Donna Loring. Photo by Jane Peasley / Wikipedia
Donna Loring, a member of the Penobscot Nation and the tribe's former representative in the state Legislature, explores the breakdown in the state-tribal relationship in Maine:
Despite the horrific treatment we Indians have endured from the white majority culture over centuries of genocidal policies, we have never lost our love for this land or this country. We have fought in every war this country has been in and have fought valiantly. Our patriotic record speaks for itself. Native American soldiers have fought to protect the rights and freedoms of every United States citizen. We love this country – it is ours, and we are one with it. We’ve shed our blood for it and paid the ultimate price many times over – more so than any other race. Don’t you ever forget it! We are United States citizens, we are Maine citizens and, yes, we are tribal citizens. Maine tribes are being kept in poverty by the ignorance of our policymakers in Augusta. They don’t seem to want to learn about the tribes except via the Maine Attorney General’s Office, which has done everything in its power to isolate us from society. We are not foreigners in our own land. We are not the enemy. Stop circling the wagons. We have earned our citizenship.Get the Story:
Donna Loring: Maine’s Indians relegated to being outcasts in their own state (The Portland Press-Herald 5/27) Also Today:
Tribes withdraw from Maine Legislature (The Bangor Daily News 5/27)
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