Maine taking up issue of tribal sovereignty
PORTLAND, Maine – Tribes in Maine gave up some of their rights to the state when they settled their land claims more than 40 years ago.
They want to change that agreement so they can enjoy the same selfgoverning rights as the other Native Americans. The Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet and Mi’kmaq view legislative debate this week, ahead of the midterm elections, as their best opportunity for establishing rights to self determination.
The proposed changes come against a backdrop of President Joe Biden’s administration seeking to ensure that tribes are consulted early when it comes to policies or actions that impact them. It also has sought ways for the federal government and tribes to co-manage federal land that is part of tribes’ ancestral homeland.
But unlike the hundreds of tribal reservations across the United States, the Passamaquoddy’s and Penobscot’s three reservations in Maine are governed like municipalities and bound by state laws under the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.
In Maine, the larger Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes operate their own police departments and health clinics but don’t have full autonomy over matters on their land. The state and tribes have butted heads on environmental, fish and wildlife rules.
One bill would ensure the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point can regulate its own drinking water.
Chief Maggie Dana of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, also known as Sipayik, put it in stark terms.
“Our culture is clear – water is life. And for the Passamaquoddy people at Sipayik, it is poison,” Dana said.