HOULTON and PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Two upcoming presentations will delve into the history of the relationship between the state of Maine and the Wabanaki people.
“Truth, Healing and Change in the Land of the Dawn” will be presented May 2 at the Cary Library in Houlton, beginning at 5:30, and on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, at the Turner Memorial Library in Presque Isle at 6 p.m.
The sessions will focus on two key events of 2015: the findings of the Maine Wabanaki State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission and legislation relating to violence against native women in Maine.
Leading the discussions will be Barbara Kates and Paul Strickland, community organizers for Maine-Wabanaki REACH, a cross-cultural collaborative that provides education about history, the impact of trauma, strategies for healing and action to strengthen Wabanaki self-determination.
According to REACH organizers, Wabanaki people — Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet and Micmac — have experienced trauma across generations beginning with the taking of their land, lives, children, language and spiritual practices. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission spent more than a year collecting stories about the experience of Wabanaki children and families in the child welfare system in an effort to support the healing process by documenting the truth.
REACH incorporates the lessons learned through the TRC process and strives to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations are considered and implemented. Truth-telling conversations continue to take place across Wabanaki and Maine communities.
For more information, contact Erin Barlow at Turner Library, 764-2571.
