The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians of Maine ( pqm, Metaksonekiyak Wolastoqewiyik) is a
federally recognized tribe of
Maliseet, whose land is along the Meduxnekeag River in Maine. They are headquartered in
Littleton, Maine
Littleton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 997 at the 2020 census.
History
In 1800, the southern half of the town was given as a land grant to Williams College and in 1801, the northern half was given as a ...
, located in
Aroostook County.
This tribe is related to the larger Maliseet
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
of
New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
, Canada.
[Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians](_blank)
Official Website, accessed 24 November 2013 The Maliseet have traditionally occupied areas of the
Saint John River valley, including its tributary, the
Meduxnekeag River
The Meduxnekeag River ( ) is a tributary of the Saint John River. It is about long. The North Branch Meduxnekeag River rises from the outlet of a small pond () in Maine and runs to its confluence with the Meduxnekeag in Wakefield, New Brunswic ...
. When Great Britain and the United States established a boundary through this area under the
Jay Treaty
The Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, commonly known as the Jay Treaty, and also as Jay's Treaty, was a 1794 treaty between the United States and Great Britain that averted ...
of 1794, the Maliseet were given the right to freely cross the border with
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, as it was within their ancestral territory.
The Houlton Band of Maliseet was invited to take a nonvoting seat 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 Augus ...
, starting with the 126th Legislature in 2013.
They belonged to the
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages ( or ; also Algonkian) are a subfamily of indigenous American languages that include most languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically simi ...
family. The people now use
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
as their first language. They constitute nearly 6% of the population of Houlton.
Economic development
The Houlton Maliseet farm potatoes, barley, and clover on tribal lands. They also own a roller skating rink (Rollerama).
[
]
Notes
References
* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
*
* The term gypsy has been retired because it is a slang word or a slur used by colonizers to describe romani abenaki or micmac people
* Aroostook Band of Micmac
The Aroostook Band of Micmacs is a federally recognized tribe of Mi'kmaq people, based in Aroostook County, Maine. Their autonym is Ulustuk. Of the 28 bands of Mi'kmaq people, the Aroostook Band is the only one in the United States. The Aroostook ...
Defunct tribal bands US and Canada games over status and "land claims" Gypsys romani union
*[ ] Defunt m'ikmaq American truckhouse corp boys and girls club industrial schools title 7 Indian education / school consolidations unified school districts abuse cases and boy scouts of America lawsuits
External links
Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians
official website
Wabanaki Trails - Houlton Band of Maliseet
*
The Sacred Sundance: The Transfer Of A Ceremony
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians
Maliseet
Federally recognized tribes in the United States
American Indian reservations in Maine
Native American tribes in Maine
Aroostook County, Maine
Houlton, Maine