Our truth-telling project Beyond the Claims– Stories from the Land & the Heart engaged folks from Wabanaki and Maine communities in deep conversations from 2021-2024. We interviewed people with diverse experiences and perspectives, including Wabanaki elders, Tribal Chiefs, legislators, lawyers, commissioners as well as poets, culture keepers, and families impacted by the Maine Indian land claims and MICSA for generations. We have found the personal oral history interview to be a powerful conduit for truth-telling and healing, a great illuminator of the past and the present, and a thoughtful tool to help us shape our shared future.
We are confident this meaningful collection of oral histories will help demystify the legislation, humanize those who have been affected by it, amplify their voices, and preserve their stories for cultural continuity. Our ultimate intention has always been offering space for truth-telling and healing to happen, and it has been an honor to do so across the many households of Wabanakik and what we now call Maine. Our team will continue to gather stories through the winter as we shift our focus to creating learning resources in addition to our ever-expanding archive. We remain inspired anew by the people and stories we have heard, and poised to center their knowledge and wisdom in tangible educational resources for the greater community.
Beyond the Claims was a labor of time, demanding patience, thought, and care. Wabanaki REACH staff, volunteers, and collaborators cultivated three different iterations for educational companions for the archive. The full archive will be available at Bowdoin's Special Collections and Archives.
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Wikhikonol: A traveling educational and immersive experience, marrying image and sound, that invites folks to be active participants as they wander, witness and listen to stories chosen from interviews. Photography by Nolan Altvater & Maya Attean. This mobile exhibit can travel to libraries, community centers, schools, etc.
- Exhibited at Sipayik Museum, June 20 - October 2024, Bowdoin Library dates TBA in 2026.
- Where the River Widens: An original, community-devised play inspired by source material from interviews; created during a four month-long engagement process with storytelling + theatre workshops exploring music, movement, sound, and text.
- Beyond the Claims: the book. An educational and creative resource using portraits, photos + quotes from interviews to deepen our understanding of the human experience before, during, and after the Maine Indian land claims.
We invite you to join our supporters in making this work possible.
Your one-time donation or recurring monthly contribution will support our effort to educate, organize, engage, and support Wabanaki and Maine people through a truth-telling, healing process.