The Wabanaki Confederacy (Waponahki) — translated as “People of the First Light” or “Dawnland” — currently comprises five principal nations: the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot and Abenaki, and stretches from Newfoundland in the north, to mid-Maine in the south, and parts of Quebec in the west.
Historically, the confederacy united five Algonquin language-speaking Indian tribes. While the Wabanaki Confederacy was disbanded in 1862, the five Wabanaki nations still exist and remain closely aligned, in part because all peoples claiming Wabanaki lineage have forbearers from multiple Wabanaki and colonial ancestries.
As Europeans settled and seized land, the Wabanaki were relegated to remote and isolated places. Such is still the case today. A large share of the nearly 7,800 members of the four Wabanaki tribes in Maine reside in Aroostook and Washington counties — the northern and eastern portions of the state — in what are among the most economically challenged counties in the country. These counties are heavily dependent upon natural resource-based, seasonal industries. Aroostook County, home to the Micmacs and Maliseets, has historically been a major potato producer, an industry that has become increasingly centralized and mechanized. Washington County, where the two Passamaquoddy reservations are located, is known for blueberry production, fishing and wreath-making.
All of the tribes, including the Penobscot, have highly skilled artisans who continue to produce beautiful works of art — baskets, drums, carvings, canoes, jewelry and other traditional items.
