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The four tribes of the Wabanaki Confederacy lived in much of what is now the State of Maine for many centuries before the Europeans and others arrived. They preserved and protected theland and all of its creatures, which they considered sacred.
The U.S. government recognizes approximately 570 Native American tribes as sovereign nations. The Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, passed in 1980, denies the sovereignty of the Wabanaki tribes. One result has been to deny the Wabanaki access to the benefits established in 150 federal laws that have been passed since then.
LD 1626 reflects the 22 recommendations of a bipartisan legislative task force created in 2019 to rectify the injustices created by the 1980 Act. It would restore the right of the Wabanaki people to govern themselves within the bounds of their tribal lands.
I support the passage of LD 1626 as a way of recognizing the inherent worth and dignity of the Wabanaki by promoting justice, equity, and compassion in Maine’s relationship with them as a sovereign people.
Rick Davis
Belfast