June Sapiel is a Penobscot Nation member and activist from Maine. Sapiel was born and raised on the
Penobscot Indian Island Reservation
Penobscot Indian Island Reservation ( Abenaki: ''Álənαpe Mə́nəhan'') is an Indian reservation for the Penobscot Tribe of Maine, a federally recognized tribe of the Penobscot , also known as "Indian Island" and was the niece of John "Sam" Sapiel who was a well-known Indigenous activist before his passing in 2017.
Sapiel focuses most of her activism work on Indigenous rights, land and water rights and women's rights. June Sapiel has been a speaker at the 2018
National Day of Mourning (United States protest)
The National Day of Mourning is an annual demonstration, held on the fourth Thursday in November, that aims to educate the public about Native Americans in the United States, notably the Wampanoag and other tribes of the Eastern United States; ...
, the 2017 Augusta
2017 Women's March
The Women's March was a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president. It was prompted by Trump's policy positions and rhetoric, which protesters called misogynistic or otherwise threate ...
at the Maine State House, and other various events. Sapiel was a member of and speaker for the
Dakota Access Pipeline protests. She also protests to change
Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
...
to
Indigenous Peoples' Day
Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday in the United States that celebrates and honors indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an ...
.
Dakota Access Pipeline
On September 17, 2016 Sapiel was a speaker at a protest in Portland's Congress Square Park against the
Dakota Access Pipeline that brought together Penobscot Nation members and climate activists. The protest was aimed to call on President Obama to reject a $3.8 billion proposed pipeline in South Dakota.
On October 28, 2016 Sapiel's son, David Demo, was arrested for protesting the oil pipeline in North Dakota. In an interview she addressed the ongoing battle between the water rights with the state of Maine and the Penobscot people. Sapiel and other Penobscot Nation members in addition to the Bangor Social and Economic Justice Coalition prepared a candlelight vigil in Bangor, Maine as well as Portland, Maine to "stand in solidarity."
In January 2017 Sapiel helped organized a protest in Bangor, Maine outside of TD Bank demanding they withdraw funding from the Dakota Access Pipeline. Other organizations also encouraged community members to divest from TD Bank to "standing in solidarity." Sapiel also traveled several times to North Dakota to join the protests, and spoke to the press from Standing Rock in February 2017.
Indigenous Peoples Day
In addition to protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline June Sapiel has also represented Penobscot Nation to discuss replacing
Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
...
with Indigenous Peoples Day. She attended a forum with Orono, Maine councilors to express the opinion of the Penobscot people in regards to the name change. Orono town councilors voted 6-0 in favor of changing the name in the town.
In March 2019 the Maine House voted to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day statewide and is on the agenda to vote in the senate.
External links
Women's March 2017 - Augusta, MaineOh Freedom! Podcast - February, 2017Sapiel on The Beacon podcastWomen's March 2018 - Augusta, Maine
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sapiel, June
Living people
Penobscot people
Native Americans' rights activists
21st-century Native Americans
Female Native American leaders
People from Penobscot Indian Island Reservation
Native American people from Maine
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century Native American women