Donna M. Loring is an author, broadcaster, and former Senior Advisor on Tribal Affairs to

Janet Mills Janet Trafton Mills (born December 30, 1947) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 75th governor of Maine since January 2019. She previously served as the Maine Attorney General on two occasions. A member of the Democratic Party ...

, the governor of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

Early life

Loring grew up on Indian Island, Maine, where she was raised by her grandmother. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

. She graduated from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and, in 1984, became the police chief for the Penobscot nation, making her the Academy's first female graduate to become a police chief. From 1992 to 1997, Loring was the first female director of security at

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

. During her service in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, she was stationed at the communications center at Long Binh Army base, fifty miles north of

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, where she processed all casualty reports of Southeast Asia. Former Maine Governor

Angus King Angus Stanley King Jr. (born March 31, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Maine since 2013. A political independent since 1993, he previously served as the 72nd governor of Maine from 1995 ...

commissioned her to honorary

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

rank, and he appointed her as Aide de Camp to advise him on women veteran's affairs. In 1999, she was given the Mary Ann Hartman Award, which recognizes Maine women for accomplishments in the arts, politics, business, education, and community services, from the Women in Curriculum and Women's Studies Program at the

Political career

Maine is unique in having tribal representatives sit (in a non-voting capacity) in its state legislature. Following this tradition, which dates back to the 1800s, Loring served several terms on behalf of the Penobscots. She supported a bill in 2000 to remove the word "

squaw The English word ''squaw'' is an ethnic and sexual slur, historically used for Indigenous North American women. Contemporary use of the term, especially by non-Natives, is considered derogatory, misogynist, and racist.King, C. Richard,De/Scri ...

" from public site names. One of Loring's major accomplishments was her writing and sponsorship of LD 291, "An Act to Require Teaching Maine Native American History and Culture in Maine’s Schools" which passed as a law in 2001. Among her other achievements in the legislature, she created the first "State of the Tribes Address" in the history of Maine. Held in March 2002 and attended by tribal chiefs, the event was broadcast live on Maine Public Television and Radio. Loring also worked on a bill that proposed to extend the time period in which the tribe could purchase land for the Calais Casino. Finally, in April 2008, Loring put before the legislature HP 1681, "Joint Resolution in the Support of the United Nations

Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP or DOTROIP) is a legally non-binding resolution passed by the United Nations in 2007. It delineates and defines the individual and collective rights of Indigenous peoples, including th ...

." This passed unanimously, making Maine the only state in the country to pass such a resolution in favor of the UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights. Loring is a former member of the Penobscot tribal council. In 2006, she served as a select person for the town of Richmond for almost a year before moving to Bradley.

Writing and public speaking

Loring hosts a monthly radio show called "Wabanaki Windows" for

WERU WERU-FM (89.9 MHz) is a noncommercial, listener-sponsored community radio station licensed to the town of Blue Hill, Maine. It is owned by the Salt Pond Community Broadcasting Company. WERU-FM has studios in East Orland and its transmitter is ...

Blue Hill, Maine Blue Hill is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,792 at the 2020 census. It is home to the Blue Hill Public Library, Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, George Stevens Academy, the Blue Hill Harbor School, The Bay Sch ...

. She has long written about policy and Maine Indian history; but in recent years, she has turned to creative writing. She published a memoir about her years in the

Maine Legislature The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. The Legislature convenes at the State House in Aug ...

called ''In the Shadow of the Eagle'' (2008), which was favorably reviewed in a leading Native American Studies journal, among other sources. After studying with the playwright William S. Yellow Robe, Jr., Loring also wrote a musical drama called "The Glooskape Chronicles: Creation and the Venetian Basket," which received national coverage in the newspaper ''

Indian Country Today ''ICT News'' (formerly known as ''Indian Country Today'') is a daily digital news platform that covers the Indigenous world, including American Indians, Alaska Natives and First Nations. It was founded in 1981 as a weekly print newspaper, ''The ...

''.

References

External links

*Th
Donna Loring Archive
at the University of New England *''In the Shadow of the Eagle'' a
LD 291
the education bill written by Donna Loring *Maine Folklife Center'
Veterans Oral History Project
which interviewed Loring *Opinion Pieces by Loring o
Indian Country Today Media Network

Loring's nonprofit group devoted to accurate Native representations *"Tribal-State Relations," Loring's invited commentary in the 200
Maine Policy Review

Wabanaki Windows
" Loring's radio show on WERU, Blue Hill, Maine {{DEFAULTSORT:Loring, Donna 1948 births Living people American broadcasters United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War American female military personnel of the Vietnam War Chiefs of police Penobscot people People from Penobscot Indian Island Reservation University of Maine alumni Members of the Maine House of Representatives American women writers Writers from Maine Women state legislators in Maine Native American people from Maine American LGBT military personnel Female United States Army personnel Native American United States military personnel LGBT Native Americans American LGBT writers American LGBT broadcasters LGBT law enforcement workers LGBT state legislators in Maine Native American writers Native American women in warfare 20th-century American women 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans 21st-century American LGBT people 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women