Wabanaki Confederacy: We Are Still Here
For thousands of generations, the Wabanaki—the “People of the Dawnland”—have lived across what is now Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. Their homelands stretch beyond modern borders, rooted in deep relationships with the land and waterways of Wαpánahkik.
Today, four federally recognized tribes remain in Maine:
Houlton Band of Maliseets
Mi’kmaq Nation
Penobscot Nation
Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and Motahkomikuk
Before European contact, more than 32,000 Wabanaki people lived in the Dawnland. About 8,700 tribal citizens live here today. Each Nation maintains its own government, schools, and cultural centers, continuing unbroken traditions of self-determination.
“What do Wabanaki peoples want?
- A future where the self-determination of Wabanaki communities and the full exercise of their Tribal Sovereignty is secured by legislation and supported by the public will.
- Where Wabanaki Nations no longer face the inequitable economic and legal effects of this legislation and their children, families, and elders have the opportunity to flourish.
- Where Wabanaki people shape and author their own story.”
Historically, the Wabanaki Confederacy united five Algonquin-speaking tribes- Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, and Abenaki Nations- around 1680. This alliance defended sovereignty, diplomacy, and territory in the face of colonial invasion. Though the Confederacy formally ended in the late 19th century, these Nations remain aligned in their shared pursuit of self-determination.
In 1980, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, ratified by the tribes and the State of Maine, sought to resolve land disputes but instead curtailed Wabanaki sovereignty. Unlike the other 574 federally recognized tribes, Wabanaki Nations remain excluded from many rights and protections. For more than forty years, this legislation has constrained economic opportunity, environmental and tribal health, and governance.
Sovereignty means more than political recognition. It is the inherent right to govern, sustain culture, protect lands and waters, and ensure future generations thrive. Despite centuries of colonization and the constraints of the Land Claims Act, the Wabanaki Nations continue to assert their sovereignty, honoring ancestral relationships to the Dawnland and ensuring their voices guide its future.
Map courtesy of Native Land Digital
This research was compiled as part of the Just History Walk: Lives Between Two Rivers which took place on November 8, 2025. For more information about this walk, click here. For more research related to this area, click on the tags below. To download a hi-res version of the poster below for educational use, please contact where@atlanticblackbox.com.
Poster design by Meadow Dibble