logo
How a federal monument's new welcome center in Maine honors Native Americans

How a federal monument's new welcome center in Maine honors Native Americans

ATOP LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Maine (AP) — The founder of Burt's Bees envisioned a tribute to Henry David Thoreau when she began buying thousands of acres of logging company land to donate for what would become the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
But there was a major pivot: The monument's new welcome center tells its story not from the perspective of the famed naturalist but through the eyes of the Wabanaki tribes who were the land's original inhabitants.
Roxanne Quimby's family collaborated with four tribal nations, private entities and federal officials to create the $35 million center that the National Park Service opened to the public on June 21, providing a focal point for the 87,500-acre (354 square kilometer) monument.
Dubbed "Tekαkαpimək' (pronounced duh gah-gah bee mook), which means 'as far as the eye can see' in the Penobscot language, the contemporary wood-clad structure atop Lookout Mountain provides a stunning view of Katahdin, a mountain of key importance to Penobscot Nation, one of four Wabanaki Confederacy tribes in present-day Maine.
'It's a sacred mountain. For Penobscot people, it's really the heart of our homeland,' said Jennifer Neptune, a Penobscot who contributed artwork and written interpretations for the exhibits.
Reflecting the land's Native stewards
Philanthropic funds covered the construction costs and land purchases for the monument, which is now now maintained by the park service. Tekαkαpimək donors included L.L. Bean, Burt's Bees and the National Park Foundation, funneled through the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, along with the Quimby family. Quimby sold Burt's Bees, maker of lip balm and other products, as she turned her attention to philanthropy.
Off the grid and reachable only by unpaved roads, the center features an amphitheater and eastward lookout for sunrise ceremonies led by the Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes, known collectively as the 'people of the dawn.' The vista stretches over land the tribes traversed for thousands of years. The other side faces Katahdin, which at 5,269 feet (1,606 meters) is Maine's tallest peak.
Inside, exhibits and artwork teach visitors about birch bark canoes, ancient fishing techniques, the night sky and local wildlife, with translations in Wabanaki languages. Floor tiles reveal an intricate map of tributaries to the Penobscot River, which flows past the island home of the Penobscot reservation to the ocean.
The welcome center has opened amid President Donald Trump's campaign to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives nationwide, including by issuing an executive order aimed at 'restoring truth and sanity to American history' that prompted Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to order a review of signs, memorials and statues.
While the Trump administration's moves have created some unease, a formal management agreement between the federal government and the tribal nations involved should protect the center's focus on the Native Americans who were stewards of this land for centuries, said Quimby's son, Lucas St. Clair, who marshaled his mother's effort to have the land donated to the National Park Service.
'We can do better about teaching the real history of the United States," and the welcome center attempts that, he said. "It's not an insult to America. We're not trying to talk badly about America,' he said.
Pivoting the focus
When Quimby began buying the land in the 1990s, she was inspired by Thoreau's travels through the region, which included an 1857 journey led by a Penobscot guide, Joe Polis, that he chronicled in 'The Maine Woods.'
But the focus began to shift in 2014 when her son joined a group led by tribal leaders that retraced Thoreau's lengthy travels on the 150th anniversary of that book's publication. St. Clair realized there was a richer story to tell.
St. Clair began consulting with the tribes, only to be humbled two years later, after President Barack Obama's interior secretary traveled to Maine to celebrate the land's designation as a national monument. A tribal leader chided St. Clair because no tribal members were invited to speak.
The omission had revealed a cultural blind spot: 'It just felt like, oh my gosh, I missed the boat on this one,' St. Clair recounted.
Another pivotal moment came after the unveiling of the first welcome center design, which Neptune said was inspired by a New England farmhouse-style structure that once served loggers in the area.
Tribal representatives felt the design smacked of colonialism and oppression, Neptune said. Lawyers were brought in to protect tribal heritage and intellectual property, while the non-natives involved made deeper efforts to understand Wabanaki culture, and the architect collaborated with an expanded tribal advisory board on a new design evoking a moose's antlers, inspired by a story of a tribal hero.
James Francis, the Penobscot Nation's tribal historian, hopes this collaboration serves as a template for future projects involving Native Americans.
'The real achievement of this project was the connection to Maine and how it was done — bringing in the Wabanaki people and giving them a voice,' he said.
Would Thoreau approve?
Quimby said the original design was beautiful, but the discussions with tribal members were eye-opening.
'The more we went along with it, the more we realized that they could make an enormous contribution,' Quimby said.
According to the tribe, Thoreau made a major contribution to Penobscot history by documenting their place names, and once wrote in a journal that 'the Indian language reveals another wholly new life to us.'
Thoreau would approve of Quimby's steps to conserve land for future generations, said Will Shafroth, former president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, which raises money to assist the National Park Service.
'You have to believe that Thoreau would basically sit on the side of the river and thank God she and her family did this,' Shafroth said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Watch as moose cool off under sprinklers in Idaho. ‘Free dinner and a shower'
Watch as moose cool off under sprinklers in Idaho. ‘Free dinner and a shower'

Miami Herald

time6 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

Watch as moose cool off under sprinklers in Idaho. ‘Free dinner and a shower'

Two young moose were spotted cooling off in sprinklers in an Idaho field, a video shows. The animals then had quite the adventure, with numerous sightings across the city of Blackfoot. The wild animals were filmed July 22 as they lounged in a field under sprinklers, Brenda Stanley posted in Life in Blackfoot, a page on Facebook. Stanley could not be immediately reached by McClatchy News on July 24. 'Free dinner and a shower, can't get any better than that,' someone commented on the post. 'Hot moose cooling off,' another person wrote. The moose were then caught on camera near Walmart and Super 8, one person shared in a Facebook post. 'Mooses on the looses!!' Stephanie Herbert wrote. More sightings were reported of the yearling male and female in parking lots near Ridley's Family Markets store and Taco Bell, the Idaho Fish and Game said in a July 23 news release. Wildlife officers, with help from police and animal control, tranquilized the animals and relocated them to a 'remote area,' officials said. The agency reminded the public to keep a distance from moose. 'Though moose can look a little awkward and clumsy, they are quick animals known to charge when people and pets get too close,' wildlife officials said in the release. Blackfoot is in eastern Idaho. What to know about moose Moose are protective animals and will 'defend themselves if they perceive a threat,' according to the National Park Service. If someone encounters a moose, they should give it space to leave, wildlife officials said. People shouldn't try to haze a moose to move out of the way. 'Don't be aggressive,' the National Park Service said. 'You want to convince the moose that you aren't a threat.' Wildlife officials said people should do the following if you see a moose: Stay undetected if the moose hasn't spotted you. Talk softly and move the moose charges, take cover and put something between you and the moose or run away.

Electrical lines from a toppled utility pole kill 4 horses as Puerto Rico's power grid deteriorates
Electrical lines from a toppled utility pole kill 4 horses as Puerto Rico's power grid deteriorates

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Electrical lines from a toppled utility pole kill 4 horses as Puerto Rico's power grid deteriorates

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Electrical lines from a toppled utility pole killed four horses in central Puerto Rico on Thursday in an incident that also saw power knocked out to the area, underlining the deteriorating state of the U.S. territory's power grid. There was no word immediately as to what had caused the pole in the mountain town of Utuado to fall. Police said in a statement that officials and firefighters were at the scene. It was the latest incident affecting Puerto Rico's crumbling power grid, which is still being rebuilt after Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a powerful Category 4 storm in September 2017. Chronic outages still regularly strike the island as the government pledges to end the contract of Luma, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of power on the island. In March 2018, a utility pole fell in the central mountain town of Las Marías and killed a couple in their 60s who were driving through the town, sparking outrage over the state of infrastructure six months after the hurricane. The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store