Maine Memory Network

Lucy Nicolar and Mary Ranco, Indian Island, ca. 1900

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1900 Location: Old Town Media: Ink on paper

Jennifer Sapiel Neptune beaded pouch, Indian Island, 2019

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 2019 Location: Indian Island Media: Wool, cotton, silk, glass bead

"Twenty Nationalities, But All Americans"

Concern about immigrants and their loyalty in the post World War I era led to programs to "Americanize" them -- an effort to help them learn English and otherwise adjust to life in the United States. Clara Soule ran one such program for the Portland Public Schools, hoping it would help the immigrants be accepted.

Indians at the Centennial

Passamaquoddy Indians from Washington County traveled to Portland in 1920 to take part in the Maine Centennial Exposition. They set up an "Indian Village" at Deering Oaks Park.

Presque Isle: The Star City - Native Americans

"George Sawyer collection is on display at the Nylander Museum in Caribou. 5. Bruce Bourque “Twelve thousand Years: American Indians in Maine"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - RESOURCES

"… and ethnocentric assumptions." American Indian Quarterly 17.2 (1993): 193-208. Academic Search Premier. 1 Jan 2010. (N) Ghere, David L."

Why environmental advocacy is critical for making baskets
by Jennifer Sapiel Neptune

My advocacy work for the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance

Restoring the Penobscot River
by John Banks

My role as the Director of the Department of Natural Resources for the Penobscot Indian Nation

Maine's Acadian Community: "Evangeline," Le Grand Dérangement, and Cultural Survival

Grade Level: 9-12 Content Area: English Language Arts, Social Studies
This lesson plan will introduce students to the history of the forced expulsion of thousands of people from Acadia, the Romantic look back at the tragedy in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous epic poem Evangeline and the heroine's adoption as an Acadian cultural figure, and Maine's Acadian community today, along with their relations with Acadian New Brunswick and Nova Scotia residents and others in the Acadian Diaspora. Students will read and discuss primary documents, compare and contrast Le Grand Dérangement to other forced expulsions in Maine history and discuss the significance of cultural survival amidst hardships brought on by treaties, wars, and legislation.

Nation to Nation: Treaties and Legislation between the Wabanaki Nations and the State of Maine

Grade Level: 9-12 Content Area: Social Studies
This lesson plan asks high school students to think critically about and look closely at documentation regarding the Nation-to-Nation relationship between the Wabanaki Tribes/Nations and the State of Maine. This lesson asks students to participate in discussions about morality and legislative actions over time. Students will gain experience examining and responding to primary and secondary sources by taking a close look at documents relating to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 (MICSA) and the issues that preceded and have followed the Act.