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Maulian Bryant is a Penobscot Nation tribal citizen and executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance.
The Wabanaki Alliance was formed in 2020 by leadership of all of the Wabanaki Nations in our homelands now called Maine to advocate for and educate about policies and issues that impact the tribal communities and people. We have an exciting year filled with legislative work, candidate forums, and educational initiatives.
Last week we held a press conference at the State House to outline our legislative priorities for the second session of the 132nd Legislature which includes sovereignty, conservation easements and Wabanaki Studies.
The sovereignty bills were carried over from last session and we look forward to the public hearings that are scheduled for Feb. 19 in the Judiciary Committee. The bills seek amendments to the 1980 Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement and Implementing Acts as well as an effort to restore access to federal laws meant to benefit tribes.
We are working with Rep. Jim Dill on a bill to expand the definition of conservation easements to include cultural practices. The bill also updates the statute to include tribes as entities able to hold these easements.
The Wabanaki Alliance and the Maine Environmental Education Association recently partnered to create a new Wabanaki Youth Policy Initiative. This group sent a letter to the governor and the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee to fund for LD 1474, a bill that would support the implementation of Wabanaki Studies curriculum that is already settled law from 2001. We are honored that these young leaders are willing to learn about the important work of advocacy and be present in the systems of lawmaking and public policy.
The Wabanaki Alliance will hold forums throughout the late winter and spring for candidates seeking office in this year’s election. The first of these forums will be with the candidates for governor and will be held March 19 hosted by the Houlton Band of Maliseet. Forums for the U.S. Senate and the Second Congressional District will be in April and May.
We will continue community education and engagement by hosting more panel discussions with tribal leaders, guests, experts, and others, much like we did last year. A highlight of this work is the “Treaties to Today” panel we held in Gardiner in September.
Our website is full of information, including links to the “Treaties To Today” panel discussion. You can keep up with our bill tracker, all events, recent news, and organizational information on both our website and our social media accounts.
Our staff, board, and coalition will be staffing informational tables throughout the state this year at events like the Fisherman’s Forum in Rockland, the Common Ground Fair in Unity, and all of the tribal celebrations in the summer and fall. We invite you to chat with us, sign up for our newsletter and emails, and learn about how tribal sovereignty and self determination benefit all people of Maine.
We thank you for all the support of tribal issues. We look forward to a day when we can focus on being partners and equals with policies in place to ensure our rights and freedoms are the same as every other tribe in the country. We have a ways to go, but we know we have good friends on the journey with us.
