Wabanaki Guides Exhibit Main Image: Illustration derived from a photograph courtesy of David Moses Bridges

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1 Wabanaki Guides Exhibit Main Image: Illustration derived from a photograph courtesy of David Moses Bridges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Abbe Museum 26 Mount Desert Street Bar Harbor, ME 04609 Contact: Johannah Blackman or johannah@abbemuseum.

2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Abbe Museum 26 Mount Desert Street Bar Harbor, ME Contact: Johannah Blackman or Visit us online: Wabanaki Guides to open at the Abbe Museum in February The Abbe Museum s main gallery is currently being transformed into a simulated canoe trip down a Maine river. On Thursday, February 7, the museum in Bar Harbor, Maine, will open a new exhibit entitled Wabanaki Guides. This thematic exhibit illustrates how the Wabanakis expert knowledge of land and waterways, has influenced the Maine visitor experience throughout history - from European contact in the 1600s up to the present day. Stories and historic accounts from a variety of individuals, including Henry David Thoreau and Joseph Treat, will illustrate how guiding is still intrinsically linked to the tribes, tourism, economics and environmental sustainability in Maine. A Wabanaki guide can offer a unique perspective on Maine s natural environment, one that reflects centuries of reliance on this place. Explorers coming over from Europe, cartographers, artists, hunters, and writers depended on Wabanaki people to guide them through the forests and waters of Maine. Wabanaki Guides will highlight stories from a variety of perspective and points in time. Hunting with a tribal guide means having a connection to the land and the species that goes back for thousands of years. That connection is formed through the hunting knowledge that comes with being a tribal member. It is knowledge learned from their parents, uncles, and grandfathers men in the community that have passed that knowledge down for generations. Knowing the land, the species, when to hunt, where to hunt, hunting techniques the knowledge of these things has been passed down for 10,000 years. --- Matt Dana, Passamaquoddy guide. Upon entering the exhibit, visitors will be able to imagine themselves embarking on a canoe trip into the Maine woods, the ancestral home of the Wabanaki for 12,000 years. In this place of rugged beauty, and harsh weather, newcomers depended on their guides to teach them how to travel, hunt, and survive in the woods. Museum visitors will be encouraged to consider the wildness and vastness of the Maine woods and the challenges that lie within. The birchbark canoe is featured as the primary mode of transportation. Prior to the invention of the birchbark canoe, which happened about 3,000 years ago, the Wabanaki likely traveled in wooden dug out canoes which were heavy and difficult to portage. With the invention of the much lighter birchbark canoe, people could travel faster and further. This pre-contact invention demonstrates ingenuity, creativity, and represents a desire to explore one s resources and create a broader life. The birchbark canoe was a major influence on the Wabanaki way of life and on guiding; canoes of all types still continue to be one of the best ways to travel to remote places in Maine in the warmer months. During their canoe journey, museum visitors will be able to stop at portages on the river banks to read about the various things a guide needs to consider when planning a trip, as well as what one might expect to

3 encounter along the way. Items that might be needed on such a trip may include: watertight birchbark baskets, pack baskets, ash fishing creel, snowshoes, crooked knives, a birchbark moose call, cup, muskrat traps, canoe paddles and root clubs. Visitors will learn how and why these items were used and needed. When going into the Maine woods for weeks at a time, it is important to pack key provisions. In the exhibit there will be lists of ingredients, recipes and historically documented methods for cooking in the woods; flap jacks, biscuits, and beans were staples and coating a flat rock with bacon grease and heating it evenly over an open fire was the recommended method for cooking meat or fish. Throughout the exhibit, Wabanaki names will identify wildlife, bodies of water and places in nature. The Native words truly capture the essence of a place; thus revealing the Wabanakis extensive history and deep connection with their surroundings. The guiding skills that the Wabanaki teach have been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years, says Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy Tribal Historian and exhibit co-curator. People come to Maine because it is still wild. Maine has millions of acres of undeveloped land and it is one of the few states with a high population of moose. Guiding continues to be an economic engine for the Wabanaki, both for individuals and for tribal governments. When recounting some of the most memorable stories of guiding, Socotmah recalled the Passamaquoddy guide, Joe Mell, who features prominently in the exhibit. Joe Mell was the guide for a writer named William Underwood, who came to Maine every summer from New York City. Mr. Underwood once invited Joe to visit him in the city, Soctomah said, and Joe went, but the city scared him. Take me back to the woods, is what he said to Mr. Underwood. The exhibit is based on research done by co-curators, tribal historians Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy, and James Francis, Sr., Penobscot, working with Raney Bench, the Abbe s Curator of Education. The exhibit will feature a public program series, starting in January with monthly offerings for people of all ages and interests. Check the Abbe s website calendar for more information about program offerings. The mission of the Abbe Museum is to inspire new learning about the Wabanaki Nations with every visit. The Abbe holds the largest and best-documented collection of Wabanaki basketry of any museum in the world and houses a collection of over 50,000 archaeological, historic and contemporary objects. The Abbe is closed for the month of January and will reopen on February 7 th with Wabanaki Guides. Other current exhibits include: N tolonapemk: Our Ancestors Place and Layers of Time: Archaeology at the Abbe Museum. Museum winter hours are Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm.

4 Abbreviated Press Release for Wabanaki Guides exhibition opening Abbe Museum 26 Mount Desert Street, Bar Harbor, Maine Contact: Johannah Blackman Major Exhibition Opening Thursday, February 7, 2013 Downtown Bar Harbor If you would like to attend the opening reception on Wednesday, February 6 from 4-6pm, RSVP to Johannah Blackman, or johannah@ abbemuseum.org MAJOR EXHIBITION OPENING AT THE ABBE MUSEUM Wabanaki Guides focuses on the legacy of Wabanaki people serving as guides for European and American explorers, cartographers, tourists and artists from the 1600s to the present day. Visitors will be invited to participate in a simulated canoe ride down a Maine river. The journey will shine a spotlight on ways in which Wabanaki knowledge of land and waterways influenced Maine s early visitors and illustrate how this legacy is linked to the modern-day tribes, tourism and environmental sustainability in Maine. The exhibit s chief curator is Raney Bench, the Abbe Museum s Curator of Education, with guest curators Donald Soctomah, Tribal Historian for the Passamaquoddy Nation and James Eric Francis Sr., Tribal Historian for the Penobscot Nation. Julia Clark, the Abbe s Curator of Collections is also on the exhibit team. Wabanaki Guides will be on display at the Abbe Museum through 2013.

5 Key Quotes from Wabanaki Guides Exhibit Penobscot Indian Guides are skilled in traditional calling as our ancestors have done for thousands of years. In addition, our guides have hunted moose on these very lands their entire lives and have demonstrated to the tribe their unparalleled abilities to succeed. Penobscot Nation Moose Hunt website The succeeding morning, a relative of mine who is well acquainted with the Penobscot Indians took me in his wagon to Old Town, to assist me in obtaining an Indian for the expedition. Henry David Thoreau, 1857 Of all the exhibits here, and there are many of them, none is more popular than the attractive Moosehead Lake booth. From morning to night crowds storm around the little open faced spruce log cabin. Bill Geagan, Boston Feb 9, ca Nothing escapes Joe s keen eyes. His power of sight, especially the knack of finding things, is nothing short of marvelous. Often with the naked eye he has seen a canoe hugging the farther shore of a cove in the lake, while I with powerful binoculars have had difficulty in locating it. William Underwood. Tribal guides have a connection to the land and the species that goes back for thousands of years. That connection is formed through knowledge that comes with being a tribal member. It is learned from parents, uncles, and grandfathers men in the community that have passed that knowledge down for generations. Knowing the land, the species, when to hunt, where to hunt, hunting techniques these things have been passed down for 12,000 years. Matt Dana, Passamaquoddy, 2012 You give everybody an experience that they ve never had before in the woods. It s very rewarding. George Sabattus, Jr. Wabanaki Guides Curators Raney Bench, Curator of Education at the Abbe Museum Raney Bench, Abbe Museum Curator of Education, was born in Minnesota, raised in California, and has been a resident of Southwest Harbor since moving to Maine in 2007 to work at the Abbe. Raney holds a BA in Native American Studies from Humboldt State University, Arcada, California with a minor in Anthropology/ Archaeology and a MA in Museum Studies from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Having started her museum career as Director of Collections for the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury, VT, she soon found that her interest in federal Indian policy and people kept taking her to the classroom to teach. Raney also taught for the Community College of Vermont for several years. In 1998 she came to Maine for the first time and visited the Abbe Museum. Instantly falling in love, she knew she wanted to work for the Abbe. It took almost 10 years to do it, but I m thrilled to be working for this museum. I continue to be active in collections related work through consultation with other museums. James Eric Francis Sr., Penobscot Nation Director of Cultural and Historic Preservation James Eric Francis Sr. is the Director of Cultural and Historic Preservation for the Penobscot Nation. James currently is heading up the Penobscot Language Revitalization Project where Penobscot speakers are using modern technology to enhance language learning and preservation efforts. James also serves as the Penobscot Nation s Tribal Historian and is studying the relationship between Maine Native Americans and the Landscape. Prior to working at the Penobscot Nation James worked for the Wabanaki Studies Commission helping implement the new Maine Native American Studies Law into Maine schools and has managed a team of teachers and cultural experts in developing curriculum.

6 James co-produced a film on race relations in Maine. Invisible looks at the problem of racism as it pertains to Native American people in Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. Recently James conducted an extensive Oral History Project for the Penobscot Nation. This project brought to life historical pictures and highlighted a community history that cannot be found it books. He was the curator of Penobscot History in Bangor Maine, an exhibit for the Bangor Museum and Center for History, and more recently the guest curator of Aunt Lu: the Story of Princess Watahwaso an exhibit at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine. James is an accomplished historical researcher, photographer, filmmaker, and graphics artist. Mr. Francis serves on the Board of Directors for Four Directions Development Corporation, a Native American Community Development Financial Institution. James serves on the Native American Advisory Council for the Abbe Museum and the Native American Advisory Board for the Boston Children s Museum and is a lifetime member of the Maine Historical Society. He has served on the Advisory Board of the University of Maine s Hudson Museum in Orono, Maine, Board of Directors for the Bangor Museum and Center for History where he served as Chair of the Collections committee. James has also served as Chair of the Penobscot Nation s Cultural and Historic Preservation Committee. Recently James has returned to school to pursue a Intermedia Masters of Fine Arts degree from the University of Maine. Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Donald Soctomah is a co-curator and advisor for the Abbe Museum s next major exhibit entitled, Wabanaki Guides, which opens in February 2013 and will be on exhibit through December Donald has been involved with the Abbe Museum for well over a decade and has served as curator and advisor for a number of Abbe exhibits. He served on the Abbe Board of Trustees and was an active participant in the planning for the Abbe s Campaign to Bring the Abbe to the Community , which resulted in the Abbe s modern facility in downtown Bar Harbor. Donald is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Passamaquoddy at Indian Township, a position he has held since He is involved with historic and archaeological work and actively works to preserve the culture of the tribe. He is responsible for creating the interpretation and management plan for the Petroglyph site in Machiasport. His work also includes writing grants to support cultural projects including: recordings of traditional songs, work on the Passamaquoddy dictionary and language portal, producing films and the building of a 20 birchbark canoe. Donald worked as the tribal legislative representative to the Maine State legislature from and from Prior to that he served for fifteen years as forest manager for the Passamaquoddy Tribe and was responsible for overseeing 140,000 acres of forest land. Donald holds a BA in Forest Management from the University of Maine at Orono and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Maine at Machias. He has written eight books and has appeared in six films. Currently he is serving on the board of the National Tribal Historic Preservation Office, as well as on the board of Downeast Writers at the University of Maine at Machias.

7 Wabanaki Guide poling fisherman upriver in birchbark canoe. Image courtesy of Donald Soctomah, Historic Preservation Office, Passamaquoddy Educational Programs Accompanying Wabanaki Guides There are a number of programs and activities slated to accompany Wabanaki Guides and bring the exhibit to life. Public talk tribal community members will discuss hunting and fishing rights and issues surrounding this topic. Place name tour of Mount Desert Island with map. Family tracking class, winter and spring. February 19, May 18 Brown Bag lunch series facilitated lunch discussion around historical figures in Maine guiding history, guiding as part of the Maine economy, and current issues affecting Maine guides. January 17, February 21 and March 21 from 12:00-1:00pm Public talk a modern cartographer and a historian will discuss the art of map making and the role of the Wabanaki in helping cartographers. Wabanaki guide lecture on modern guiding practices and the economic impact. Mapping program for children. Additional programs may be added in the coming weeks. For an up-to-date schedule, visit abbemuseum.org/calendar/index.html.

Wabanaki Guides Images For print-quality images contact: Johannah Blackman at 207-288-3519 or johannah@abbemuseum.org.

8 Wabanaki Guides Images For print-quality images contact: Johannah Blackman at or Jackson Sabattus calling moose with Louis Dana: Jackson Sabattus, Passamaquoddy, learning to call for moose with Louis Dana. Photo courtesy of George Sabattus, Jr.

Passamaquoddy guide with client at Grant Lake ca. 1890.

Passamaquoddy Tribe. Passamaquoddy guide Horace Nicholas on the St.

9 Passamaquoddy guide with client at Grant Lake ca Photo courtesy of Donald Soctomah, Historic Preservation Office, Passamaquoddy Tribe. Passamaquoddy guide Horace Nicholas on the St. Croix River with clients ca Photo courtesy of Donald Soctomah, Historic Preservation Office, Passamaquoddy Tribe.

10 Passamaquoddy guides Newell Moore and Joe Moore with son Junior skinning a bear at Chipneticook Lodge on the St. Croix River, ca Photo courtesy of Donald Soctomah, Historic Preservation Office, Passmaquoddy Tribe.

Passamaquoddy Tribe. Passamaquoddy guides and clients camping along the St.

11 Passamaquoddy guide with clients at Chipneticook Lodge, St. Croix River. Photo courtesy of Donald Soctomah, Historic Preservation Office, Passamaquoddy Tribe. Passamaquoddy guides and clients camping along the St. Croix River. Photo courtesy of Donald Soctomah, Historic Preservation Office, Passamaquoddy Tribe.

Headline News: Hunting & Fishing Rights

Headline News: Hunting & Fishing Rights "I m often asked 'What makes you any different from me?' when I try to explain my Tribe s inherent rights to hunt and fish our lands. The Treaty of Watertown is what makes me different " -Brian Reynolds,