Tribal Issues in the News
We track local, state, and national news coverage and editorials about issues important to the tribes in Maine, and have included excerpts from recent articles below. For more news from the Wabanaki Alliance, visit Latest News on our homepage, our Archive, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Find links to previous years’ news highlights at the end of this page.
Where Maine’s candidates for governor fall on tribal sovereignty
Portland Press Herald
March 26, 2026
Of the 17 candidates running for governor, nine have said they support tribal sovereignty in some fashion and six have committed to backing the legislation as it was originally introduced this session.
Maine gubernatorial candidates mostly back tribal sovereignty in Wabanaki-hosted forum
Maine Public
March 20, 2026
Eight of the candidates vying to become Maine’s next governor say they support tribal sovereignty, although some differed on how expeditiously it should be restored. Their positions were highlighted during a two-hour forum hosted by the Wabanaki Alliance on Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians land on Thursday. All five Democrats attended the event, alongside three independent candidates. None of the eight Republicans vying to replace Gov. Janet Mills next year attended. Chiefs from the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Penobscot Nation, Mi’kmaq Nation and the two Passamaquoddy nation leaders were all in attendance.
4 takeaways from the Wabanaki-hosted gubernatorial debate
Portland Press Herald
March 20, 2026
Lawmakers, backed by the Wabanaki Alliance’s broad coalition, have pushed for sweeping legislation to change this, but have met stalwart resistance from Gov. Janet Mills, who has favored a more incremental approach. So Wabanaki leaders have set their sights on 2026. Of the eight candidates present Thursday, five gave a no-hesitation thumbs-up on tribal sovereignty.
Why Maine must finally honor tribal sovereignty
From an guest editorial by Evan Richert, a former member of the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission, and Roger Milliken, chair of the board of Baskahegan Company.
Bangor Daily News
March 11, 2026
Fifty years ago, the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed in Passamaquoddy v. Morton that the U.S. government owes a trust relationship to the tribe. This case was the foundation for claims by the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation to millions of acres of land that had been acquired illegally. That led, 45 years ago, to the landmark 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act (MICSA) and the state’s Maine Implementing Act.
In our view, things have gone downhill since. To understand why, we dove into the historical record from 1975 to the present. We found that the state and tribes came out of the settlement with opposite understandings of what the Implementing Act said.
UMaine identifies human remains and hundreds of artifacts for repatriation to Wabanaki tribes
Maine Public
March 9, 2026
The University of Maine’s Anthropology Department has identified hundreds of Wabanaki burial artifacts and the physical remains of at least 26 individuals in its collection. The process of returning them to the tribes in accordance with federal law could begin next month.
Maine has a moral obligation to pass Wabanaki rights bill | Opinion
From an guest editorial by Johnna Ossie, a social work graduate student, in Portland.
Portland Press Herald
February 26, 2026
The 1980 Settlement Act is a failed state policy that leaves Maine lagging other states in the rights of Indigenous peoples. I urge the Maine Legislature to enact this vital legislation to ensure that the next generation of Wabanaki children has the opportunities for prosperity and self-governance that are their birthright. The time for half measures has passed. LD 785 cannot right the wrongs of Maine’s past, but it can give Wabanaki peoples the rights afforded to 570 other federally recognized tribes that are denied to them.
It’s been 25 years since Maine passed a Wabanaki studies law. It’s only partly working.
Three generations of Penobscot advocates are fighting to ensure students in Maine are taught about Indigenous tribes.
Portland Press Herald
February 22, 2026
Nearly 25 years have passed since Maine lawmakers decided students should learn about Wabanaki history, culture and contemporary life. Still, not all children in Maine receive that comprehensive education. A 2022 report that examined 10 school districts — the five largest in the state and the five closest to reservations — found most were struggling to implement the law with little support from the state. Now, lawmakers are considering whether to provide long-term funding for a statewide Wabanaki studies specialist — something advocates say should have been done years ago.
Tribal chiefs press Maine lawmakers for progress
Spectrum News
February 19, 2026
The push by tribal leaders toward sovereignty and better access to beneficial federal laws continued at the State House Thursday with dozens of supporters speaking out at a public hearing. Leaders of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, Penobscot Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and Mi’kmaq Nation all testified to state legislators about the importance of LD 395, which seeks to give tribes in Maine the power to more easily access federal laws and LD 785, which proposes to grant sovereignty to the tribes.
Wednesday Sit-Down: Debating tribal sovereignty
WGME-TV
February 19, 2026
In this week’s Wednesday Sit-Down, Wabanaki Alliance Executive Director Maulian Bryant sits down with CBS 13 to talk about tribal sovereignty.
Bill to teach Wabanaki Studies in classrooms passes through both House & Senate committees
WABI-TV
February 12, 2026
A bill aimed to teach Wabanaki Studies in classrooms has passed through committee in both the House and Senate and is now on the appropriations table. The bill would make the Wabanaki Studies specialist position within the Maine Department of Education a permanent role. While Wabanaki Studies has been required in grades K through 12 for more than two decades, advocates say implementation has lacked structure and consistency.
Sovereignty, conservation and education top priorities for Wabanaki Alliance
Bangor Daily News
February 11, 2026
From an editorial by Maulian Bryant, Execute Director of the Wabanaki Alliance and a citizen of the Penobscot Nation
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.
How the Wabanaki coalition is fighting for tribal sovereignty
Portland Press Herald
February 3, 2026
The Wabanaki Alliance is ramping up its push for Maine to fully recognize tribal sovereignty — and it’s looking beyond the end of Gov. Janet Mills’ administration. The alliance, composed of representatives from the four Indigenous nations in Maine as well as non-native allies, is pushing a slate of bills this session that would reshape the legal framework under which tribes in Maine operate into something that more closely resembles the other 571 federally recognized tribes nationwide. It’s also pushing initiatives to support Wabanaki studies curriculum development for public schools and lay the groundwork for certain kinds of land return.
In win for Penobscot Nation, Maine judge blocks expansion of Juniper Ridge Landfill
Maine Morning Star
January 9, 2026
A Maine superior court judge blocked the expansion of Maine’s largest landfill on Friday, siding with the Penobscot Nation and Boston-based environmental group Conservation Law Foundation. Penobscot County Superior Court Judge Bruce Mallonee ruled against the Department of Environmental Protection, saying the department had not done adequate fact finding to determine that expanding Juniper Ridge Landfill, located near Old Town, would benefit the public, and did not consider the environmental impacts that the landfill has on the nearby Penobscot Nation.