[Penobscot chief, Kirk Francis, speaking at the rally]
On Friday, June 30th, the First Circuit Court of Appeals sanctioned the State of Maine’s territorial taking of the Penobscot Nation’s ancestral waterways, by ruling against the Tribe in the Penobscot Nation v. Attorney General Janet Mills, case.
We will not accept this decision. We now call upon ALL of our friends to come and stand with us during this critical time, to say no to the State’s continued infringement upon Tribal rights. Their attempts to violate standing treaty rights and the Maine Claims Settlement Act, by continuing to diminish tribal rights is a shameful shadow on Maine’s history. The Attorney General’s attempts to mislead the public regarding the facts of this case are egregious. She has continuously spread falsities regarding the nature of the Tribe’s interest. It is time that her lies be dragged out into the public sphere and made clear for all to see!
The Penoscot Nation has shared these waterways freely with all of our relatives along the Penoscot River for generations. We have guarded and protected these waterway for all users for centuries. And, when the State allowed it to be contaminated, we took responsibility for cleaning it. Now, the State wants to take these waterways from us, so that they can allows industry another opportunity to desecrate these vital waters, through mountain top mining and hydro-fracking.
The Penobscot Nation has held these waters in trust for all Mainers, and we are the only ones that have taken the initiative to restore these waters to health. We now ask all Mainers to stand with us, so that we can protect these waters for future users.
There was a good article in today’s paper that explains some of the legal issues involved. I encourage everyone to read Diane Oltarzewski’s Maine Voices: Judge’s dissent in ruling on Penobscot River sets vital legal precedents.
I feel indescribably sad about the continued colonization against the Penobscot people and other Indigenous people on this continent. When will our society ever stop?
The last few days I have been working on a garden bed for two future high bush blueberry plants. This was the toughest project so far, in terms of physical stamina. I was following the guideline of Michael Phillips in the Holistic Orchard. His first step is to dig a bed one foot deep and 3-4 feet in diameter per plant, (so for me that meant about 7-8 feet long and 3-4 feet wide).
Once I had dug the hole, I came upon bittersweet roots, so then spent some time strategizing about what to do for that. I eventually decided to clip them off where they emerged, and then line the sides of the hole with cardboard. Since I was also making paths around the bed, I bent the cardboard so that it covered the path as well.
And it is a lot of work to dig out a hole, then fill it with other stuff, and then “stir” it around, which really means turn the soil over and over. I am glad I only have to do it once. So I would do what digging I could, and then stop and rest for most of the day, and return to it in the evening if I could. After the peat moss, soil, & compost mix was in, I added 2 cups elemental sulfur, 4 cups green sand, and 2 cups rock phosphate, all organic nutrients. This whole mix is meant to create the type of soil that blueberries love, with an acid leaning ph, and the nutrients they need. (You may notice that I purchased more composted manure, because we used up our big pile.)
Coming back to the Permablitz of June 24, another project that was completed that day was a fire circle. As Lisa Fernandes said, every home needs a place to burn things. So she was our team leader for the fire circle, and gathered in the layers of community for the element of fire. With a community of workers!
First they had to remove big pile of bittersweet brush (that we will eventually burn) from the spot we had chosen. Lisa and Kristen gathered together the stone blocks that would be used. (But there could have been other helpers–at that moment I was over in the garden beds.) Then they prepared the ground with a layer of sand. Our youngest permablitz members got into the sand-tamping process, as well as Lisa and Kristen.
Finally, they brought a whole pile of pine mulch for the seating area around it, and then laid some bittersweet brush and pine cones for our first fire. Permaculture is not just about a way of gardening but also about how communities care for each other. Its three principles have been summed up as earth care, people care, and future care. So having a place to gather with others is an integral part of our permaculture design.
Margy and I went to Crescent Beach late yesterday afternoon. As we were leaving, a harbor seal pup came onto the shore. What is it about our species that we so love these encounters with other species, with wild species? Is it the kinship we feel when we look into their eyes gazing back at us? Or the otherness we feel, the differences magical and intriguing?
After several minutes, they turned around and started heading back toward the water, moving slowly and steadily over the sand. As the pup reached the waves, they turned as if to say goodbye, (or maybe, “I don’t think this was where I meant to land”) and then slid right in and swam away down the beach.
With all that done, the barrels could be positioned on the concrete blocks. Then, the downspouts were cut short, and a curvy connector was attached to bring the water to the barrel.
Our efforts to enhance the fungal community in our yard are suddenly materializing in mushrooms popping up in the cherry tree circle beds. (Or at least it seems that these efforts are linked.) These came up on my birthday, and then had disappeared by the next day, to be followed by another variety altogether.
I don’t know mushrooms well enough to identify–is anyone more familiar with these than I am who might give them names?
Finding Our Way Home 