UMPI hosts Native American Appreciation Day

    PRESQUE ISLE – Students from the University of Maine at Presque Isle joined Native Americans on both sides of the border in December for a day-long event meant to honor the history, culture and heritage of the area’s indigenous population.     Native American Appreciation Day was held on Saturday, Dec. 8, in the Campus Center. All interested students, faculty, staff and members of the general public were welcome to attend and participate.
    “This was a celebration of Micmac and Maliseet cultures and the contributions of the Micmac and Maliseet people,” said David Perley, a councilor with the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, and a lecturer for the University of Maine, the University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University.
    Perley said the event was an excellent way for the university and the Native American community to collaborate and showcase the region’s diversity in a respectful way. Planning for the event got under way in September, when an organizational meeting was held. That meeting was attended by about 25 people, half of them students, with the majority of those students being Native American. Students in Perley’s Wabanaki language class, which was held during the fall on campus, also were involved.
    Activities for the Native American Appreciation Day were divided into four main themes: Honoring Our Ancestors, Honoring Our Seventh Generation, Honoring Our Elders and Songs and Dances for Our Ancestors.
    In the morning, participants honored ancestors by conducting a sweetgrass ceremony, performing drumming and chanting, offering keynote addresses in Maliseet and Mi’kmaq, and hosting information sessions on the histories of local Native American tribes, self-determination and treaty rights.
    Following lunch, participants honored the Seventh Generation and Elders by hosting information sessions on language loss and retention, the revival of traditions, and economy, education and politics. The afternoon also will include a talking circle by tribal elders.
    A special traditional feast, followed by traditional and social dancing, capped off the evening activities. Throughout the day, Maliseet and Mi’kmaq craftspeople had booths set up to showcase their work.
    For more information about this event, contact David Perley at (506) 273-1655 or Shirley Rush at 768-9427.