Since Time ImmemorialNative American peoples have inhabited the land we now call Maine since time immemorial. Today people from the four tribes—the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot—collectively known as the Wabanaki, or “People of the Dawnland” live throughout the state of Maine. Tribal governments have a government-to-government relationship with Acadia National Park. Sweetgrass GatheringThough Acadia National Park lies in the Wabanaki homeland, for most of the last century, the federal government prohibited Wabanaki people from harvesting sweetgrass within the boundaries of Acadia National Park. Since 2015, the National Park Service has worked toward renewed gathering of certain plants or plant parts by federally recognized Indian tribes. This was a significant development for both national parks and the Tribes with whom they consult. It opened a path for Indigenous people to renew cultural practices and relations with valued places in their homelands. Abbe MuseumAcadia partners with the nearby Abbe Museum, a museum that is committed to centering Indigenous people in their own histories, stories, and futures, and correcting harmful representations of the past. A Smithsonian affiliate, the museum holds the largest and best documented collection of Maine Indian basketry. Cultural ConnectionsIn addition, the park hosts the free, public Cultural Connections in the Park program every Wednesday from late June through September, in partnership with the Abbe Museum (sponsored by Dawnland, LLC, who operates Jordan Pond House and the Cadillac Mountain Gift Shop). Visit the park event calendar to view upcoming Cultural Connections programs.
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Enjoy a video profile produced by David Shaw of Dr. Bonnie Newsom, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Maine, about her work as an indigenous archeologist. Acadia National Park has roughly 24 known indigenous archeological sites. As a Second Century Stewardship Fellow, Newsom worked with two graduate students to examine more closely how the Native peoples of Maine engaged with the area prior to European contact.
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Though Acadia is well known for its landscapes and natural history, it also has many rich layers of significant cultural history. Wabanaki people have lived here for as long as 10,000 years, and many continue to call this place home, or feel connected to it from afar. In partnership with the Abbe Museum, Acadia National Park, and sponsored by Dawnland, LLC, the Cultural Connections in the Park program hosts free public events every Wednesday from late June through September. |
Last updated: November 21, 2024