BRUNSWICK — The way Nicholas Smith sees it, it's been a big year for Native American affairs in Maine.
Among other milestones, Gov. John Baldacci thanked tribes for their land stewardship, legislators visited tribal reservations on a bus tour of northern and eastern regions of the state, state leaders renewed conversations about the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act and state officials proclaimed June 6 as Native American Veteran History Day.
"I think 2007 has been a big break-through year," said Smith, 80, a Brunswick resident who also saw something of a banner year for his investment in Native American culture. In May, on the heels of decades of work that have rendered him a familiar face for many of Maine's indigenous people, Smith received an honorary degree from his alma mater and a legislative proclamation recognizing his work as a scholar of Wabanaki culture.
"Nick is an unsung researcher," said John Dieffenbacher-Krall, executive director of the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission. "They remember Nick at these weddings and ceremonies that few white people have ever observed."
Click here to read more: http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/news.nsf/0/2F3375B51E2325E1052572FF0057BC99?Opendocument
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment