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The Wabanaki people — the Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and Mi’kmaq Nation — are part of Maine’s past, present and future. Information about their history and culture should be taught to Maine students for an accurate and fuller understanding of where we’ve been and where we are going together.
This is not some new, radical notion. It has actually been in Maine law for over 20 years.
Maine lawmakers, led by Donna Loring, the Penobscot Nation’s legislative representative at the time, passed a law in 2001 requiring that Maine Native American studies be taught in the state’s schools. This built on requirements that students be taught American history and Maine studies.
Despite this basic and reasonable requirement, a new report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, Wabanaki Alliance and the Abbe Museum outlines how the state and some school districts have fallen short in implementing and enforcing this law over two decades. The report’s executive summary includes a quote from Loring about why the law was and remains needed.
“[I]n order for Maine students to be better prepared to meet global challenges, they must first learn about the contributions of Maine’s first people and accept diversity in their own communities and within their own state,” Loring said.
It is hard to argue with this. Perhaps that is why lawmakers passed the law 21 years ago, and it is also why the state and school districts must recommit to following it now.
“Despite periods of activity and interest, there have not been sustained, consistent efforts and leadership from Maine entities, especially the Department of Education, to implement the Wabanaki Studies Law. The result is that, twenty-one years after passage, little of what the Wabanaki Studies Commission had hoped and planned to achieve has been realized,” the report states.
The report, released on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, includes background on the legislative history and early implementation efforts of the Wabanaki studies law. Report authors also acquired information about current implementation of the law through Freedom of Access Act requests to the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and a cross section of 10 school districts.
“The overall conclusion from our investigation is that implementation has been uneven,” the report continues. “Some schools have shown real success in developing and implementing programs of study that meaningfully integrate the history and perspectives of Wabanaki culture. But other schools do little to satisfy the requirements of the law, and the State Department of Education has not engaged in meaningful oversight to identify these school districts or otherwise enforce the law.”
Importantly, the report also identifies the steps to right these wrongs. These include reinstating the Wabanaki Studies Commission, the commission then working with the DOE on a sample Wabanaki studies curriculum, updating the Maine Learning Results to include specific learning outcomes for Wabanaki studies, holding school districts accountable for following the Wabanaki studies law through a review of comprehensive education plans and through engagement from community members, requiring Wabanaki studies as part of teacher certification and continuing teacher education, and supporting educators with access to Wabanaki studies material at both the state and school district level.
As the report and participants at an Oct. 10 online event discussing the report both noted, the DOE under current Commissioner Pender Makin has taken several steps including holding a 2021 summit with experts on Wabanaki studies. And according to the Portland Press Herald, a spokesperson said the Maine Department of Education has hired a Wabanaki educator to create more learning materials.
These are good steps, but the state must take meaningful action to build on them through the recommendations made in this recent report.
At the local level, individual school districts have also proven that meaningful compliance with the Wabanaki studies law is possible. Portland, for example, has been working with Wabanaki tribes and experts to update lesson plans. And if Bangor schools can update their resources for grades K-5 and 6-8, as outlined in the report, all districts should be able to — with increased guidance and leadership from the state, and a concerted effort to involve Wabanaki voices.
“I think that the term ‘held accountable’ can be scary and threatening at times. But I want to stress that this report wasn’t done to be a ‘gotcha.’ It wasn’t done to blame anyone or make anyone defensive,” Penobscot Nation Ambassador Maulian Dana said at Monday’s event. “This report is a snapshot in time of the Wabanaki studies law that is so very important.”
This conversation and the work that must follow is not about pointing fingers or about rewriting history. It is about actually teaching the history of all Maine people.
