Maine Native Americans updates from the Wabanaki Tribes

Wabanaki is a large nation of Native Americans - First Nations peoples- located in what is real world North America. Wabanaki places emphasis on consideration and compassion for not only all of the people in its nation but as well as those who are not Wabanaki.

Update about the status of Maine's Native American tribes, reported by Representative Dr. Sam Zager, of Portland in his legislative newsletter:

For the first time in more than 20 years, state lawmakers convened in March for a Joint Convention of the Maine Legislature to hear from the leaders of the Wabanaki Tribes.

In their address, the chiefs of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and the Penobscot Nation spoke directly to the Legislature about the current state of the Tribes for the first time since 2002.

Watch Maine Public Broadcasting’s coverage of the full event here.

To understand why this is a historic moment, here are some big picture details. For around 100 centuries, the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet, and Mi’kmaq people have dwelled in the land we now call Maine.

For almost all that time, until around four centuries ago, there were no Europeans here. In the 1600s, European trappers and traders, and then European migrants, arrived and began to settle along the coast and inland rivers. In 1776, the British colonies in America severed political ties to the European Old World with the noble but yet-unrealized notion that all were “created equal.”

Two centuries ago, in 1820, the State of Maine amicably separated from Massachusetts and joined the Union as a “free” state to balance out the establishment of the “slave” state of Missouri. At the same time, the United States government was pursuing a policy of war (the “Indian Wars” from the East to the West throughout the 1800s), land confiscation (e.g. “The Trail of Tears”) and cultural annihilation (Indian Boarding Schools to “Kill the Indian, Save the Man”). At times, U.S. troops perpetrated what we now would call war crimes (e.g. massacring non-combatant women and children at Wounded Knee in December 1890), according to the U.S. government’s own investigation a century later. Federal legislation permitted members of Native American tribes to vote in the 1920s, but it wasn’t until 1967 that the State of Maine permitted them to vote in state elections. There were members of the Wabanaki tribes who were serving in the U.S. military in Vietnam that weren’t allowed to vote for their state leaders. Maine and U.S. relations with the American tribes have been turbulent throughout history.

By the 1960s, as a result of these government policies, members of Native American tribes were severely impoverished and suffering far worse economic, educational and health outcomes than their white counterparts. The federal government began to act. In the early 1970s, President Nixon started to open up opportunities for economic development among the tribes. However, in settling land claims in 1980, the State of Maine retained a peculiar power over the four federally recognized tribes in our state. The effect was that fifty years of federal programs intended to improve economic, educational and health outcomes did not particularly benefit Maine’s Wabanaki people. 

A recent detailed analysis by the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (Kalt et al, Dec 2022), reported the per capita income of the Wabanaki nations grew just 9% in the three decades until 2018, far less than the 62% growth among non-Maine tribes during the same period.

The Kalt report said: Today, all four of the tribes in Maine—Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot—are stark economic underperformers relative to the other tribes in the Lower 48 states. Unique to Maine, the federal Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 (MICSA) empowers the state government to block the applicability of federal Indian policy in Maine. As a result, the development of the Wabanaki Nations’ economies and governmental capacities have been stunted.

I bring all this up because there is a big opportunity to rectify Maine’s policy towards the Wabanaki nations this session. Having all the tribal chiefs address the Legislature a few weeks ago was meaningful, and there is a lot of substantive, bipartisan work going on in the State House to set things on a far better course. 

Democratic Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross has been an incredible leader in this regard, and has been joined by Republican House Leader Faulkingham. I look forward to the Legislature’s continued work with tribal leaders to support efforts that recognize the Tribes’ inherent right to self-government and build a better future for all who call Maine home.

It remains a privilege to serve you in the Maine House of Representatives. As always, please feel welcome to reach out to me for help with navigating services, connecting with state agencies, or if you would like to share your ideas about our work at the State House.

Sincerely,
 Sam Zager, MD,  Serving House District 116

Sam.Zager@legislature.maine.gov

Maine gubernatorial election gives voters a clear choice - Congressman Michaud challenges partisanism

Three clear choices for governor in Maine. Which of these candidates do you trust to create Maine jobs?

From left Eliot Cutler (I), Governor Paul LePage (R) and Congressman Mike Michaud (D)

Obviously, in a three way election, the man who is eventually elected must attract support from beyond the partisan voter bases.  

One independent candidate is drawing votes from both the Democrat Mike Michaud as well as the incumbent Republican Governor Paul LePage. A winner is highly unlikely to receive a majority vote. 

Clearly, every vote counts.

LePage enjoys solid support from constituent Republicans, especially conservatives who strongly approve of his welfare reform initiatives, which pretty much includes cutting the numbers of enrolled beneficiaries. 

Eliot Cutler is an Independent candidate who has a strong voice about breaking the political status quo, while supportive of progressive policies and experience attracting private businesses to Maine.

Congressman Mike Michaud is the Democratic candidate with a bipartisan message. Political ads supported by  the Michaud campaign emphasize the Congressman's experience reaching across partisan lines to "get the job done".  Now, the Congressman has further advanced his bipartisan message by attracting the endorsement of three Republicans, reported by Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN):

"While in Congress I worked with Republicans, like Congressman Buyer and Secretary Principi to improve the lives of veterans of Maine and all across the country," Michaud said. "I plan to bring that same bipartisan support to the Blaine House if elected governor this November."

In his quest for the Blaine House, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud has touted his willingness to reach across partisan lines to get things done. He did so again Monday in Lewiston Maine while introducing three former prominent Republicans who gave Michaud their enthusiastic endorsement.

A group of Maine veterans gathered at Lewiston's Veterans Park for what would prove to be an unusual political event. U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud of Maine's 2nd District had come to roll out his plans to improve the lives of vets, should he be elected governor, and to help him he turned out three prominent veterans advocates — all of whom are Republicans.

"As I've always said, supporting our veterans isn't a partisan issue," Michaud said.

Standing behind Michaud were Anthony Principi, the former secretary of Veterans Affairs for Republican President George W. Bush; former Indiana Congressman Steve Buyer, who served as the Republican chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and retired Brig. Gen. Don McCormack, a Republican who served as a political appointee in the LePage administration and a former assistant adjutant general for air for the Maine National Guard. Michaud characterized his guests as the kind of advocates who looked beyond partisan lines.

"While in Congress I worked with Republicans, like Congressman Buyer and Secretary Principi to improve the lives of veterans of Maine and all across the country," Michaud said. "I plan to bring that same bipartisan support to the Blaine House if elected governor this November."

Michaud has unveiled an eight-point plan that would guide his veterans’ policy as governor. Chief among those goals are the protection of the Maine Army National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion; the expansion of access to health care through Medicaid to nearly 70,000 Mainers, including 3,000 veterans, and the overall improvement of existing veteran services. Principi says he was struck by the absence of partisanship in his dealing with Michaud, who served as a ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

"During my tenure as secretary, when Mike joined the committee, he reached out to me and wanted to identify what the challenges were that I was facing as secretary," Principi says. "The needs of my department and how we could work together across the aisle, at both ends of Pennsylvania to find solutions to these problems."

Principi says the collaborative skills needed to craft good public policy seem to come naturally to Michaud.

"He is a decent hardworking humble man, again not looking for the limelight," Principi says. "It wasn't all about Mike Michaud. It was about 'How I can help the veterans of our nation? How can I help the people of Maine?' And that's what he’s all about and that's why I felt it was imperative to come up here to try to explain and tell you a little bit about the man I know, the man I've come to admire and respect enormously."

"When I think about Mike, I think about this is a man who has excellent balance about himself," said Buyer.

Buyer served as the Republican chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee when Michaud was on the panel. He says Michaud's politeness, kindness and civility helped him forge a consensus on the committee as a minority member.

"He knows that those three virtues cost nothing but they're worth plenty," Buyer says. "He also understands that adversity has no friends and I think that's what drives Mike Michaud."

McCormack, a Republican who was appointed assistant adjutant general of the Maine Army National Guard by Gov. Paul LePage said Michaud's temperament would serve him well as governor. McCormack, who retired two years ago, says the Democrat's style is a stark contrast to LePage.

"To me, fear, intimidation, disrespect for your employees are not effective leadership, they're not effective leadership,” McCormack says.

Alex Willette, a spokesman for the LePage campaign, dismissed the endorsements, saying that Principi and Buyer were as culpable as Michaud for the disaster in the Veterans' Administration's health care delivery system. The Cutler campaign says they also share the support of prominent Republicans.

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Although the three men offer Maine voters a clear choice (I certainly don't hear the cliche "none of the above" from voters), the primary issue on the ballot Maine jobs. I submit, the extension of the important jobs issue is how to attract a viable workforce. Maine has the oldest population in the nation. A retirement age state won't attract manufacturing employers.  

All three candidates have a vision and experience about jobs creation. Governor LePage was an executive with Marden's, a popular discount retailer. Congressman Michaud attracted contracts from the US military with New Balance corporation in western Maine. Eliot Cutler created economic trade to Maine through his international business leadership.  

Given the three men are equally qualified in the jobs issue, which is the primary concern among voters, the choice will, therefore, be influenced by trust in the candidates.

Take another look at the picture of the three candidates posted in this blog.  Which of the three candidates do you trust?