The Passamaquoddy are the First Nations

First Nations

First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

 (Native American)

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 people who live in northeastern North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, primarily in Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

 and New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

.

The Passamaquoddy had a purely oral history before the arrival of Europeans, occupied coastal regions along the Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...

 and Gulf of Maine

Gulf of Maine

The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...

 and along the St. Croix River and its tributaries. They dispersed and hunted inland in the winter; in the summer, they gathered more closely together on the coast and islands, and primarily harvested seafood, including porpoise

Porpoise

Porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen...

. The name "Passamaquoddy" is an Anglicization of the Passamaquoddy word peskotomuhkati, the prenoun

Prenoun

Prenoun is the term for adjective-like prefixes that attach to nouns in Algonquian languages and the Korean Language. -Algonquian Languages:...

 form (prenouns being a linguistic feature of Algonquian languages

Algonquian languages

The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...

) of Peskotomuhkat (pestəmohkat), the name they applied to themselves. Peskotomuhkat literally means "pollock-spearer" or "those of the place where pollock are plentiful", reflecting the importance of this fish. Their method of fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

 was spear-fishing rather than angling.

The Passamaquoddy were moved off their original lands repeatedly by European settlers since the 16th century and were eventually limited in the United States to the current Indian Township Reservation

Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point Reservation

Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point Reservation, also known as Sipayik, is an Indian reservation in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 640 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

, at 45°15′57"N 67°36′43"W, in eastern Washington County, Maine

Washington County, Maine

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 32,856. Its county seat is Machias.Sometimes referred to as "Sunrise County" because it is the easternmost county in the United States, and it is often where the rising sun first shines on the 48...

. It has a land area of 96.994 km² (37.450 sq mi) and a 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 resident population of 676 persons. There are also Passamaquoddy off-reservation trust lands in five Maine counties; these lands total almost four times the size of the reservation proper. They are located in northern and western Somerset County

Somerset County, Maine

Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 52,228. Its county seat is Skowhegan.-History:...

, northern Franklin County

Franklin County, Maine

Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 30,768. Its county seat is Farmington.Franklin County was established on 9 May 1838.-Geography:...

, northeastern Hancock County

Hancock County, Maine

Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 54,418. Its county seat is Ellsworth. It was incorporated on June 25, 1789...

, western Washington County, and several locations in eastern and western Penobscot County

Penobscot County, Maine

Penobscot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. For U.S. Census statistical purposes, it is part of the Bangor, Maine, New England County Metropolitan Area . As of 2010, the population was 153,923...

. Their total land area is 373.888 km² (144.359 sq mi). There was no resident population on these trust lands as of the 2000 census. The Passamaquoddy also live in Charlotte County, New Brunswick

Charlotte County, New Brunswick

Charlotte County is located in the southwestern portion of New Brunswick, Canada.In most of the county, fishing and aquaculture dominate the local economy, although the town of St. Andrews is a tourist mecca and St...

, and maintain active land claims but have no legal status in Canada as a First Nation. Some Passamaquoddy continue to seek the return of territory now comprised in St. Andrews, New Brunswick

St. Andrews, New Brunswick

St. Andrews is a Canadian town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick.It is sometimes referred to in tourism marketing by its unofficial nickname "St. Andrews-by-the-sea".-Geography:St...

 which they claim as Qonasqamkuk, a Passamaquoddy ancestral capital and burial ground.

The Passamaquoddy population in Maine is about 2,500 people, with more than half of adults still speaking the Malecite-Passamaquoddy language

Malecite-Passamaquoddy language

Malecite–Passamaquoddy is an endangered Algonquian language spoken by the Maliseet and Passamaquoddy peoples along both sides of the border between Maine in the United States and New Brunswick, Canada. The language consists of two major dialects: Malecite, which is mainly spoken in New...

, shared (other than minor differences in dialect) with the neighboring and related Maliseet people, and which belongs to the Algonquian

Algonquian languages

The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...

 branch of the Algic

Algic languages

The Algic languages are an indigenous language family of North America. Most Algic languages belong to the Algonquian family, dispersed over a broad area from the Rocky Mountains to Atlantic Canada...

 language family. The University of Maine published a comprehensive Passamaquoddy Dictionary in 2008.

As for the Passamaquoddy population in Canada, while it is much smaller, it has a formal structure and a chief, Hugh Akagi. It is not, however, recognized by the Canadian government as constituting a first nation. The fact that Chief Akagi was able to speak for the Passamaquoddy at events marking the 400th anniversary of French settlement of St Croix Island (the first French effort at permanent settlement in the new world) indicated that they had made some progress.

Passamaquoddy Bay

Passamaquoddy Bay

Passamaquoddy Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy, between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, at the mouth of the St. Croix River. Most of the bay lies within Canada, with its western shore bounded by Washington County, Maine. The southernmost point is formed by...

, which straddles the United States-Canada border between New Brunswick and Maine, derives its name from the Passamaquoddy people.

Special political status in Maine

The Passamaquoddy, along with the neighboring Penobscot Nation, are given special political status in the U.S. state of Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

. Both groups are allowed to send a nonvoting representative to the Maine House of Representatives

Maine House of Representatives

The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state. Each voting member of the House represents around 8,450 citizens of the state...

. Although these representatives cannot vote, they may sponsor any legislation regarding Native American affairs, and may co-sponsor any other legislation. They are also entitled to serve on House committees. European settlers drastically affected the lives of the Passamaqouddy.

Notable Passamaquoddy

• Clayton Cleaves, Tribal Governor
• Mary Mitchell Gabriel, basketmaker, winner of a 1994 National Heritage Fellowship
  National Heritage Fellowship
  The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
  
  http://www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/allheritage.html
• Clara Neptune Keezer, basketmaker, winner of a 2002 National Heritage Fellowshiphttp://www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/allheritage.html
• David Moses Bridges, Master Birch-Bark Canoe Builder. Winner, 2005 First Peoples Fund, Community Spirit Award. 2007, Maine Arts Commission Traditional Arts Fellowship. http://www.passamaquoddycanoes.com
• Simon Dumont, freestyle skier
• Donald Soctomah, Tribal state representative, Tribal historic preservation officer
• Jeremy Frey, basketmaker, winner of the Best of Show award at the 53rd Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair

Maps

Maps showing the approximate locations of areas occupied by members of the Wabanaki Confederacy

Wabanaki Confederacy

The Wabanaki Confederacy, as it is known in English, is a historical confederation of five North American Algonquian language speaking Indian tribes....

 (from north to south):

External links

• Passamaquoddy Tribal Government Web Site (Pleasant Point)
• Passamaquoddy Tribal Government Web Site (Indian Township)
• Maliseet-Passamaquoddy online dictionary
• The Boston Globe Magazine, October 27, 1985 issue, article by Peter Anderson
• Contribution to Passamaquoddy Folk-Lore, by J. Walter Fewkes, reprinted from the Journal of American Folk-Lore, October-December, 1890, from Project Gutenberg
  Project Gutenberg
  Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
  
  
• Passamaquoddy Origins
• Acadian Commemorative Website