Maine is an ancient landscape. With a geologic history that ranges back 400-600 million years ago, and inhabitants that have lived in these forests for 12,000+ years. The University of Maine sits right in the center of the home of the Penobscot people on Marsh Island. Issues of territorial rights, water and food scarcity, and sovereignty have been issues for native people of Maine since the colonization of the state.
In this week’s episode, I spoke with John Bear Mitchell; who is currently serving as an Educational Program Coordinator, University of Maine’s Wabanaki Center Outreach and Student Development Coordinator, as well as, a Lecturer of Wabanaki Studies at the University of Maine in Orono. He has served on numerous museums and educational boards throughout the state with an emphasis on Maine’s Wabanaki people. While speaking with John in this episode, we learned about his personal journey as an educator, resources to native students, tribal sovereignty, and more.
To view the list of recommended readings on Wabanaki people curated by John Bear, click: https://umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum/teacher-resources/literary-resources/
Click here to visit the Wabanaki Center webpage
Click here to read about the State of the Tribes address
Hosted by Podcast Producer Rose Duane and Maine Campus Editor-in-Chief Grace Blanchard. Produced by Rose Duane. Graphics by Delaney Burns. Theme music and transitions are composed by Sam Blanchard.
