Well, well... It seems #JanetMills is feeling the heat since #GrahamPlatner has made it very clear that he supports #Maine's #FirstNations!

#WabanakiNations, Mills are finding common ground

In the final chapter of the governor’s administration, she and tribal leaders are making progress on tribal priorities

Reuben M. Schafir, February 19, 2026

AUGUSTA — "#Wabanaki tribal leaders, state lawmakers and Gov. Janet Mills might not be entirely on the same page. But they’re reading the same book.

"Lawmakers on the Judiciary Committee heard from tribal leaders and their allies Thursday during a hearing on two bills that address the applicability of #FederalIndianLaw in Maine.

"Statements made by tribal chiefs and Mills’ representative hint at a tone shift in the ongoing dialogue between the tribes and the governor.

"Both bills are sponsored by Sen. #RachelTalbotRoss, D-Portland, and would make federal Indian law broadly applicable to the Wabanaki Nations. #LD785 would also make other changes recommended in 2020 by a task force of lawmakers and tribal leaders, including repealing restrictions on tribal land acquisition and the expansion of tribal authority over hunting and fishing on their lands."

https://www.pressherald.com/2026/02/19/wabanaki-nations-mills-are-finding-common-ground/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/GVfKa

#MainePol #MaineTribes #LandBack #FederalRecognition #TribalSovereignty #NativeAmericanNews #Sovereignty

Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery Appointed to North Carolina House as Federal Recognition Efforts Continue

Local approval doesn’t mean truth.

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Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery Appointed to North Carolina House as Federal Recognition Efforts Continue

That’s false. The appointment followed proper state procedure, not some federal scheme. Lowery’s record shows he’s focused on rural development, not grabbing control of state finances.

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Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery Appointed to North Carolina House as Federal Recognition Efforts Continue

Sounds like a federal power grab disguised as tribal progress, typical shady political maneuvering.

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Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery Appointed to North Carolina House as Federal Recognition Efforts Continue

This whole tale about John Lowery being 'secretly appointed' is pure conspiracy fog. The guy is filling a legit vacancy through normal party channels, not some under-the-table coup. The Lumbee Tribe seeking federal recognition isn’t about taking over budgets, it’s about fairness long denied.

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Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery Appointed to North Carolina House as Federal Recognition Efforts Continue

That’s conspiracy talk. Lowery was approved locally, not federally imposed—big diff between facts and rumor.

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Wisconsin’s Brothertown Indian Nation is fighting for federal acknowledgement

The Wisconsin tribe lost its sovereign status in the 1830s. They’ve spent decades trying to get it back.

Recognized tribes have rights that unrecognized tribes do not. Non-recognized tribes missed out on Covid relief funds. They don’t have access to funding for language preservation...

https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsins-brothertown-indian-nation-is-fighting-for-federal-acknowledgement

#NativeAmerican #Indigenous #FederalRecognition #RecognitionNow #Decolonize #FirstNations

#HerringPondTribe of #Plymouth pushes for federal recognition

Story by Beth Treffeisen, Boston Globe
November 22, 2023

"PLYMOUTH — Raised by a tribal elder, Melissa Ferretti remembers growing up in a two-room shack in the woods in the 1970s on the southern border of Plymouth known as 'the valley,' where her family lived off the land.

"Ferretti is a member of the #HerringPond Tribe, one of a handful comprising the #WampanoagNation, which many years ago had a small reservation in Plymouth.

"Ferretti said gaining #FederalRecognition would help the tribe keep its distinct identity.

"'When most people think #Wampanoag, they’re thinking of #Mashpee or #Aquinnah,' said Timothy Turner, owner of Native Plymouth Tours and associate director of Indigenous education for the Plimoth Patuxet Museums.

"The Herring Pond Tribe, he said, still in Plymouth 400 years after the arrival of the Pilgrims, is 'a small group of people . . . and they get left out of history because they’re not federally recognized.'

"The Wampanoag, which means People of the First Light, have called Southeastern New England home for 12,000 years, dating to when the glaciers receded, said Turner.

"The Herring Pond Tribe was at 'ground-zero' of #colonization, said Ferretti, and was part of the original #NativeAmericans who met the #Pilgrims on their arrival in 1620.

"Following the first treaty struck with #Massasoit, the Wampanoag chief, the Pilgrims signed treaties with many of the other tribes in the Wampanoag Nation, Turner said. That treaty promised mutual aid in the case of war and exclusive trade — contrary to the Peace Treaty sometimes taught.

"Like other Native Americans, the Herring Pond Tribe sees #Thanksgiving as a day of mourning. Still, members retain the tradition of gathering with families and friends around a turkey.

"Upon the Pilgrims’ arrival, it was estimated that 69 Wampanoag settlements, connected through language and at times political systems, ran along the #EastCoast from #Weymouth to #CapeCod and the Islands, and south to Bristol and Warren, #RhodeIsland according to Brad Lopes, director of Wampanoag and Indigenous Interpretation and Training at the #PlimothPatuxetMuseums and a member of the Aquinnah Tribe.

"Today, about 5,000 Wampanoag people live in New England, Lopes said."

Full article:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/herring-pond-tribe-of-plymouth-pushes-for-federal-recognition/ar-AA1knD3f

#DayOfMourning #IndigenousNews #CulturalPreservation #CulturalGenocide #NationalDayofMourning #CorporateColonialism