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Michelle de Leon is a graduate student in Ecology and Environmental Sciences at The University of Maine. Noela Altvater is a Passamaquoddy tribal member and student intern at Wabanaki Youth in Science. This column reflects their views and expertise and does not speak on behalf of the university. De Leon is a member of the Maine chapter of the national Scholars Strategy Network, which brings together scholars across the country to address public challenges and their policy implications. Members’ columns appear in the BDN every other week. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1828466.
On Presidents Day, Americans celebrated leadership in our nation. Sure, we easily recall stories about the accomplishments and struggles of presidents like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It is also important to remember the leadership of Maine’s First Peoples: the Wabanaki people.
Throughout Maine, Wabanaki stories bring knowledge and culture that are pertinent to addressing today’s pressing issues. Charged with addressing the effects of climate change in Maine, the Maine Climate Council engages tribal voices because of their culture and philosophy as excellent stewards of the earth. Maine Audubon, one of many nonprofits working to conserve Maine’s wild places, recognizes how Wabanaki stories and practices are invaluable to shaping today’s environmental restoration solutions.
Listening to and sharing the stories of Indigenous peoples in Maine can influence change in tribal and non-tribal communities. Humans are hardwired to learn from stories, and stories are the traditional way of learning across generations for Wabanaki tribal members. We are looking at storytelling as something more than what we do around a campfire in the northern woods or in a brewery by the coast. Storytelling is a powerful tool to connect us as humans and collaborate for change.
Drawing on our experiences as tribal members and non-tribal collaborators in Maine and North Dakota, we, a University of Maine graduate student and a Wabanaki Youth in Science intern, reflect on the use of storytelling throughout our partnership and created a product that is more powerful than either could have made alone. Right now, it’s important to engage stories that have historically been silenced.
How can one person’s story influence change? With Passamaquoddy tribal members Chris Johnson of the Sipayik Environmental Department and Sienna Dana, along with support from Maine Sea Grant, we creatively integrated the lived experiences and theory in a StoryMap to communicate complex issues that the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik faces. Noela pulled together an incredibly rich story about the municipal water issues at Sipayik.
The water has been discolored for generations, tribal members feel unsafe drinking the water, and byproducts of the water treatment process sometimes substantially exceed federal standards. Because this reality has been invisible to many tribal members and Mainers, Noela brings her story to life through photos, videos, interviews and an interactive map. The story garners awareness and support for making clean water a reality. Noela tells a story about family, rural poverty, and community that many Mainers can connect with, and she is already gaining influence in her tribe.
Michelle and the team stand behind Noela’s story, sharing their research, technical and administrative skills and knowledge. As a graduate student, Michelle recognizes that Black, Indigenous and People of Color are often marginalized in scientific and policy processes. One way to include BIPOC is to bring their voices front and center of storytelling projects. With experience in Geographic Information Systems, communications and community development, Michelle listened to Noela’s story and introduced writing and design tools to powerfully capture the municipal water issue in a StoryMap. When the goal is to connect to each other as humans and affect change, storytelling does more than a job well done.
Storytelling is not overcomplicated given that we do it every day. When we highlight Indigenous stories, we learn about key issues and the characters affecting change in Maine. For example, Noela’s story about municipal water issues is an excellent testimonial supporting LD 906, an emergency bill that seeks to provide Sipayik with access to clean drinking water.
Through the partnership that made the StoryMap possible, Mainers learn how vital Indigenous stories are for healthier and safer communities across Maine. Noela is a young leader in her community and carries on Wabanaki knowledge and culture to support the common good of our natural world. Through her, Mainers learn how vital Indigenous stories are to solving concerns of today and tomorrow.