Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Maine: Supporting Wabanaki culture [Video]

ORONO, Maine — Wabanaki people and allies gathered at the Wilson Center at the University of Maine on Indigenous Peoples’ Day for a potluck and panel discussion about the significance of the holiday and how to support Wabanaki Tribes.

“We’re still here and we’re still thriving, we’re still celebrating our culture,” Liliana Sapiel, Voter Empowerment Coordinator of the Wabanaki Alliance said.

Attendees celebrated life while remembering the tragedies of the past.

“We are not the remnants of what was, we’re an example of what can be, through death and destruction, culturally and genocidally,” John Bear Mitchell, University of Maine System Office Native American Waiver and Educational Program Coordinator, said.

Speaker Sage Neptune, a research coordinator at Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, emphasized the importance of learning about Wabanaki culture and history, and unlearning misinformation about Christopher Columbus.