Opinion: The Wabanaki Nations asked Maine for sovereignty. What did we get? Online gaming.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2026

For decades, the Wabanaki Nations have asked the state of Maine for one thing above all others: recognition of our inherent sovereignty. Not favors. Not carve-outs. Not special permissions. Simply the same respect for self-government that every other federally recognized tribe in this country enjoys. That request has been consistently denied. We asked for sovereignty. We got i-gaming. Gaming is not sovereignty. Revenue is not self-determination. And economic permission does not replace political recognition. ~ Donna M. Loring, Penobscot Nation elder, Vietnam veteran, author and former state legislator