Native American Tribes Declare Sovereignty, Break Away From State of Maine
2015-06-01 21:40
From: blacklistednews.com
Due to Governor Paul LePage launching direct political and environmental
attacks against the Penobscot,Micmac and Passamaquoddy tribes of Maine,
leaders of those tribes have recalled their representatives from the
state legislature and are asserting their sovereignty from the State of
Maine. “The Maine Indian Land claims Settlement act has failed and we
cannot allow ourselves to continue down the path,” Chief Francis said.“We’re saying it’s a failed social experiment.”
In August of 2011, Governor LePage signed an Executive Order recognizinga
“special relationship” between the sovereign State of Maine, and the
sovereign tribes within the State. In this order, the Governor
instructed all State agencies to include a tribal liaison, whose role
would be to facilitate communication and direct policy in all areas of
State jurisdiction in such a way as to include the voice and interest of
native peoples. The Order instructs that“the State and Tribes should
work together as one,”and Tribal interests should be heeded when
developing policies and procedures “on matters that significantly or
uniquely affect those tribes.”
In April of this year, LePagerescinded
that Order. The new Order maintains that native tribes in Maine retain
their sovereignty, but holds that they now have a “relationship between
equals with its own set of responsibilities,” yet declares that tribal
lands, forms of tribal governance and natural resources controlled by
the native tribes are subject to the laws and jurisdiction of the State
of Maine. The takeover of lands was prompted by anEPA letter
to the State, and claims that lack of Tribal participation in “the
State’s interests” required the usurpation of Tribal sovereignty. The
Letter, in fact, actually supports the Tribal position, as the Tribal
standards of environmental protection are much stricter than those of
the EPA or the State of Maine. Those close to the Penobscot Tribe
tellThe Fifth Column that LePage threatened to sue the EPA over the
proposed new regulations, leading the Agency to back down. LePage’s
Order, then, becomes a direct political attack against the Tribes in
affront to their sovereignty and an effort to exact more control over
the land by the State of Maine.
Even though Penobscot Chief Kirk Francis and his Tribe couldn’t have been“happier”
with the EPA ruling, the State of Maine blamed the Tribe for poor water
quality and dissolved its sovereignty over the land and resources. This
comes in spite of a Penobscotlawsuitover
fishing rights in the Penobscot River and another legal battle between
the State and the Passamaquoddy Tribe over rights in other fisheries in
the region, as well as Maine’s already stringent water quality
standards.Initially“ a little bit — well, a lot — confused” by the new Executive Order, Chief Francisdeclared,
“We have gotten on our knees for the last time, from here on out, we
are a self-governing organization, focused on a self-determining path.”
Francis spoke outside of the Maine Statehouse on May 26 in a rally
celebrating the severing of diplomatic ties between the Tribes and the
State. He was joined by leaders of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, but not the
Houlton and Maliseet Tribes, who cite too much of a vested financial
interest in the outcome of several bills currently pending. Matthew Dana
II and Wayne Mitchell, just prior to the rally, issued statements on
the floor of the legislature announcing the separation, and abandoning
their pro forma seats in the state government. Each Tribe was allotted
one seat in the legislature, where they were allowed to submit and
discuss bills, but denied the right to vote. According to the Tribes,
this is the first time since 1842 that a Native Tribe was not present in
the legislature.
“We have gone to great lengths to demonstrate good faith and cooperation, only to be lied to,”states
Passamaquoddy Chief Fred Moore. Meanwhile, LePage maintains in one
breath that it is the interests of the State of Maine that have not been
respected, yet in another breath has stated that he would veto any
Tribal bill that reaches his desk from the legislature. Urged to rejoin
the legislature by Speaker Mark Eves, former Representative Mitchell of
the Penobscot Nation told
supporters that the decision to leave non-voting positions in the
legislature had been made, and that any return would “be on our own
terms.” In the meantime, any interaction between the Tribes and the
State of Maine will take place as separate and equal nations, not
colonialized subservients to an occupying government that repeatedly
refuses to respect Tribal interests.
The unique break in diplomatic ties signals the reassertion of full
sovereignty for the Tribal Nations. The precedent and political
implications could spread to other tribes throughout North America, and
serve as a model for natives and non-natives alike as state and federal
governments continue to enact laws violating the rights of the People,
and others to protect the environmentally and economically destructive
interests of corporations. The reassertion of sovereignty, more
immediately,may protect
much of the land and water in Maine from fracking, Tar Sands
production, and mountain top mining. More importantly, the Tribes are declaring
that they no longer consent to the State to “define our sovereignty or
culture or to interfere with our self-governing rights.”
Source: blacklistednews.com
