A new exhibit sharing Passamaquoddy culture and the Indigenous perspective of the arrival of European powers through petroglyphs was unveiled on July 15 at the St. Croix Island International Historic Site (SCIIHS). The new exhibit, including four fiberglass replicas of petroglyphs found at Machias Bay -- site of the largest petroglyph concentration on the east coast of North America -- is now open for viewing by the public.
     While comprised of symbols itself, the exhibit symbolizes several concepts, as those present during the unveiling explained. "This exhibit changes things for us," said Meg Scheid, park ranger at SCIIHS. She described how the French story was well documented by Samuel de Champlain, but the Wabanaki story was not as well recognized -- something that the "pictures that tell stories" can help to rectify. "We can now share stories that remind us we live in traditional Wabanaki homeland where no international borders can divide."
     For others, the collaboration behind the exhibit was itself significant. "This little exhibit is really a huge and big idea," says Rebecca Cole‑Will, chief of natural and cultural resources at Acadia National Park and SCIIHS. "It represents 415 years of relationship between the Passamaquoddy Tribe and visitors to your homeland," she added. "This exhibit, while small, represents the ongoing relationship with you."
     The petroglyph replicas in the exhibit were chosen by Passamaquoddy tribal historian Donald Soctomah, who was among the tribal elders and leaders present at the opening. After thanking the National Park Service for "taking the extra effort to present our history from our interpretation, which is very important, so the story comes out the way we see through our stories," Soctomah described what it meant to him to have them featured at the site.
     "The sharing of the petroglyphs is an important symbol because it tells you that the story of the St. Croix Island wasn't just 415 years ago -- that it predates the arrival of the French on this island by thousands and thousands of years," Soctomah said. He elaborated how the tribe would use the island for keeping food from wolves and to camp and watch the sunrise or the sunset.
     "It was an important place -- the entrance of the St. Croix, or Schoodic River," Soctomah continued. "So sharing the petroglyphs was a big symbol and a big movement on our part, especially because it included the history of Champlain and his crew. Champlain and his crew sailed along the coast and arrived in Machias. We call it the place of the picture rocks. But it's more than that. It's history dating back over 3,000 years."
     The four replicas were specifically chosen for their significance in Passamaquoddy culture and the shared history with western colonizers. One, showing a highly detailed rendition of Champlain's ship, was found by Soctomah himself after he followed the petroglyph‑carved tracks of a bear. Another shows a ship alongside a cross, demonstrating the arrival of Christianity in the area -- "because the meeting with the French, the coming of Christianity, changed the way of life," Soctomah said succinctly.
     A third petroglyph shows a male figure that Soctomah interpreted. "In Native sign language, when you show the palm of your hand, you're not carrying a weapon. He's standing with his hand out and a 'V' formed. The 'V' is symbolic of a headdress of a person the tribe called m'teoulin, a spiritual person. So he's welcoming visitors to the site."
     Another is a female m'teoulin, Soctomah says, "and she's got her hands up, calling the wolves to her side. That one is an important petroglyph because we have a lot of stories of the two wolves in our legends."
     Soctomah concluded, "Our tradition in the tribe is an oral tradition of stories. I like to think that these petroglyphs reinforced a lot of these stories and legends. So I'm very happy that this gives a glimpse of Passamaquoddy history and this important river that goes through the heartland of our territory."

Threats to the petroglyphs and conservation efforts
     The rising ocean and the continual freezing and thawing of the shelf in the Machias Bay has caused some petroglyphs to be lost already, while others are partially cracked, Soctomah shared. As a result, collaborative efforts have begun to preserve the site, document the petroglyphs and raise awareness of the history they share.
     The site itself was up for subdivision in recent years, Soctomah said. The owner, herself part Passamaquoddy, offered the ledge and six surrounding acres to the tribe to preserve access. The tribe partnered with Maine Coast Heritage Trust to purchase the site. "Now we have the site open to the tribe, we have children going to the site, children learning the history and local schools getting tours of the area and learning the history," Soctomah said.
     Every summer, Soctomah and a team from the University of Maine at Machias go out to search for more petroglyphs. So far, 700 have been identified and catalogued with GPS coordinates. Some are turned into high‑quality images using 3D scanning technology.
     Access to the site is limited to those accompanied by tribal members because of the petroglyphs' fragility -- making the fiberglass replicas at the exhibit all the more important, Soctomah explained.      "These ones give an opportunity for people to actually touch them and actually see our history."
Soctomah and his colleagues are making the case for Machias Bay to be classified as a culturally protected zone by the federal government to enable further resources to be committed to the preservation of the petroglyphs.