Join us for a panel discussion offering a critical examination of Maine's historical and legal relationship with the Wabanaki Nations.

Drawing on archival records—including the 1942 Maine Legislative Research Committee hearings—and landmark court decisions such as Murch v. Tomer and State v. Newell, the discussion reveals how law and policy were deliberately shaped to control, diminish, and deny Wabanaki sovereignty. Through a combination of historical narrative and legal analysis, the panel explores what the authors describe as "genocide by jurisprudence"—the use of law as a tool of dispossession—and the enduring consequences of those decisions today.

The panel brings together Chief Judge, Penobscot Nation Tribal Court, Hon. Eric M. Mehnert; Tribal Appellate Judge, Hon. Joseph G.E. Gousse, Attorney, Berman & Simmons; and Hon. Donna M. Loring, Penobscot Nation Elder and former Representative, Maine State Legislature. Each panelist brings a distinct perspective: judicial insight from the Tribal Courts, lived experience in state government, and a shared commitment to truth-telling grounded in the historical record. Together, they will examine how these "paper chains" were forged—and what it will take to break them.

Following the panel at 6:30 p.m, participants are invited to continue the conversation next door at the Abbe Museum, where the exhibit In the Shadow of the Eagle offers a powerful visual and cultural companion to the issues discussed. Co-curated by Donna Loring, in collaboration with Wabanaki scholars and artists, the exhibit explores parallel narratives of Wabanaki self-governance and the imposition of state and federal authority—bringing to life the history, resilience, and ongoing struggle for sovereignty that remain at the heart of this discussion.

Presented in partnership with the MDI Historical Society, the Abbe Museum, and the Jesup Memorial Library, and based on Donna Loring's article One Nation Under Fraud, featured in the 2026 edition of the history journal Chebacco.