This fall, we write in celebration. In September, Penobscot Nation regained 11,297 acres of their homelands, through a land return collaboration with Trust for Public Land. This return, called Wáhsehtəkʷ, in itself is a powerful historic event. It is the largest private land return that has happened to date in Wabanaki homelands. Wáhsehtəkʷ follows close on the heels of two summer returns to Mi’kmaq Nation, Mesgilg Maqamigew and Pugweliget, and promises hope as we plan for additional returns by the end of the year.
These returns bring us to a halfway point in a much larger effort – the Tributary land returns, which are returning land to each of the federally recognized Wabanaki Tribes in Maine. These returns are highly coordinated, through Wabanaki intertribal diplomacy, and through deep collaboration between non-native conservation organizations, grounded in the understanding that all of us are stronger when we work together. At this point in time, 7 of the 11 returns in Tributary have been completed. 25,820 acres of the over 50,000 acres are in Wabanaki Tribal ownership, and $35 million of $52 million dollars have been raised. While much work lies ahead still, we want to take this moment to truly sit with and honor what has taken place so far.
Acres, dollars, and transactions are one way of talking about these returns, but one that can’t capture the heart of what this work means – for Wabanaki people welcoming back this land, for all of the people involved in this work of repairing relationships, and for the land itself and all the beings who call it home. These returns make it possible for Wabanaki people to reconnect with the land their ancestors have always cared for, to practice culture, land stewardship, sustenance and spirituality. They mean the revitalization of culture and land relationships in the present, and space to grow and dream for the future, building something we can’t even imagine yet. These returns impact a whole constellation of lives connected to these lands, human and nonhuman, past, present, and future.
This is a moment to celebrate what we’ve accomplished together, work that each of you reading this is a part of. This work is held by so many hands – the people carrying out the logistics of real estate transactions, the people returning to the land, the people raising money and donating money, the people advocating for the importance of this work, the people changing non-native culture, the people maintaining Wabanaki cultures, the people changing policies and laws, the people changing their own hearts and minds, the people sharing stories, the people dreaming of what the future holds. This work takes all of us. To each of you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
Tributary Land Returns
Spotlight on Wáhsehtəkʷ
Penobscot Nation and Trust for Public Land completed the first phase of the Wáhsehtəkʷ land return last month, transferring 11,297 acres surrounding the East Branch of the Penobscot River to Penobscot Nation. The land is similar in physical size to Portland, Maine, and includes forests, cold-water streams, ponds and wetlands, and habitat for salmon, trout, and moose. It sits near Katahdin, a mountain that is sacred to Penobscot people. This return enables Penobscot Nation to resume their care for these lands and waters, after 200 years of separation. The second phase of the Wáhsehtəkʷ return, which is already underway, will restore another 20,000 acres to Penobscot Nation. Once the full project completes, the Penobscot Nation and TPL partnership will represent one of the largest land returns ever between a U.S.-based nonprofit and a Tribal Nation.
"Tribal land return is about more than putting land back into tribal ownership. It is about restoring the ability of Tribal Nations to make decisions about our homelands; to care for the land and waters that our relatives live in, according to our own values. To reconnect our people with places that have always been a part of who we are. Land return can bring together sovereignty, cultural connection, conservation, and economic opportunity in ways that benefit both Tribal communities and the broader region. For the Penobscot Nation, returning this land means restoring a responsibility that was never truly given up.”
– Chuck Loring, Director of Natural Resources at Penobscot Nation
Trout Pond, part of the Phase 1 Wáhsehtəkʷ return. Photo courtesy of Chris Bennett.
Spotlight on Mesgilg Maqamigew
Mik’maq Nation welcomed back a land return of 3,400 contiguous acres early this summer. Mesgilg Maqamigew, meaning “big land,” doubled the Nation’s contemporary landholdings. With healthy forests, wetlands, and streams, Mesgilg Maqamigew has restored opportunities for hunting, fishing, and land caretaking. The Nation has already set up wildlife studies and water quality monitoring. The land is home to a thriving animal community – moose, bear, deer, lynx, coyotes, and raccoons have been making delightful trail cam appearances. Mesgilg Maqamigew is special too for its accessibility for community members; it’s located between the two largest populations of Mi’kmaq citizens, and only a mile off Route 1.
Black bear walks past the Mesgilg Maqamigew trail cams. Photo courtesy of Mi’kmaq Nation.
Spotlight on Pugweliget
In early September, Mi’kmaq Nation secured a land return of 83 acres, in partnership with Trust for Public Land. The land is called Pugweliget, which means “living together in a group,” because it directly abuts existing tribal housing. Before the return, 48 residents lived on only 4 acres, right along a major road. The return gives people room to breathe, and access nature right at their backdoors. In addition to space for recreation, foraging, and cultural use, the Pugweliget return means children have safer places to play, and residents will be able to upgrade their septic systems. While it's smaller in acreage than many of the Tributary returns, Pugweliget makes a big difference in people’s lives. As Shannon Hill, Environmental Health Director for the Mi’kmaq Nation, says, “The ability to take a walk and connect with the land as we did thousands of years ago without fear of trespassing is of far greater importance here than the number of acres."
Tribal housing and Pugweliget. Photo courtesy of Mi’kmaq Nation.
The Wolankeyutomone Kisi Apaciyewik Fund
This summer, the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship distributed its second year of grant funding, through their Wolankeyutomone Kisi Apaciyewik Fund. They increased their funding from last year, to grant $725,000, across 18 different projects centering on Wabanaki land reconnection.
The work supported this year showcases an incredibly diverse constellation of rematriation efforts – from documenting sacred petroglyphs in Machias Bay, to teaching traditional canoe building, to supporting Wabanaki community members in developing wildland firefighting skills, to establishing a network of cultural and recreational trails on Tribal lands. You can read more about each of the grant recipients here.
The Fund was recently featured in the Portland Press Herald. The article includes stories from grantees, and highlights how land return and rematriation go hand in hand.
The Wolankeyutomone Kisi Apaciyewik Fund (translated from Passamaquoddy to “let us take good care of what has returned”) is an essential part of the collective work to support Wabanaki land relationships. Organizations in the First Light community recognized the interconnectedness of land return and Wabanaki land caretaking, and demonstrated their commitment through collectively funding a Solidarity Deposit that enabled the fund to make its first year of grants. Now, the community continues to support the Fund through ongoing Solidarity Commitments.
Organizations in the First Light community will be receiving a call to action in the coming weeks to continue sustaining the work through Solidarity Commitments. This is a good time to remind your colleagues and board members about the Fund, share a grantee project that inspires you, or talk about the meaningful impact of directing your budget to Wabanaki-led land care and connection. As always, First Light staff are here to support you in this process.
Snowshoe Making. Photo courtesy of Mi'kmaq Nation Cultural Preservation Department.
Events
Bean Island Visit
By Ellie Oldach
On a foggy morning at the end of August, Wabanaki and First Light partners gathered for the Island Access Working Group trip to Bean Island in Frenchman Bay. Eventually the fog dissipated and a perfect sunny afternoon met us. We spent the day walking the island, cracking into lobsters cooked the traditional way (many thanks to Ryan Ranco and all the rock and rockweed haulers), and connecting with this island and one another. Many hands held this day – enormous thanks to all who supported in presence and spirit.
Beginning the day in fog and fire. Photo courtesy of Ryan Ranco.
Together on Bean Island. Photo courtesy of Ann Pollard-Ranco.
Resourcing Rematriation in Wabanaki Homelands
By Otto Muller
The Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship and First Light presented a panel called “Resourcing Rematriation in Wabanaki Homelands” in New York City during Climate Week as part of the Doris Duke Foundation’s “Treehouse Series.” Suzanne Greenlaw, Frances Soctomah, and Otto Muller were joined by Amelia St. John, a WKA grant recipient, and Genevieve Leslie from The Nature Conservancy to talk about the large-scale collaboration that is working toward land return and rematriation in the place now known as Maine. We focused on the work of the Wolankeyutomone Kisi Apaciyewik Fund in particular and the unique ways that it employs community-based decision-making and trust-based philanthropy to enact a Wabanaki vision of land relationship. There were about twenty attendees from philanthropy and finance in the room, who had great questions and keen interest in the Fund and its work.
Coffee and Conversation at College of the Atlantic
Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship and First Light staff members gave a public talk at College of the Atlantic in early September, focused on land return and rematriation in Wabanaki homelands. We shared our model of organizing side by side, lessons we’ve learned working together, and our hopes for the future. Speaking about return in front of an audience beyond Wabanaki and conservation communities is a relatively new space for us, but feels like an important growing edge of movement building. We were met with genuine curiosity, thoughtful questions, and warm support. We extend our gratitude to all who attended, and to the College of the Atlantic for graciously hosting this event.
Coffee and Conversation. Photo courtesy of Asy Xaytouthor at College of the Atlantic.