Who We Are
In June of 2020 the tribes in Maine (Mi’kmaq Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation) formed the Wabanaki Alliance. The Wabanaki Alliance was formed to educate people of Maine about the need for securing sovereignty of the tribes in Maine.
In 1980, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act was passed by Congress and ratified by the tribes and the State of Maine. The Settlement Act was supposed to be a living document that would be improved upon. Under political duress the tribes agreed to the Settlement Act but with the hope to continue improving the relationship between the State of Maine and the tribes. For forty years this has not happened.
Because of the 1980 Settlement Act the Tribes in Maine have had their sovereignty stripped from them. The promise of improving the Settlement Act has never been fulfilled. Now the Tribes in Maine are treated less than every other federally recognized tribe in America. The Wabanaki Alliance is not asking for special privileges but fairness by having the same or similar sovereignty as the more than 500 other tribes across America.
We ask all those who support the sovereignty of the Tribes in Maine to educate themselves on the issues, why they are important and join us in securing sovereignty.
Wabanaki Alliance Officers and Board
Vice President
Richard Silliboy, Vice Chief of the Mi’kmaq Nation
Secretary
Osihkiyol Crofton-Macdonald, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians Ambassador
Treasurer
Aaron Dana, Passamaquoddy Tribal Representative in the Maine House of Representatives
Board Member
Donna Loring, Elder, Penobscot Nation
Advisory Board Members
Advisory Board Member
Edward Peter-Paul, Chief of the Mi’kmaq Nation
Advisory Board Member
Kirk Francis, Chief of the Penobscot Nation
Advisory Board Member
Clarissa Sabattis, Chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians
Advisory Board Member
Chief Pos Bassett, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik
Wabanaki Alliance Staff
Outgoing Executive Director
John Dieffenbacher-Krall
(he/him/his)
John Dieffenbacher-Krall (he/him) assumed the Wabanaki Alliance executive director position initially as a consultant in March 2021 and became the organization’s first full-time employee January 1, 2022.
Dieffenbacher-Krall’s consulting work with the Wabanaki Alliance overlapped with his job as the assistant director of research in the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture (now College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences) at the University of Maine. Prior to that role he held the executive director position for the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission (MITSC) for 12 ½ years. Before his stint with MITSC he served as the executive director of the Maine People’s Resource Center from July 1989 until June 2005 and during that same period worked as an organizer, associate director, executive director, and co-director of Maine People’s Alliance. John worked more than four years for the Environmental Planning Lobby (now Environmental Advocates NY) and took a leave from EPL in 1986 to work on a campaign promoting the 1986 Environmental Quality Bond Act. He began his social change career as a canvasser for NJ Public Interest Research Group.
His tribal-related volunteer service includes the Agenda Committee for the Maine Coalition for Tribal Sovereignty, Planning Committee for the Race and Sovereignty Initiative, Diocesan Representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 11th Session, Episcopal Church Province Indigenous Justice Network, and chair of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine Committee on Indian Relations from February 15, 2017 until March 15, 2021.
Dieffenbacher-Krall also has served on several boards and steering committees, including the Social Justice Center in Albany, N.Y.; Maine People’s Resource Center; MaineShare; Northeast Action; and US Action.
Incoming Executive Director
Maulian Bryant
(she/her/hers)
Bio to come.
Rena Newell
(she/her/hers)
Citizen, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik
Interim Associate Director
Rena Newell began her job as Wabanaki Alliance Interim Associate Director on July 8, 2024.
Newell is a distinguished leader and advocate within the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik, known for her deep commitment to her community and her extensive contributions to tribal governance and education. She has held several significant positions, including serving as the Chief of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and as the Passamaquoddy Tribal Representative to the Maine Legislature. On September 3, 2024, she was elected to the Sipayik Tribal Council.
Rena also serves on the board of the Bordertown Boys and Girls Club and is seated as a Sipayik representative to the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission.
During her tenure as Passamaquoddy Tribal Representative, Newell was instrumental in advancing legislation that secured access to clean drinking water for the Passamaquoddy at Sipayik, LD 906 An Act To Provide Passamaquoddy Tribal Members Access to Clean Drinking Water, a critical achievement that underscored her dedication to the well-being of her people. As Passamaquoddy Tribal Representative, she also prioritized including Wabanaki seats in policy/governing bodies important to Wabanaki Nations. She sponsored legislation including LD 453 An Act To Establish a Permanent Appointment of a Member of the Wabanaki Tribes to the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System Maine, LD 342 An Act To Establish a Permanent Appointment of a Member of the Wabanaki Tribes to the Marine Resources Advisory Council, as well as LD 361 An Act to Establish a Permanent Wabanaki Appointment to the Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Advisory Council. All three of these bills became law.
Voter Empowerment Coordinator
Liliana Sapiel
(she/they)
Liliana Sapiel (she/they) is a citizen of the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribe.
Growing up on the Penobscot Reservation Liliana developed a passion for water rights and tribal sovereignty. Her passions led her to become an environmental/political activist, a public speaker on decolonization work, and a leader in youth engagement.
Liliana is currently a student at the University of Maine Orono pursuing an education in Political Science and Pre-law. During Liliana’s education at the University of Southern Maine she engaged in many efforts to uplift Indigenous voices, creating the Student Alliance of Indigenous People where the group aimed to give Native students a platform to speak their truths and safe space to practice their culture.
Liliana is committed to empowering Indigenous communities to use their voice to protect Indigenous sovereignty.