Post by Okwes on Jun 6, 2007 9:03:14 GMT -5
The Passamaquoddy Tribe Of Maine
Part 1 of 2
The Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indians are the descendants of Native American peoples who inhabited Maine and western New Brunswick since well before recorded history. Traditionally they lived most of the year in family band camps that relocated on a seasonal basis, relying upon hunting, fishing, and gathering for their subsistence needs. They maintained a very fluid social organization based on patrilineal kinship that allowed multiple marriage and residence options, frequent migration, and easy division or merging of social groups. Both groups speak closely related Algonquian languages, although anthropologists generally group the Passamaquoddies linguistically with the Maliseets and the Penobscots with the Abenakis. These kinship groups were never organized as tribes during the colonial period, but English officials perceived them as such and identified them by their geographical locations. The "Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes" have therefore continued as entities
as jurisdiction over them has passed from Massachusetts to Maine to the federal government. Currently, most Penobscots reside on Indian Island in the Penobscot River, while the Passamaquoddies are divided between two principal locations: Pleasant Point on Passamaquoddy Bay, and Indian Township near the St. Croix River.
The Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indians were among the first Native Americans to have contact with Europeans. The wide bays along the Maine coast attracted the attention of fishermen and explorers searching for a sea route through the continent as early as the sixteenth century. Some of these first encounters were friendly, such as Samuel de Champlain's exploration and settlement of the area in 1604, while others, such as Henry Hudson's bombardment and looting of a village on the Penobscot River in 1609, were not. Instead of finding the mythical city of Norumbega, reputed to be rich in gold, silver, and pearls, these Europeans encountered an Indian confederacy consisting of twenty-two villages throughout western and central Maine controlled by Bessabez (Bashaba) from his village on the Penobscot River. A series of attacks by Micmacs in 1615 resulted in the death of Bessabez and the collapse of his confederacy, but even greater devastation stemmed from a terrible pandemic
in 1617 that wiped out over 75 percent of the inhabitants along the New England coast. The surviving Passamaquoddies and Penobscots traded furs with competing English and French traders until the French established dominance in the area in the 1630s. The growing dependence of these Indians on trade goods resulted in their involvement in the so-called Beaver Wars with the Iroquois in the 1640s, 1650s, and 1660s, but peaceful relations were maintained with the English until 1677, when a series of atrocities were committed against the Penobscots.
The Penobscots' and Passamaquoddies' conversion to Catholicism by French missionaries fostered friendly relations with French officials during the colonial period, and these ties were strengthened by intermarriages, the most famous being that between Baron St.-Castin and Pidiwamiska, a daughter of the Penobscot chief Madockawando, but the degree of French control has been exaggerated. Each of the five wars that occurred on the Maine frontier between 1689 and 1760 resulted from a combination of English insistence on sovereignty over the Indians, disputes concerning subsistence or land, and indiscriminate mutual retaliation. Most of the frontier incidents that led to the first three wars occurred to the west of the Penobscots and Passamaquoddies, but these Indians were included in blanket declarations of war against all "Eastern Indians." The third conflict, Dummer's War (1722-27), resulted in a significant merging of Abenaki refugees into the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy
villages and the subsequent extension of English settlements into the Penobscot area. Although plagued by factionalism, these Indians attempted to remain neutral in the last two wars, but mutual distrust, disputes over treaty commitments, and attacks by English scalp hunters in 1745 and 1755 ultimately dragged them into the conflicts.
The strategic location of the Penobscots and Passamaquoddies during the colonial wars and their remoteness from English settlement expansion enabled these Indians to maintain their autonomy and almost all of their land until 1760. In the aftermath of the Seven Years' War, the English claimed all the tribes' lands "by right of conquest" because of their alliance with the defeated French, and English settlement quickly spread along the Maine coast. During the Revolutionary War, the Penobscots and Passamaquoddies helped the Americans defend their eastern frontier, but the Indians' loss of land continued, with large cessions by the Passamaquoddies in 1794 and by the Penobscots in 1796, 1818, and 1833. First Massachusetts, and then Maine after 1820, acquired this land and administered the affairs of these Indians by right of colonial precedent, ignoring federal law and the initial protests of federal leaders. During the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s, the Penobscots and
Passamaquoddies divided along kinship lines, producing two political groups: the Old Party and the New Party. Emotional disputes over education and traditional lifetime chiefs resulted in the collapse of tribal government, the imposition of state compromises, and a dramatic increase in state control over the Indians, which was not relinquished when tribal factionalism waned after 1860.
For the next century, a state agent handled Indian affairs in accordance with the Indian laws in the state legal code, and state policy was predicated on the assumption that the tribes would gradually disintegrate as individuals left the reservations. Tribal councils were not recognized, tribal governors were rarely consulted, and tribal decisions were thwarted. Additional land was lost as the state legislature reinterpreted treaties or granted long-term leases to non-Indians. Maine was the last state to grant reservation Indians the right to vote (1954), yet, since 1823 and 1842, respectively, the Penobscots and Passamaquoddies have each had a nonvoting representative in the state legislature to articulate their concerns. These individuals, along with tribal activists, ultimately reversed state policy by thwarting termination of the tribes in 1957, gradually increasing tribal authority in the 1960s, and prompting the creation of the first state Department of Indian
Affairs in 1965. In the late 1960s, the Passamaquoddies and Penobscots initiated the Maine Indian Land Claims suit, claiming that the land cessions to Massachusetts and Maine had violated the Indian Nonintercourse Act of 1790. Several favorable court rulings prompted an $81.5-million settlement in 1980, which has enabled the tribes to buy land, develop tribal businesses, employ tribe members, and foster both goodwill and profits by providing investment capital to non-Indians. This legal precedent has provided the foundation for land claims by a number of other eastern tribes.
The Treaty of 1794 between the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts conveyed the Passamaquoddy Indian Reservations in Washington County to the Passamaquoddy Tribe. This Treaty ratified by Massachusetts in 1795 and recorded in the Land Records of Washington County, conveyed lands in what is now Washington County. They are Indian Township, Pleasant Point, Pine Island, Nemcass Point, Lire�s Island and fifteen islands in the Schoodic (St. Croix) River.
Land has always been the Native people�s most valuable possession. It has provided the base for his existence, his religion and his society. Today with what little land the Native people own continues to serve at least as a Tribal center to which individuals can relate and thus maintain a sense of identity in an alien world which all too often has tried to take from Native people everything they possess including their identity.
The Passamaquoddy Tribe as well as other Native Tribes in the United States and Canada has had continuous land problems ever since the Europeans decided that by discovery they had a right to claim title.
Today the Passamaquoddy Tribe owns more than 200,000 acres of land in the State of Maine, in which they monitor and maintain.
Passamaquoddy of Indian Township live on the largest Indian reservation in the State, located on the west branch of the St. Croix River our ties to the Earth are interwoven with our culture. The population in our community now is at the 800 level.. Over 60 % of our population is under the age of 21. Our Grammar school has an attendance of 141 students. We have two community areas on our reservation, the Strip area, located along Route 1 and the Peter Dana�s Point located along the shore of Big Lake. Taken from May 2002 Newsletter.
Cree Gauntlets
Fine, tanned buckskin, high top gloves with beautiful beaded floral and foliate designs. 13-1/2" X 5"
Circa 1930
The Passamaquoddies are divided between two principal locations: Pleasant Point on Passamaquoddy Bay, and Indian Township near the St. Croix River.
Pleasant Point Reservation
Our Mission
The Preamble of the Constitution of the Sipayik Members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe states:
"WE, the SIPAYIK MEMBERS of the PASSAMAQUODDY TRIBE, People of the Dawn, adopt this Constitution in order to establish a democratic form of tribal government at the Pleasant Point Reservation; to protect our sovereignty and freedom of self-determination; to preserve our heritage and culture for our children and for our future generations; to insure equal rights for all Sipayik members of the tribe; and to create fair opportunities for the economic and domestic well-being of all Sipayik members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe."
Tribal Profile
The Passamaquoddy Tribe in the United States are represented by the Joint Tribal Council of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, with separate councils at the Pleasant Point and the Indian Township Reservations.
The St. Croix River (previously known as the Passamaquoddy River) serves as the USA/Canada International boundary. The boundary cuts through the middle of the Passamaquoddy homeland. The Passamaquoddy have occupied this watershed region for at least the past 600+ generations (12,000+ years). This new USA-Canada boundary line was created about 200 years ago and was imposed on the Passamaquoddy. There are many Passamaquoddy Tribal members still living on the other side of the St. Croix river in Canada. The Passamaquoddy also have a Tribal Chief and Council in Canada known as the "St. Croix/Schoodic Band."
The Governing Body for Pleasant Point is the Tribal Council. The Chief Administrator is the Tribal Governor (Sakom) and in his/her absence the Lieutenant Governor. Tribal Government is responsible for the administration of a variety of services and programs for the Passamaquoddy people. The tribal office is open for business Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
A total of 3,369 tribal members are listed on the tribal census rolls with 2,005 listed on Pleasant Point census and 1,364 on the Indian Township census.
Pleasant Point is located on the shore of the Passamaquoddy Bay in the State of Maine between the town of Perry and the city of Eastport.
JANUARY - OPOLAHSOMUWEHS: Whirling Wind Month : '2007' Sunday SONTE
Monday KISSONTE
Tuesday NISEWEY LUHKAN
Wednesday NIHI LUHKAN
Thursday NEW LUHKAN
Friday SKEHEWAHTOQ
Saturday KOTUWAHSONTE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Athabascan Moccasins
Puckered toe buckskin moccasins with floral beaded toe and flaps. 9-1/2" X 4"
Circa 1920
The Passamaquoddy Tribe
History
Self Sufficient
The Quoddy Loop area of Maine and New Brunswick was once occupied exclusively by the Passamaquoddy, and related tribes. These people lived by their skills on the abundant natural resources of woods, mountains, and waters. Contrary to previous thinking, and as confirmed by archaeologists, the Passamaquoddy relied on the natural bounty of the sea and of inland forests and rivers throughout the year, dwelling mostly at the mouths of rivers, and traveling inland for game as the need arose.
French Explorers
When French explorers Siur deMonts and Samuel Champlain came to the area, they met the knowledgeable Passamaquoddy, who assisted them in their explorations here, before the French settlement on St. Croix Island failed and moved on to what is now the Annapolis Royal area of Nova Scotia.
American Revolution
Passamaquoddy took an active role in fighting alongside American Colonists against the British. One Passamaquoddy marksman is said to have stood on the shore in Machias, and -- at considerable distance -- shot the captain of the British warship, Margaretta, during the first naval battle of the American Revolution.
On the Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Reservation there stands a monument (placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution) honoring the Natives who fought with the Colonists against the British.
Forced to Move
Later, Loyalists to the Crown of England, who were fleeing the newly-formed United States, arrived in the area now known as St. Andrews. Eventually, the Loyalists displaced the Passamaquoddy, who settled on Indian Island, just to the south of Deer Island. After a time, Loyalists once again displaced the Passamaquoddy, who moved to an area of what is now Pembroke, and eventually settled at Sipayik (zih-'by-ig)--known by English speakers as Pleasant Point, between Eastport and Perry, Maine. This location, and Indian Township, just above Princeton, Maine, were in modern times designated as state Passamaquoddy Reservations.
Yet, Some Remained
While the greatest portion of the Passamaquoddy population moved to the U.S. side of the border, some Tribal members remained in New Brunswick.
The Canadian government has historically failed to recognize Passamaquoddy presence there, despite efforts by Tribal members there to protect their lands. Recently, the Passamaquoddy have obtained recognition by the other First Nations in Canada, although government recognition has still not occurred.
Land Claims
Occupation of Passamaquoddy lands by Colonial and Loyalist settlers, and reservations forced upon the Tribe, established a bleak social dependency for a people who were used to self sufficiency. It was not until the Maine Land Claims Settlement Act that the Passamaquoddy's situation improved economically.
While there are still employment, social, and economic problems, the Tribe is better economically than prior to the Settlement. The tribe now owns some businesses, and leases facilities to others, which provides employment and income to the Tribe.
Recent events in St. Andrews have resulted in the Tribe vigorously pursuing recovery of their homeland there, which is, as of yet, unresolved.
Government
Passamaquoddy Tribal Government consists of multiple parts. Each reservation has its own government, consisting of a Tribal Council, a Governor, and a Lieutenant Governor. The two Passamaquoddy Reservations together have a Joint Tribal Council.
Tribal government is autonomous, with status similar to a municipality.
Culture
Passamaquoddy culture is related to other tribes of the northeast.
Hunting and fishing are time-honored skills, still practiced on Tribal lands.
Language
The Passamaquoddy Language is still spoken by many members of the Tribe. Efforts at both reservation schools (Beatrice Rafferty Elementary School, at Sipayik), and at Sipayik's Waponahki Museum and Resource Center strive to increase the number of Tribal children who speak their native language.
Crafts
Basketry, jewelry, wood-carved items, and canoe making are some of the skills that are practiced by tribal craftspeople who have widespread repute for their fine workmanship. Craft items can be found for sale at shops at the Pleasant Point Reservation and in the surrounding area, as well as elsewhere.
Our Canoeing Heritage
Both the Passamaquoddy (meaning "pollock spearing place") and Penobscot (meaning "rocky" or "ledge place") peoples are members of the Abenaki Confederation, but are the only two that have retained land. The Passamaquoddy tribe has 2,500 members on three reservations in Maine; the Penobscot tribe has 2,000 members on Indian Island, Old Town, Maine, its only reserve. They speak their own distinct dialect of Algonquin.
They lived in extended families in summer villages of up to 100 people. On fertile river floodplains along the coastal inlets, they planted and cultivated "The Three Sisters" (beans, corn, squash). Their canoes of different sizes varied in design from the coast to the interior and are very similar to Maliseet canoes.
Their homes were dome or oval-shaped wigwams covered in birch bark or woven matting. In fall and winter, they lived in conical, bark-covered teepees when they scattered in small groups and went inland. Each man had his own hunting territory, inherited through his father.
By the early 17th century, a healthy fur-trade existed between the French, the Penobscot and the Maliseet. The French held outposts on both the Penobscot River and Passamaquoddy Bay.
The Penobscot Confederacy fought against the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet in trading wars, during which time, the French traded with both sides. The Mi'kmaq defeated the Penobscot's leader on one of several raids through Maine. Disease swept through the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot villages, decimating them.
Passamaquoddy
The Passamaquoddy Language is part of the Algonquian Language Family. A couple went through a betrothal period for one year. During this time, the groom had to prove to the girl's father that he was a capable hunter. He made bows, arrows, canoes, and snowshoes for the father-in-law to be. During this year of courtship, there were strictly sexually abstinent. At the end of the betrothal, the bride's family held a feast and made speeches exalting the groom's geneology.
Cree Gun Case
Tanned buckskin gun scabbard with silk thread embroidery - never used. 14" X 12"
Circa 1960
Officially the Passamoquoddy Nation did not possess a tribal flag until 1995. That means simply that the council governing the had never seen fit to approve a design through a piece of legislation. That does not mean, however, that the Passamoquoddy did not have a flag. There was an unofficial flag for the tribe and it is seen both on land and at sea!
The Passamoquoddy of Maine are part of the Wabanaki Confederacy, an alliance of Algonquin speaking tribes in the northeastern part of what is now the United States and the nearby regions of Canada (ENAT, 178). The term Wabanaki translates into "the people who dwell at the sunrise". The tribal name means "those who pursue the pollack"; the pollack being a major food fish in the waters of the Atlantic off New England and Maritime Canada. The Confederacy has been reawakened since the relighting of the fires of the Confederacy in Restigouche, Quebec, home of the Micmac people (Margaret Dana, letter dated May 15, 1997). The members of the Wabanaki Confederacy are the Abenaki, Micmac, Passamoquoddy, and Penobscot nations.
Both of these terms are to be found in the expression of Passamoquoddy nationhood that was their unofficial tribal flag. A blue flag was used. It bore a large yellow disk in the center recalling the sun. Surrounding the disk to the hoist side is a capital 'W'. At the base of the disk, a capital 'S', at the top of the disk, a capital 'N'. All three letters act as directional beacons. Where the letter 'E', for East should be was a five pointed star, indicating the direction in which one will find the lands of the Passamoquoddy. This flag predated the settlement of land claims with the federal government in 1980.
In the center of the disk, appearing in white, was the depiction of a pollack, or white fish, it faced the fly end of the flag whereas European heraldic tradition would insist that the fish face toward the hoist. The pollack was skewered by a pair of fishing spears, usually in black and forming a rough 'X'.
In the upper regions of the disk appeared the tribal name, while at the lower regions, the legend "People of the Dawn", a version of the tribe's name translated into English. Both were separated from the central portion of the disk by a ring of small dots. On the sample of the seal shown to the author by New England Vexillological Association member Dave Martucci, all lettering, the tribal name, the legend and the directional indicators are black. This is also true of the ring of dots. The star is yellow.
Because the flag was unofficial, it is quite possible that a variety of colors may be found in these elements. It is also not certain whether or not all segments of the Passamoquoddy people made use of the old flag. The response from the tribal office is simply that they do not recognize the "fish flag" as a tribal flag. It is known that the Passamoquoddy delegate to the Maine legislature uses special automobile license plates bearing the tribal seal as described above. The Passamoquoddy's fellow Maine federally recognized tribe, the Penobscot also employ such tags.
With the settlement of claims in 1980 a new design was proposed that depicted the settlement, but the Passamoquoddy people were never fully supportive of that design. That design is the now official.
This latest flag of the Passamoquoddy people was adopted - on a ninety day trial- in June of 1995 (Passamoquoddy Tribal Council resolution, June 8, 1995). Because that trial period was never replaced with other tribal legislation, the June 1995 flag is accepted as the "official" flag of the Passamoquoddy nation.
That new design, called the "scroll" design is a white flag bearing the new seal of the Passamoquoddy nation. The seal begins with a circle of people (twenty in all) holding hands in four groups of five. These figures are separated by the three directions and eastern star carried over from the "fish flag". This denotes the unity of the Passamoquoddy "with all Native Americans from the North, South, East and West" ("Interpretation of the Pleasant Point Passamoquoddy's Tribal Logo", unsigned, undated letter, Pleasant Point Reservation, ME). The "predominant Star" is the Passamoquoddy Representative of Eastern Tribes. Within the ring is a circular seal representing the Circle of Life. This circle is red recalling the "Red Race" (ibid.). In the four prime directional points of the red circle are plants depicted in yellows and greens, representing the Eastern Woodlands. Centered on the circle is a scroll for the settlement of land claims. This is also the symbolism of the
"dripping feather" that appears in front of the scroll. Upon the scroll, in natural colors is a sunrise over the land at Passamoquoddy Bay and the reflection of that sun upon the waters of the Bay. These images attest to the aboriginal rights of the Passamoquoddy people and a recognition that this bounty was given the Passamoquoddy by the Great Spirit. The design is completed by the black dots, tribal name and legend "People of the Dawn" that originated on the "fish flag" of pre-1980 vintage. On the new seal all these elements appear in black.
As mentioned at the beginning of this piece, the flag of the Passamoquoddy can be seen at sea. Fishing boats belonging to members of the Passamoquoddy tribe frequently fly the tribal flag when plying the waters off Maine. This is the sole known instance of a tribal banner being used at sea.
Plateau Bag
Large, rectangular, full beaded flat bag with floral and geometric designs. 19" X 11-1/2"
Circa 1940
Waiting
Note from Blackbear
The pictures from this and all future issues will be uploaded to Yahoo..
This is mainly for those who get the digest version which doesn't have any pictures.
ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/TA_DreamCatcher/photos
www.passamaquoddy.com/
Part 1 of 2
The Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indians are the descendants of Native American peoples who inhabited Maine and western New Brunswick since well before recorded history. Traditionally they lived most of the year in family band camps that relocated on a seasonal basis, relying upon hunting, fishing, and gathering for their subsistence needs. They maintained a very fluid social organization based on patrilineal kinship that allowed multiple marriage and residence options, frequent migration, and easy division or merging of social groups. Both groups speak closely related Algonquian languages, although anthropologists generally group the Passamaquoddies linguistically with the Maliseets and the Penobscots with the Abenakis. These kinship groups were never organized as tribes during the colonial period, but English officials perceived them as such and identified them by their geographical locations. The "Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes" have therefore continued as entities
as jurisdiction over them has passed from Massachusetts to Maine to the federal government. Currently, most Penobscots reside on Indian Island in the Penobscot River, while the Passamaquoddies are divided between two principal locations: Pleasant Point on Passamaquoddy Bay, and Indian Township near the St. Croix River.
The Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indians were among the first Native Americans to have contact with Europeans. The wide bays along the Maine coast attracted the attention of fishermen and explorers searching for a sea route through the continent as early as the sixteenth century. Some of these first encounters were friendly, such as Samuel de Champlain's exploration and settlement of the area in 1604, while others, such as Henry Hudson's bombardment and looting of a village on the Penobscot River in 1609, were not. Instead of finding the mythical city of Norumbega, reputed to be rich in gold, silver, and pearls, these Europeans encountered an Indian confederacy consisting of twenty-two villages throughout western and central Maine controlled by Bessabez (Bashaba) from his village on the Penobscot River. A series of attacks by Micmacs in 1615 resulted in the death of Bessabez and the collapse of his confederacy, but even greater devastation stemmed from a terrible pandemic
in 1617 that wiped out over 75 percent of the inhabitants along the New England coast. The surviving Passamaquoddies and Penobscots traded furs with competing English and French traders until the French established dominance in the area in the 1630s. The growing dependence of these Indians on trade goods resulted in their involvement in the so-called Beaver Wars with the Iroquois in the 1640s, 1650s, and 1660s, but peaceful relations were maintained with the English until 1677, when a series of atrocities were committed against the Penobscots.
The Penobscots' and Passamaquoddies' conversion to Catholicism by French missionaries fostered friendly relations with French officials during the colonial period, and these ties were strengthened by intermarriages, the most famous being that between Baron St.-Castin and Pidiwamiska, a daughter of the Penobscot chief Madockawando, but the degree of French control has been exaggerated. Each of the five wars that occurred on the Maine frontier between 1689 and 1760 resulted from a combination of English insistence on sovereignty over the Indians, disputes concerning subsistence or land, and indiscriminate mutual retaliation. Most of the frontier incidents that led to the first three wars occurred to the west of the Penobscots and Passamaquoddies, but these Indians were included in blanket declarations of war against all "Eastern Indians." The third conflict, Dummer's War (1722-27), resulted in a significant merging of Abenaki refugees into the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy
villages and the subsequent extension of English settlements into the Penobscot area. Although plagued by factionalism, these Indians attempted to remain neutral in the last two wars, but mutual distrust, disputes over treaty commitments, and attacks by English scalp hunters in 1745 and 1755 ultimately dragged them into the conflicts.
The strategic location of the Penobscots and Passamaquoddies during the colonial wars and their remoteness from English settlement expansion enabled these Indians to maintain their autonomy and almost all of their land until 1760. In the aftermath of the Seven Years' War, the English claimed all the tribes' lands "by right of conquest" because of their alliance with the defeated French, and English settlement quickly spread along the Maine coast. During the Revolutionary War, the Penobscots and Passamaquoddies helped the Americans defend their eastern frontier, but the Indians' loss of land continued, with large cessions by the Passamaquoddies in 1794 and by the Penobscots in 1796, 1818, and 1833. First Massachusetts, and then Maine after 1820, acquired this land and administered the affairs of these Indians by right of colonial precedent, ignoring federal law and the initial protests of federal leaders. During the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s, the Penobscots and
Passamaquoddies divided along kinship lines, producing two political groups: the Old Party and the New Party. Emotional disputes over education and traditional lifetime chiefs resulted in the collapse of tribal government, the imposition of state compromises, and a dramatic increase in state control over the Indians, which was not relinquished when tribal factionalism waned after 1860.
For the next century, a state agent handled Indian affairs in accordance with the Indian laws in the state legal code, and state policy was predicated on the assumption that the tribes would gradually disintegrate as individuals left the reservations. Tribal councils were not recognized, tribal governors were rarely consulted, and tribal decisions were thwarted. Additional land was lost as the state legislature reinterpreted treaties or granted long-term leases to non-Indians. Maine was the last state to grant reservation Indians the right to vote (1954), yet, since 1823 and 1842, respectively, the Penobscots and Passamaquoddies have each had a nonvoting representative in the state legislature to articulate their concerns. These individuals, along with tribal activists, ultimately reversed state policy by thwarting termination of the tribes in 1957, gradually increasing tribal authority in the 1960s, and prompting the creation of the first state Department of Indian
Affairs in 1965. In the late 1960s, the Passamaquoddies and Penobscots initiated the Maine Indian Land Claims suit, claiming that the land cessions to Massachusetts and Maine had violated the Indian Nonintercourse Act of 1790. Several favorable court rulings prompted an $81.5-million settlement in 1980, which has enabled the tribes to buy land, develop tribal businesses, employ tribe members, and foster both goodwill and profits by providing investment capital to non-Indians. This legal precedent has provided the foundation for land claims by a number of other eastern tribes.
The Treaty of 1794 between the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts conveyed the Passamaquoddy Indian Reservations in Washington County to the Passamaquoddy Tribe. This Treaty ratified by Massachusetts in 1795 and recorded in the Land Records of Washington County, conveyed lands in what is now Washington County. They are Indian Township, Pleasant Point, Pine Island, Nemcass Point, Lire�s Island and fifteen islands in the Schoodic (St. Croix) River.
Land has always been the Native people�s most valuable possession. It has provided the base for his existence, his religion and his society. Today with what little land the Native people own continues to serve at least as a Tribal center to which individuals can relate and thus maintain a sense of identity in an alien world which all too often has tried to take from Native people everything they possess including their identity.
The Passamaquoddy Tribe as well as other Native Tribes in the United States and Canada has had continuous land problems ever since the Europeans decided that by discovery they had a right to claim title.
Today the Passamaquoddy Tribe owns more than 200,000 acres of land in the State of Maine, in which they monitor and maintain.
Passamaquoddy of Indian Township live on the largest Indian reservation in the State, located on the west branch of the St. Croix River our ties to the Earth are interwoven with our culture. The population in our community now is at the 800 level.. Over 60 % of our population is under the age of 21. Our Grammar school has an attendance of 141 students. We have two community areas on our reservation, the Strip area, located along Route 1 and the Peter Dana�s Point located along the shore of Big Lake. Taken from May 2002 Newsletter.
Cree Gauntlets
Fine, tanned buckskin, high top gloves with beautiful beaded floral and foliate designs. 13-1/2" X 5"
Circa 1930
The Passamaquoddies are divided between two principal locations: Pleasant Point on Passamaquoddy Bay, and Indian Township near the St. Croix River.
Pleasant Point Reservation
Our Mission
The Preamble of the Constitution of the Sipayik Members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe states:
"WE, the SIPAYIK MEMBERS of the PASSAMAQUODDY TRIBE, People of the Dawn, adopt this Constitution in order to establish a democratic form of tribal government at the Pleasant Point Reservation; to protect our sovereignty and freedom of self-determination; to preserve our heritage and culture for our children and for our future generations; to insure equal rights for all Sipayik members of the tribe; and to create fair opportunities for the economic and domestic well-being of all Sipayik members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe."
Tribal Profile
The Passamaquoddy Tribe in the United States are represented by the Joint Tribal Council of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, with separate councils at the Pleasant Point and the Indian Township Reservations.
The St. Croix River (previously known as the Passamaquoddy River) serves as the USA/Canada International boundary. The boundary cuts through the middle of the Passamaquoddy homeland. The Passamaquoddy have occupied this watershed region for at least the past 600+ generations (12,000+ years). This new USA-Canada boundary line was created about 200 years ago and was imposed on the Passamaquoddy. There are many Passamaquoddy Tribal members still living on the other side of the St. Croix river in Canada. The Passamaquoddy also have a Tribal Chief and Council in Canada known as the "St. Croix/Schoodic Band."
The Governing Body for Pleasant Point is the Tribal Council. The Chief Administrator is the Tribal Governor (Sakom) and in his/her absence the Lieutenant Governor. Tribal Government is responsible for the administration of a variety of services and programs for the Passamaquoddy people. The tribal office is open for business Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
A total of 3,369 tribal members are listed on the tribal census rolls with 2,005 listed on Pleasant Point census and 1,364 on the Indian Township census.
Pleasant Point is located on the shore of the Passamaquoddy Bay in the State of Maine between the town of Perry and the city of Eastport.
JANUARY - OPOLAHSOMUWEHS: Whirling Wind Month : '2007' Sunday SONTE
Monday KISSONTE
Tuesday NISEWEY LUHKAN
Wednesday NIHI LUHKAN
Thursday NEW LUHKAN
Friday SKEHEWAHTOQ
Saturday KOTUWAHSONTE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Athabascan Moccasins
Puckered toe buckskin moccasins with floral beaded toe and flaps. 9-1/2" X 4"
Circa 1920
The Passamaquoddy Tribe
History
Self Sufficient
The Quoddy Loop area of Maine and New Brunswick was once occupied exclusively by the Passamaquoddy, and related tribes. These people lived by their skills on the abundant natural resources of woods, mountains, and waters. Contrary to previous thinking, and as confirmed by archaeologists, the Passamaquoddy relied on the natural bounty of the sea and of inland forests and rivers throughout the year, dwelling mostly at the mouths of rivers, and traveling inland for game as the need arose.
French Explorers
When French explorers Siur deMonts and Samuel Champlain came to the area, they met the knowledgeable Passamaquoddy, who assisted them in their explorations here, before the French settlement on St. Croix Island failed and moved on to what is now the Annapolis Royal area of Nova Scotia.
American Revolution
Passamaquoddy took an active role in fighting alongside American Colonists against the British. One Passamaquoddy marksman is said to have stood on the shore in Machias, and -- at considerable distance -- shot the captain of the British warship, Margaretta, during the first naval battle of the American Revolution.
On the Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Reservation there stands a monument (placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution) honoring the Natives who fought with the Colonists against the British.
Forced to Move
Later, Loyalists to the Crown of England, who were fleeing the newly-formed United States, arrived in the area now known as St. Andrews. Eventually, the Loyalists displaced the Passamaquoddy, who settled on Indian Island, just to the south of Deer Island. After a time, Loyalists once again displaced the Passamaquoddy, who moved to an area of what is now Pembroke, and eventually settled at Sipayik (zih-'by-ig)--known by English speakers as Pleasant Point, between Eastport and Perry, Maine. This location, and Indian Township, just above Princeton, Maine, were in modern times designated as state Passamaquoddy Reservations.
Yet, Some Remained
While the greatest portion of the Passamaquoddy population moved to the U.S. side of the border, some Tribal members remained in New Brunswick.
The Canadian government has historically failed to recognize Passamaquoddy presence there, despite efforts by Tribal members there to protect their lands. Recently, the Passamaquoddy have obtained recognition by the other First Nations in Canada, although government recognition has still not occurred.
Land Claims
Occupation of Passamaquoddy lands by Colonial and Loyalist settlers, and reservations forced upon the Tribe, established a bleak social dependency for a people who were used to self sufficiency. It was not until the Maine Land Claims Settlement Act that the Passamaquoddy's situation improved economically.
While there are still employment, social, and economic problems, the Tribe is better economically than prior to the Settlement. The tribe now owns some businesses, and leases facilities to others, which provides employment and income to the Tribe.
Recent events in St. Andrews have resulted in the Tribe vigorously pursuing recovery of their homeland there, which is, as of yet, unresolved.
Government
Passamaquoddy Tribal Government consists of multiple parts. Each reservation has its own government, consisting of a Tribal Council, a Governor, and a Lieutenant Governor. The two Passamaquoddy Reservations together have a Joint Tribal Council.
Tribal government is autonomous, with status similar to a municipality.
Culture
Passamaquoddy culture is related to other tribes of the northeast.
Hunting and fishing are time-honored skills, still practiced on Tribal lands.
Language
The Passamaquoddy Language is still spoken by many members of the Tribe. Efforts at both reservation schools (Beatrice Rafferty Elementary School, at Sipayik), and at Sipayik's Waponahki Museum and Resource Center strive to increase the number of Tribal children who speak their native language.
Crafts
Basketry, jewelry, wood-carved items, and canoe making are some of the skills that are practiced by tribal craftspeople who have widespread repute for their fine workmanship. Craft items can be found for sale at shops at the Pleasant Point Reservation and in the surrounding area, as well as elsewhere.
Our Canoeing Heritage
Both the Passamaquoddy (meaning "pollock spearing place") and Penobscot (meaning "rocky" or "ledge place") peoples are members of the Abenaki Confederation, but are the only two that have retained land. The Passamaquoddy tribe has 2,500 members on three reservations in Maine; the Penobscot tribe has 2,000 members on Indian Island, Old Town, Maine, its only reserve. They speak their own distinct dialect of Algonquin.
They lived in extended families in summer villages of up to 100 people. On fertile river floodplains along the coastal inlets, they planted and cultivated "The Three Sisters" (beans, corn, squash). Their canoes of different sizes varied in design from the coast to the interior and are very similar to Maliseet canoes.
Their homes were dome or oval-shaped wigwams covered in birch bark or woven matting. In fall and winter, they lived in conical, bark-covered teepees when they scattered in small groups and went inland. Each man had his own hunting territory, inherited through his father.
By the early 17th century, a healthy fur-trade existed between the French, the Penobscot and the Maliseet. The French held outposts on both the Penobscot River and Passamaquoddy Bay.
The Penobscot Confederacy fought against the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet in trading wars, during which time, the French traded with both sides. The Mi'kmaq defeated the Penobscot's leader on one of several raids through Maine. Disease swept through the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot villages, decimating them.
Passamaquoddy
The Passamaquoddy Language is part of the Algonquian Language Family. A couple went through a betrothal period for one year. During this time, the groom had to prove to the girl's father that he was a capable hunter. He made bows, arrows, canoes, and snowshoes for the father-in-law to be. During this year of courtship, there were strictly sexually abstinent. At the end of the betrothal, the bride's family held a feast and made speeches exalting the groom's geneology.
Cree Gun Case
Tanned buckskin gun scabbard with silk thread embroidery - never used. 14" X 12"
Circa 1960
Officially the Passamoquoddy Nation did not possess a tribal flag until 1995. That means simply that the council governing the had never seen fit to approve a design through a piece of legislation. That does not mean, however, that the Passamoquoddy did not have a flag. There was an unofficial flag for the tribe and it is seen both on land and at sea!
The Passamoquoddy of Maine are part of the Wabanaki Confederacy, an alliance of Algonquin speaking tribes in the northeastern part of what is now the United States and the nearby regions of Canada (ENAT, 178). The term Wabanaki translates into "the people who dwell at the sunrise". The tribal name means "those who pursue the pollack"; the pollack being a major food fish in the waters of the Atlantic off New England and Maritime Canada. The Confederacy has been reawakened since the relighting of the fires of the Confederacy in Restigouche, Quebec, home of the Micmac people (Margaret Dana, letter dated May 15, 1997). The members of the Wabanaki Confederacy are the Abenaki, Micmac, Passamoquoddy, and Penobscot nations.
Both of these terms are to be found in the expression of Passamoquoddy nationhood that was their unofficial tribal flag. A blue flag was used. It bore a large yellow disk in the center recalling the sun. Surrounding the disk to the hoist side is a capital 'W'. At the base of the disk, a capital 'S', at the top of the disk, a capital 'N'. All three letters act as directional beacons. Where the letter 'E', for East should be was a five pointed star, indicating the direction in which one will find the lands of the Passamoquoddy. This flag predated the settlement of land claims with the federal government in 1980.
In the center of the disk, appearing in white, was the depiction of a pollack, or white fish, it faced the fly end of the flag whereas European heraldic tradition would insist that the fish face toward the hoist. The pollack was skewered by a pair of fishing spears, usually in black and forming a rough 'X'.
In the upper regions of the disk appeared the tribal name, while at the lower regions, the legend "People of the Dawn", a version of the tribe's name translated into English. Both were separated from the central portion of the disk by a ring of small dots. On the sample of the seal shown to the author by New England Vexillological Association member Dave Martucci, all lettering, the tribal name, the legend and the directional indicators are black. This is also true of the ring of dots. The star is yellow.
Because the flag was unofficial, it is quite possible that a variety of colors may be found in these elements. It is also not certain whether or not all segments of the Passamoquoddy people made use of the old flag. The response from the tribal office is simply that they do not recognize the "fish flag" as a tribal flag. It is known that the Passamoquoddy delegate to the Maine legislature uses special automobile license plates bearing the tribal seal as described above. The Passamoquoddy's fellow Maine federally recognized tribe, the Penobscot also employ such tags.
With the settlement of claims in 1980 a new design was proposed that depicted the settlement, but the Passamoquoddy people were never fully supportive of that design. That design is the now official.
This latest flag of the Passamoquoddy people was adopted - on a ninety day trial- in June of 1995 (Passamoquoddy Tribal Council resolution, June 8, 1995). Because that trial period was never replaced with other tribal legislation, the June 1995 flag is accepted as the "official" flag of the Passamoquoddy nation.
That new design, called the "scroll" design is a white flag bearing the new seal of the Passamoquoddy nation. The seal begins with a circle of people (twenty in all) holding hands in four groups of five. These figures are separated by the three directions and eastern star carried over from the "fish flag". This denotes the unity of the Passamoquoddy "with all Native Americans from the North, South, East and West" ("Interpretation of the Pleasant Point Passamoquoddy's Tribal Logo", unsigned, undated letter, Pleasant Point Reservation, ME). The "predominant Star" is the Passamoquoddy Representative of Eastern Tribes. Within the ring is a circular seal representing the Circle of Life. This circle is red recalling the "Red Race" (ibid.). In the four prime directional points of the red circle are plants depicted in yellows and greens, representing the Eastern Woodlands. Centered on the circle is a scroll for the settlement of land claims. This is also the symbolism of the
"dripping feather" that appears in front of the scroll. Upon the scroll, in natural colors is a sunrise over the land at Passamoquoddy Bay and the reflection of that sun upon the waters of the Bay. These images attest to the aboriginal rights of the Passamoquoddy people and a recognition that this bounty was given the Passamoquoddy by the Great Spirit. The design is completed by the black dots, tribal name and legend "People of the Dawn" that originated on the "fish flag" of pre-1980 vintage. On the new seal all these elements appear in black.
As mentioned at the beginning of this piece, the flag of the Passamoquoddy can be seen at sea. Fishing boats belonging to members of the Passamoquoddy tribe frequently fly the tribal flag when plying the waters off Maine. This is the sole known instance of a tribal banner being used at sea.
Plateau Bag
Large, rectangular, full beaded flat bag with floral and geometric designs. 19" X 11-1/2"
Circa 1940
Waiting
Note from Blackbear
The pictures from this and all future issues will be uploaded to Yahoo..
This is mainly for those who get the digest version which doesn't have any pictures.
ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/TA_DreamCatcher/photos
www.passamaquoddy.com/
