Students in Washington County schools are being enriched with Wabanaki culture as a result of integrated teachings at both the elementary and high school levels. While the extent of integration varies from school to school, it represents more Indigenous knowledge and awareness in the state's school systems than ever before.
      "They're in Washington County, they have a lot of Passamaquoddy students in their school, and they want the truths to be heard," says Passamaquoddy language instructor Lynn Mitchell about the class she teaches at Calais Middle/High School. "They want the language, the culture, the history, everything for the kids. That's what makes me so happy. It's giving us a voice where we never had a voice before. It's a beautiful thing."
      For Passamaquoddy students taking the class, the benefit can't be understated. "This class means our language and our traditions won't die," says Olivia Sockabasin.
      "I want to be able to teach my children our language so it will not be lost," says Genesis Sabattis, adding, "Our culture makes me feel at peace."
      It's not just Passamaquoddy students who are benefitting. Over the past six years that Mitchell's been teaching, her class has consistently been made up of a mixture of Native and non Native students. Among the non Native students is Oliver Clark, who was "surprised at how easily I was accepted" in the class. He chose to take the class "to learn the language and the history, and as a white kid I wanted to be part of the culture" of the area, he says. "It gives me a chance to not only learn but to teach the culture."
      Around the county, other schools have taken steps to integrate Wabanaki teachings to meet the requirements of the 2001 Wabanaki studies law. At Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School in Machias, for example, Principal Susan Dow says that her teachers use a combination of educational videos and classroom discussion to teach Wabanaki culture, including videos such as "Thoreau Wabanaki Trail: Thoreau and his Indian guides" and "The Mi'kmaq Origin Story/Ktaqmkuk." In addition, the school uses resources from the Wabanaki studies module of the Department of Education's optional MOOSE (Maine Online Open Source Education) program to integrate cultural teachings.
      In Eastport, efforts are under way to replace a previously ongoing Passamaquoddy language class at Shead, while teachers at the elementary level are looking for new ways to share Wabanaki culture. Last year, teacher Kayla Kelley introduced students in the seventh and eighth grades to lessons from MOOSE with an emphasis on "becoming a steward of our water," and this November she will begin it with the sixth grade. In addition, students at both the elementary and high school levels have been given locally produced presentations such as "Wabanaki Presence" and "Glimpses of Downeast Military History" that showcase Indigenous history and culture from Alison Caldwell Beers, education specialist at the Tides Institute & Museum of Art.
      "As much as possible, I try to integrate Wabanaki culture into my program development as part of our greater effort to include Passamaquoddy culture and language into our mission as an organization and that includes outreach to all ages," Caldwell Beers says.
      At Sipayik Elementary School, language and culture teachers Seana Mackeldey and Barbara Dore are leading the way on ensuring that their students have a comfortable grasp on Wabanaki culture across all 10 grade levels. "The thought of losing [the language] is too much to think about," says Mackeldey, who grew up in a fluent-speaking household. "My goal is to keep teaching and finding new ways to teach our children that are relevant to them so that they start remembering the words and using them in everyday life. It isn't easy work -- with each class you have to switch gears and your teaching methods." Mackeldey and Dore's efforts were recently highlighted at the National Indian Education Association Convention in Palm Springs, Florida.
      Taken altogether, it's a distinct contrast from even half a century ago, when boarding schools were actively taking Wabanaki children from their communities and preventing them from speaking their language or learning about their culture. The cultural genocide that has flavored interactions between the federal and state governments and the Indigenous tribes in Maine was nearly successful in its goals - leaving many Maine residents with a distorted perception of the Wabanaki.

'We are still here'
      For Mitchell, the lack of knowledge about the Wabanaki is most apparent when she goes to other parts of the state where the Indigenous presence is less pronounced. During one particular visit with fifth grade students in western Maine, the students were uniformly unaware that Wabanaki people still existed in the state.
      "It shocks me," Mitchell says. "We're here. Mac ote kilun ktiyultipon," she said, quoting from the late Wayne Newell, language and culture keeper for the tribe. "We are still here."
      Children and adults, upon finding out that the Wabanaki continue to inhabit the state, tend to follow up that realization by asking if they live in teepees. "Holy God," Mitchell says in exasperation as to how often it comes up. "So I clarify that, and let the kids know that our kids do the floss dance and they like Taylor Swift and play on Xbox. They're the same, but different. That's the beauty of it now. We can be who we are."
      For centuries, students in Maine have been taught "twistery," Mitchell says, leading to the lack of awareness now being seen. "We were omitted from the history as a way to eliminate who we are."
      Traditionally, whenever materials related to Indigenous peoples have been introduced, they tended to emphasize the past and how the Wabanaki used to be, according to a 2022 report on the implementation of the Wabanaki studies law. The report outlines not only the past failures of the education system but the current lack of implementation across the state.
      While Washington County schools are a step ahead of those in other counties, in part due to the higher population of Wabanaki residents and educators in the region, there's still ground to be made in terms of introducing material. Some classes and schools continue to fall short of the state requirements.
      "I believe there are teachers who are doing their absolute best to teach about the Wabanaki tribes as well as those who don't meet the letter of the law," says Beth Clifford, curriculum coordinator at Maine Indian Education. "The vast majority of educators fall somewhere on the continuum."
      The challenge, as outlined in the 2022 report, is the lack of any process for holding schools and districts accountable, along with a lack of appropriate materials. That will be changing to some degree with the passing this year of LD 1642, a law which expands on how and when Wabanaki teachings should be implemented.