MAINE PUBLIC • March 10, 2023
Next Thursday, Wabanaki leaders will deliver a formal address to both chambers of the Legislature in what many regard as another significant — if symbolic — event in efforts to improve relations between the state and tribal governments. This will be the first “State of the Tribes” address in roughly two decades and is expected to include remarks from leaders of the four Wabanaki tribes: the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, the Mi’kmaq Nation and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. Tensions remain around overhaul of the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement agreement, which a recent study by Harvard University researchers said has resulted in the Wabanaki tribes experiencing significantly less economic growth and opportunities than the vast majority of tribes nationwide.