Oct. 8 Event to Celebrate Friendships and Alliances

🔊 Nihkaniyane Pronunciation

The Wabanaki Alliance will host our third annual Nihkaniyane: Let’s Go Forward Together event, a celebration of our friendships and alliances, from 5-7:30 PM on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at the Smith Center for Education and Research, Wolfe’s Neck Center, Freeport. Honorees will include John Banks and Brianne Lolar, both of the Penobscot Nation, and Emma Soctomah, of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk. (Read more about the honorees here.)

The Wabanaki Alliance formed in 2020 when the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, and Penobscot Nation joined together to work to improve upon the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act (MISCA) and educate the public on tribal histories and communities.

Over the past five years, we have achieved significant milestones, demonstrating the power of persistent advocacy and strong partnerships. We have seen improved relations with the state government, fostering a more collaborative environment for dialogue and progress. Our bipartisan efforts have been crucial in building bridges across political divides, ensuring that the critical issues facing the Wabanaki Nations resonate with a broad spectrum of policymakers. These successes include advancing key legislation that strengthens tribal jurisdiction and increasing public understanding of Wabanaki inherent rights. We have laid essential groundwork, moving closer to true self-determination.

This gathering is where we will celebrate our progress, discuss future strategies, and strengthen our collective voice. Donations will allow us to expand our advocacy efforts in Augusta and Washington D.C., and invest in community-led initiatives that focus on economic development, health, education, and cultural preservation within the Nations. The support will also help us reach wider audiences to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of Wabanaki history, rights, and contributions, particularly through our upcoming community outreach initiatives.

Click on the button below to purchase your ticket. For more information, contact events@wabanakialliance.com.

2025 Honorees

John Banks is a citizen of the Penobscot Nation who has been widely recognized for his environmental leadership and public service. Banks was the first natural resources director for the Penobscot Nation, a position he held for 41 years until his retirement in 2021. Among his many accomplishments in that position was the completion of the historic Penobscot River Restoration Project. Completed in 2016, the $63 million project opened almost 2,000 miles of habitat for 11 species of sea-run fish that had been choked off from their spawning grounds for almost two centuries by dams across the river. Banks is the longest-serving member of the Maine-Indian State Tribal Commission, a position he held from 1987 to 2021. He also served on many local, regional and national organization boards, including the National Tribal Environmental Council, Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, National Indian Policy Center, and the Tribal Operations Committee with the federal EPA. In 2015, he became the first indigenous member of the US delegation to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization and received lifetime achievement awards from the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2019 and the Natural Resources Council of Maine in 2021. Read more about John Banks >>

Brianne Lolar is a citizen of the Penobscot Nation. Lolar left her position as an elementary school teacher four years ago to become the first Wabanaki Studies Specialist for the Maine Department of Education. In that role, she has fostered partnerships with indigenous and non-indigenous educators and organizations who’ve been working together to achieve unmet goals and objectives of the 2001 state law requiring that Wabanaki history and culture be taught and integrated into the K-12 curriculum. Those resources include detailed K-12 lesson plans and links to micro-courses on important topics related to Wabanaki culture and history. They were created through extensive collaboration between educators and Wabanaki knowledge-sharers — with Lolar adding that there are now more than 40 Wabanaki advisors lined up as being available for contracted work within schools throughout Maine for the current school year. Read more about Brianne Lolar >> 

Emma Soctomah is a Passamaquoddy citizen of Motahkomikuk and was the 2025 class valedictorian at University of Maine Machias,where she majored in psychology and community studies. She was an active participant in the college’s Kinap Mentorship Program, which creates both on- and off-campus programs aimed at bringing together Wabanaki cultural values and Indigenous ways of knowing with Western education. She plans to continue working at the elementary school in Motahkomikuk and will pursue a master’s degree beginning in fall 2026. Soctomah is the daughter of Donald Soctomah and Elizabeth Neptune and the granddaughter of world renowned basketmaker Molly Neptune Parker. Soctomah is also a nationally recognized basketmaker and was among the first artists to receive an Abbe Museum Wabanaki Artist Fellowship. Read more about Emma Soctomah>>