The Wabanaki Alliance will host our second annual Nihkaniyane: Let’s Go Forward Together event, a celebration of our friendships and alliances, from 5:30-7 PM on Thursday, July 11 in Bar Harbor.
The Wabanaki Alliance was formed in 2020 when the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, and Penobscot Nation joined together to work to improve upon the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act (MISCA) and educate the public on tribal histories and communities.
Over the past four years, the Wabanaki Alliance has faced setbacks, including the continued failure of the State of Maine to recognize our sovereignty, and celebrated accomplishments, from the passage of an amendment of the Maine Constitution to restore our history to the strength of the relationships and alliances we have built in our continued work in support of Wabanaki Nations.
That’s why we are hosting our second annual Nihkaniyane: Let’s Go Forward Together event, a celebration of our friendships and alliances, from 5:30 PM to 7 PM on Thursday, July 11th in the backyard at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor. All funds from this special celebration will bolster the Wabanaki Alliance’s ongoing work.
Tickets can be purchased here and more information about the Host Committee can be found here.
We are excited to honor Beth Ahearn, Carol Wishcamper, and Rena Newell for their outstanding contributions and their support, friendship, and dedication to the Wabanaki Alliance and Wabanaki people.
Rena Newell, former Chief of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and Passamaquoddy Tribal Representative to the Maine Legislature, and past and current Wabanaki Alliance board member, exemplifies many of the best aspects of Wabanaki women. Among her many accomplishments during her four-year term as Passamaquoddy Tribal Representative, she sponsored legislation to secure clean drinking water for the Passamaquoddy at Sipayik. Newell has devoted much of her professional career to education including a stint as the Passamaquoddy Tribal Education Director.
Beth Ahearn is the former Director of Government Affairs of the Maine Conservation Voters and the Maine Conservation Voters Action Fund. Since the inception of the Wabanaki Alliance, she has been a strong, effective voice for the segment of the environmental community belonging to the Maine Conservation Alliance and Environmental Priorities Coalition to prioritize Wabanaki inherent sovereignty in their advocacy work. Beth regularly attended Wabanaki Alliance Tribal Coalition meetings and was an important contributor to the State House Team advising and implementing legislative strategy.
Carol Wishcamper is a founding supporter of the Wabanaki Alliance. She served as one of the five commissioners on the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission, one of the first in the world to examine issues of Native child welfare, and co-chaired the body. Carol continues to prioritize supporting Wabanaki Nations and Peoples through her faithful attendance at Wabanaki Alliance events, testifying and advocating for Wabanaki sovereignty, and confronting examples of racism and colonialism in her own community.
Click on the button below to purchase your ticket. For more information, contact events@wabanakialliance.com.
Nihkaniyane Host Committee*
Kishus (Sun)
Anonymous
Supeq (Ocean)
Rob Gips and Karen Harris
Sip (River)
Anonymous
Appalachian Mountain Club
Sam Deeran
Defend Our Health
First Light
Friends Committee on ME Public Policy
Anne Henshaw
Beth and Daniel Kleban
Maine Conservation Voters
Jennifer Melville and Alex Abbott
Roger and Margot Milliken
Momentum Conservation
National Parks Conservation Association
Sierra Club Maine
Kathleen Sullivan
The Nature Conservancy in Maine
The Wilderness Society Action Fund
Trust for Public Land
*List as of June 28, 2024.
