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MEMORANDUM
September 5, 1979
TO:
Jim Case
FROM:
Estelle Lavoie
RE:
Summary of my June 27 meeting with representatives
of the Micmac and Maliseet Tribes.
.
On Wednesday morning, June 27 ,. I met with several representatives of the Micmac and Maliseet Tribes of Aroostook County
to discuss their desire to obtain federal recognition and with
it, federal funds, and their land claim for Aroostook County.
Present were Maynard Polchies, President of the Association of
Aroostook Indians, Inc., John Joseph, James Tomah, Jim Wherry,
John Stevens -- former Passamaquoddy tribal governor who has
been hired to assist on this endeavor, and Gregory Buesing of
the Federal Regional Council in Boston.
Several factors prompt them in pursuing a settlement with
the federal government:
1) The state's withdrawl of funding and services, presently
totaling $500,000 beginning next fall;
2) The April 1, 1980, statute of limitations on the filing
of claims under the Nonintercourse Act;
3) The refusa~ of the present Passamaquoddy leadership to
cut them in on any settlement they may get out of their land
claim;
4) A statement, in the Joint Memorandum of Understanding,
which would preclude any further claims to the land claimed
by the Penobscots and Passamaquoddies.
Background
There are today approximately 1500 Micmac and Maliseet
Indians scattered in Maine. While there is no reservation or
land area set aside for them, the largest group of Maliseet Indians
numbers 300 to 400, lives in a particular section of Houlton, and
calls itself the Houlton band. The Maliseets, which are somehow
related to the Passamaquoddies in terms of blood line and lineage,
say they have a land claim to most of Aroostook County, potentially
three million acres. Because their chiefs spoke along with the
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MEMORANDUM
TO:
Jim Case
Page Two
Passamaquoddy chiefs at the time the now-famous 1800 treaties
were.signed, they believe they also have a valid claim to federal
s .e rvices. The Micmacs have no land claim and the Bureau of
Inqian Affairs would apparently be reluctant to give them services
under any condition.
While the major Indian land claim was brewing during the mid1970's, the Passamaquoddy leadership at that time, including
John Stevens, apparently told the Micmacs and Maliseets that they
would share some of the proceeds of their land claim settlement
once it was finalized and suggested that their northern brothers
remain quiet during the course of negotiations. The new
Passamaquoddy governors are no longer promising anything, and the
Aroostook Indians, who are quite poor, are naturally concerned
about their future well-being since the state is also cutting off
all services.
In order to protect themselves, the Aroostook Indians have done
some historical research on their origin and done some genealogical
studies. Attached is a copy of their report. It was obvious to
me, during the course of the meeting, that the tribes really were
not · sure how to proceed and had done very little in terms of
substantive legal research. They do not want to sue the
Passamaquoddies and Penobscots for land. On the other hand, they
know they will be totally destitute without any kind of state or
federal assistance.
They wanted to know Senator Muskie's thoughts on their report and to have his guidance.
I simply replied that an additional
land claim would not make matters easier and that Muskie really
had no opinion on their report.
When pressed for their precise claims, they replied:
1)
Federal services;
2) A non-residential land base, for social and cultural
purposes primarily, They have not identified any tracts
of land, and gave a preliminary figure of 10,000 acres.
I will add in closing that, at the time of the meeting, these
Indians had no legal counsel. Tom Tureen has told them that he
(and the Native American Rights Fund) would be in conflict if he
represented them as well as the other Maine tribes. While the
Micmacs and Maliseets are quite poor and said they couldn't afford
to hire counsel, they have obviously discovered a means to obtain
legal representation.
�
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The Edmund S. Muskie Papers
Description
An account of the resource
A selection of documents from the Edmund S. Muskie Papers have been provided by by the Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College. Additional information about the collection can be accessed on their <a href="http://abacus.bates.edu/muskie-archives/?_ga=1.58550314.1828118176.1485979172">web page</a>.
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BATES004
Title
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Internal memo from Muskie staffer Estelle Lavoie to James Case regarding a meeting with the Micmac and Maliseet Tribes (09/05/1979)
Date
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9/5/1979
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The Edmund S. Muskie Papers
The Edmund S. Muskie Papers, Box 2150, Folder 10; Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College, Lewiston, ME
Language
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English
Description
An account of the resource
Internal memo from Estelle Lavoie to James Case (while both were working for Senator Edmund Muskie) regarding a meeting on June 27, with representatives from the Micmac and Maliseet Tribes, to discuss their desire to obtain federal recognition and request Senator Edmund Muskie's guidance.
Type
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Text
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PDF
Subject
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Indians of North America--Maine--Land tenure
Indians of North America--Maine--Claims
Indians of North America--Legal Status, Laws, etc.
Indians of North America--Government Relations
Indians of North America--Politics and Government
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Copyright is retained by the creators of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. This item is made available for research and educational purposes by the Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College. Prior permission is required for any commercial use.
Estelle Lavoie
Gregory Buesing
James Case
James Tomah
James Wherry
John Joseph
John Stevens
Maliseet
Maynard Polchies
Micmac
Senator Edmund Muskie