On September 10, 2026 at the Jesup Memorial Library, this panel discussion offers 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 revealed 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 explored "genocide by jurisprudence"—the use of law as a tool of dispossession—and the enduring consequences of those decisions today.

The panel brought 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 brought 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 examined how these "paper chains" were forged—and what it would take to break them.

Following the panel, participants were invited to continue the conversation next door at the Abbe Museum, where the exhibit “In the Shadow of the Eagle” offered a powerful visual and cultural companion to the issues discussed.

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.”