Fellowship Point

The Wabanaki is the collective name for the Indigenous groups of the Abenaki, Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot. The name “Wabanaki” translates to “People of the First Light” or “Dawnland” (“About the Wabanaki.” Four Directions Development Corporation). Estimates suggest that 32,000 Wabanaki lived in an area that spread across Maine and into parts of Canada by the early 1600s. Thought to have inhabited present-day Maine for 11,000 years, the early Wabanaki were skilled hunters who constructed their own weapons, subsisting on bear, caribou, moose, deer, beavers, and possibly mammoths. Traditionally, the Wabanaki valued community and family; family units were large, and people within these units and beyond shared resources without question. They placed little emphasis on personal gain or wealth. This attitude shifted only when the presence of Europeans impacted the Wabanaki’s way of life (“Historical Impacts.” Wabanaki REACH). In the 1500s, these groups engaged in fur trading with French and English settlers. From these Europeans, the Wabanaki obtained woven cloth, copper pots, and firearms (“First Peoples.” Maine State Museum). This brought about competition among the Wabanaki, as obtaining more furs placed one in a better position to garner goods from Europeans. With goods, however, Europeans brought disease, and between two-thirds and three-quarters of the Wabanaki died during the late 16th and early 17th centuries (“Wabanaki-Maine Relations”). Additionally, Indigenous people were impacted by the timber industry, which flourished in the 1700s and 1800s. The removal of trees weakened the natural ecosystem, hindering the wildlife that the Wabanaki depended on for hunting.

Generally, neither the French nor English settlers demonstrated much respect for the sovereignty of the Indigenous peoples. The two European nations entered into contracts with one another and, over time, developed treaties with the various factions of the Wabanaki as well. However, these treaties were often misunderstood by both parties and abused by the European settlers and nations (“Wabanaki-Maine Relations”). The Wabanaki notion of “property” was quite different, and the concept of complete “control” of the land by people was a foreign one to them. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, tribes were merely allotted less and less land. The rising timber industry and the lack of hunting territory dramatically impacted the Wabanakis’ livelihood. The extinction of animals such as caribou led many to turn to craft-making and other handiwork. Many eventually obtained employment in the mills and other aspects of the lumber industry. However, prejudice and discrimination against the Indigenous peoples dominated both diplomatic efforts and everyday interactions among white American citizens.

The latter part of the 20th century, however, brought some success in the Wabanakis’ attempts to reassert their rights. The government of Maine granted monetary reparations and made improvements in health care (“Wabanaki-Maine Relations”). In the present day, approximately 8,700 Wabanaki reside in Maine, composed of four main tribes (“About the Wabanaki”).