Chief Sheila McCormack of the Mi’kmaq Nation is one of six individuals honored by the Wabanaki Alliance at the 2026 Nihkaniyane event on October 1 in Freeport.
Chief McCormack leads a life of dedicated service to her community and all the Wabanaki Nations. Her work has supported Mi’kmaq land return, economic development, and environmental stewardship—all through a collaborative teamwork approach. Chief McCormack has served the Mi’kmaq Nation in multiple roles over the past decades, including as Tribal Councilor, and now as Chief of the Mi’kmaq Nation. She is currently serving a four-year term from 2025 to 2029.
This summer, Chief McCormack led the collaborative effort to secure a 3,400-acre parcel of forest, fields, and wetlands for the Mi’kmaq Nation. The land, known as Mesgilg Maqamigew or “big land,” is now the largest contiguous tract of land owned and stewarded by the Mi’kmaq Nation. As Brett Ciccotelli and Shannon Hill write, “With Mesglig Maqamigew, the Nation’s citizens now have the chance to listen, understand, and work with the land. They can care for it to encourage moose to stay, and fiddleheads and brown ash to take root and grow.”
For Chief McCormack, this place is about Mi’kmaq citizens past, present, and future. She said of the historic land return: “For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access. This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.” Under Chief McCormack’s leadership, Mi’kmaq citizens will now care for the land their ancestors have stewarded since time immemorial. McCormack’s steadfast work on land return continues. Just in early September, the Nation acquired a second parcel, an 83-acre tract of land called Pugweliget or “living together in a group.”
Chief McCormack is committed to supporting economic prosperity for the Wabanaki Nations as well as rural Maine communities. “Rural Maine and our Nations are interconnected,” she has said, “When Tribal economies grow, local businesses, workers, and towns grow too.” Chief McCormack has long stood up for policies that promote job creation, economic growth, and well-being including the recent successful bills: LD 1164, An Act to Create Economic Opportunity for the Wabanaki Nations and LD 982, An Act to Establish Equal Tax Treatment for the Mi’kmaq Nation.
On Earth Day, Chief McCormack signed an environmental co-stewardship agreement between the Mi’kmaq Nation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This partnership, years in the making, has been called a “historic step forward in land management and cultural preservation.” Chief McCormack highlighted the collaborative nature of the partnership, stating: “It’s exciting to work in partnership with anyone that wants to join us. We welcome them to come in and learn what we know, and we want to learn what they know.”
Chief Sheila McCormack is a proud mother and grandmother to four grandchildren. She brings all of this experience, passion, and more to her position as an advisory board member of the Wabanaki Alliance. We honor her dedicated, collaborative work.
Return to the Nihkaniyane: Let’s Go Forward Together post to read more about the other 2026 honorees.
