This month’s blog features a contribution earlier this year to The Maine Policy Review by Wabanaki REACH Team member Katie Tomer
Katie Tomer, part Penobscot and Maliseet, has co-facilitated Native healing circles in Maine’s prisons for over four years through Wabanaki REACH. She works with the International Association for Human Values and teaches at the University of Southern Maine. Tomer dedicates this article to the Wabanaki people of the past and present, those who have guided her and those who will guide the Wabanaki people to com
“Education and trust building are inextricably intertwined parts of addressing failed efforts of the state of Maine and the Wabanaki tribes to resolve tribal self-governance issues. Lack of structural and financial support for the de[1]livery of Wabanaki Studies Law content directly affects tribal-state relations and Wabanaki self-determination in Maine. In this article, I look at legislative proposals, current laws, and scholarly research and explore how they relate to tribal self-governance. I argue that, in addition to legislative mechanisms, Maine needs strategies for trust building and increased educational experi[1]ences for all Maine residents about Wabanaki people and ways of knowing.”
Click on this link to view the full article: The Importance of Education and Trust Building for Wabanaki Self-Governance (umaine.edu)