MAINE, USA — For the first time in more than two decades, tribal chiefs in Maine addressed the entire Legislature for a State of the Tribes address.
Leaders of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi'kmaq Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik, and the Penobscot Nation were enthusiastically welcomed by lawmakers in a joint session.
At the address, all spoke of their desire to have sovereignty and self-government returned to the tribes by making significant changes to the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement of 1980 passed by the Legislature then.
Political Brew analysts Phil Harriman and Ethan Strimling said it was good to have the chiefs again be invited to address lawmakers.
The two analysts noted the State of the Tribes speeches come as the tribes and lawmakers try once again to agree on those changes to the current law, which were approved by the Legislature last year but opposed by Gov. Mills, although the bill never reached her desk.
"It's so important [for] Native Americans [and] native Mainers who have a seat in Legislature [to be heard]," Harriman said. "Going back to [the] 1980 Land Claims Settlement, there was a language that created the way they are governed today, and going back to revisit that is a complicated discussion."
Strimling said the issue has "been a long time coming" and criticized Gov. Mills for not attending the speeches.
"I'm very disappointed Gov. Mills was not there. It was a bad misstep for her not to be there or not send anyone and keep this at an arms-length distance."
The governor's press office told NEWS CENTER Maine that Mills had a prior commitment that prevented her from attending the speeches, though the nature of the promise was not disclosed.
Chiefs of the tribes said the governor had offered to meet with them before the speeches, but that did not match the schedules of some of the leaders. Both sides said they would be looking for another chance to meet.
Harriman and Strimling also discussed a request from Sen. Susan Collis to the federal government to contact the City of Portland before federal officials send more asylum seekers from the southern border to the city.
Harriman said he supports the idea, noting that the increasing numbers of asylum seekers needing assistance have been straining Portland's ability to handle them.
"When someone impacts the community that much, let's go to City Hall, have discussions, and vote. None of that happened; it was more of opening [ing] up the bus door and welcoming [ing] these people. It put a strain on resources we didn't anticipate, and now we have a challenge on our hands," Harriman said.
Strimling said restricting people isn't the answer.
"Let's be clear, there is [a] strain because we aren't doing enough to provide housing for these people. That's the fundamental issue, and they're strained because the federal government doesn't allow asylees to work from the moment they get here."
Strimling also said Sen. Collins should do more to get that law changed, which she is already trying to do, and should work harder to provide more money to create new housing.
The two analysts said the incident with the Russian fighter jet harassing and then allegedly hitting a U.S. drone over the Black Sea is serious. Still, both said the U.S. response needs to be measured because of the risk of a more significant conflict with Russia.
"We have to stay very vigilant," Strimling said. "Putin is a hazardous man."
The two analysts reacted differently to the word last week that China is developing much closer relations with Saudi Arabia, even as Saudi Arabian leaders appear less friendly to the United States.
"No question we should be concerned," Harriman said. "If Saudi Arabia decides to flow more of its oil to China and less to us, that puts the U.S. in a more precarious situation, which might be an indication [of] why the Biden Administration let a lease in Alaska happen to drill for energy."
Harriman said that move by President Joe Biden to approve the Willow Project might well be to send a message to the Saudi Arabians.
Strimling, however, said the moves by China and the Saudi Arabians point out the need for the U.S. to take more decisive steps to get away from foreign fossil fuels.
"Energy independence is important, but the ultimate answer to all of this is renewable energy, so we don't have to rely on anyone else; we can rely on on the sun and wind and tide to make sure we can run our country in a way that protects the planet and gives us the kind of energy we need," Strimling said.
Political Brew airs Sundays on NEWS CENTER Maine's The Weekend Morning Report.