Members of the newly formed Wabanaki Policy Youth Initiative (WPYI) have announced their advocacy for LD 1474, a bill that would strengthen Wabanaki Studies in Maine schools.
In 2001, legislators passed the Wabanaki Studies Law, which requires the inclusion of Wabanaki history, economic and political systems, and culture in the curricula of all public K-12 schools. Sponsored by Rep. Donna Loring (Penobscot Nation), that bill was passed without a fiscal note.
Speaking at a February 3 press conference at the Maine State House, members of WPYI noted that 25 years after the original Wabanaki Studies Law was passed, the bill remains unfunded and largely ignored.
“At its core, Wabanaki Studies is a representation of the flourishing communities still here today and cannot be taught as such without the voices of many from within these communities. Many other states are miles ahead in their own implementation of local Indigenous studies and have entire teams within their Departments of Education (DOE) whose job it is to support educators and students within this realm,” said Kaya Lolar, Panawahpskek citizen and co-lead of WPYI.
According to a 2022 report by the Wabanaki Alliance, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission, ACLU of Maine, and the Abbe Museum, most school districts in the state have largely ignored the law since it was enacted, which prompted the introduction of this legislation.
LD 1474, sponsored by Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orono), creates the position of Wabanaki Studies Specialist within the Maine DOE to oversee compliance with the 2001 Wabanaki Studies Law.
The legislation also directs the state Board of Education to require completion of a Wabanaki studies component within teacher certification requirements and ensures funding is available to hire Wabanaki advisors and educators who would help the Wabanaki studies specialist create short-term courses that would be available to all Maine teachers.
Members of WPYI, a group of young tribal citizens representing each of the four Wabanaki Nations as well as non-Wabanaki youth, have sent letters to Governor Janet Mills and members of the Appropriations Committee, which will determine whether LD 1474 is funded.
Since then, thanks to the efforts led by the Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA), the Wabanaki Studies Specialist position has been included in the Governor’s budget. While this is a great step forward, LD 1474 still has a fiscal note to support positions for contracted Wabanaki advisors and educators. WPYI is urging legislators, specifically members of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, to fund LD 1474.
“Ensuring that we have a Wabanaki Studies Specialist and can appropriately compensate a group of Wabanaki advisors through their contracted work is a necessary beginning step for us as we stand here on Wabanaki land discussing the strengthening of a practice that is long overdue,” Lolar continued.
The original Wabanaki studies law was passed before many members of WPYI were born, noted Sage Phillips, a Penobscot Nation citizen and co-lead of WPYI.
“Today, we rise as the next generation who do this work as a direct result of the leadership of those who came before us and we follow in the footsteps of tribal leaders who have championed the efforts to strengthen Wabanaki Studies in classrooms across our homelands now called Maine,” said Phillips, who is also the communications and community engagement coordinator for the Wabanaki Alliance.
“The time has come for this law to be adequately funded to ensure future generations of Wabanaki youth see themselves represented in Maine’s classrooms and all Mainers are learning about the Wabanaki Nations,” Phillips said.
Find talking points and actions you can take on LD 1474 here.
For more information about WPYI, please contact sage@wabanakialliance.com or kaya@meeassociation.org.
