berklee College of Music and Dartmouth College, where she graduated in 2018 with a B.A in Government and Comparative Literature. Her writing has been published in the Boston Globe, Smithsonian Folklife Magazine, and National Performance Network. She is an internationally renowned musician, having toured across the United States, Canada, and abroad in Germany and Austria with her band Lula Wiles (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings). Keep up with her work at www.maliobomsawin.com.
Lokotah Sanborn will wrap up the presentation. Sanborn is a Penobscot artist and community organizer for racial and environmental justice and Indigenous sovereignty. He is a member of Sunlight Media Collective, Needlepoint Sanctuary, Bomazeen Land Trust, Racial Equity and Justice, and several other organizations dedicated to food security and mutual aid in marginalized communities. Lokotah will present on the #landback movement and the work of Bomazeen Land Trust across Maine and the northeast.
Face coverings are required for this event, regardless of vaccination status.
The week will end with another on-campus event on Friday, Oct. 15. Beginning at 11:45 a.m. Darren Ranco will discuss “Decolonizing the University Through Placed-Based Agreements with Tribal Nations.” The event will also be held at the Emery Community Arts Center Performance Space.
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Programs at the University of Maine, Darren J. Ranco (Penobscot Nation) will lead a campus conversation about the decolonization movement in higher education, with an eye on establishing some action steps for UMF.
Ranco’s research focuses on the ways in which Indigenous communities in the United States resist environmental destruction by using Indigenous diplomacies and knowledges to protect cultural resources, and how state knowledge systems continue to expose Indigenous peoples to an inordinate amount of environmental risk.
For more information on the series, click here, or contact Gaelyn Aguilar, Associate Professor of Anthropology at UMF, by calling 207-778-7573 or emailing gaelyn.aguilar@maine.edu.
