2024-25 Academic Theme: Indigeneity
The Annual Academic Theme: An Introduction
Since its inception in 1994, the University of Maine at Augusta theme has brought our communities together for numerous activities and programs. Beginning in 2006, an annual colloquium of faculty members has chosen the theme and a corresponding reading to share with other faculty, students, staff, and the larger community. We feature discussions in and outside of our classes and organize events in order to promote larger conversations about the theme. These events have provided a platform for multiple voices to be heard on such significant topics as health and social justice, immigration, and bioethics.
The UMA Colloquium is pleased to announce that the 2024-25 Academic Theme is Indigeneity.
This year’s academic theme centers around the concept of indigeneity. Derived from the Latin word indigena, meaning “sprung from the land, native” the term indigeneity typically refers to the cultures and peoples hailing from a particular area of origin, and more specifically, the original inhabitants of a geographical area.
The indigenous cultures in Maine are of the Wabanaki Nations,—or the “People of the Dawnland”—comprised of four federally recognized tribes: Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, Penobscot Nation, and the Passamaquoddy Tribe (the Passamaquoddy Tribe includes the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk and the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik). They began to gain federal recognition in 1975 with the Mi’kmaq Nation finally achieving federal recognition in 1991. The Wabanaki Nations in Maine and their rich cultures, histories, languages, arts, music, and storytelling practices have existed long before the state of Maine, long before colonizers arrived on these shores. Citizens of the Wabanaki Nations have made substantive contributions to our country and to our state since it entered the Union officially in 1820, despite the challenges that have been brought to bear through our interaction. In more recent years, the state of Maine and the University of Maine System have attempted to begin the process of making amends for many historical oppressions, —including warfare, famine, disease, relocation from their lands, broken treaties, and tribal-state disputes—but this work has yet to be fully achieved and is far from complete. In fact, Wabanaki Nations in Maine currently have a more restrictive status than the other 570 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. While most of the Indigenous Peoples in Maine are citizens of the Wabanaki Nations, the territory that the state of Maine occupies also includes citizens of several other indigenous cultures from around the United States and the world.
Given this historical context and our current state of relations with the Wabanaki Nations in Maine, this year’s academic theme should evoke many opportunities for critical discussion and reflection. What happens when cultures come into contact under conditions of oppression? Who writes the stories and produces knowledge concerning historical and present-day interactions? Would others write them the same way? What happens if a culture or way of life you led was fundamentally changed or lost? What if our home and our land was taken away from us? How can we learn more about the lived experiences of citizens of the Wabanaki Nations in our area? How do we heal? How do we engender mutual respect? These are not the only questions to consider, but are a decent starting point.
The Colloquium Committee looks forward to working with the faculty, staff, and students, for a productive academic theme for the year.
The Academic Theme is addressed at Convocation in the fall and then through the spring INT/HON seminar, culminating at the UMA Student Research Conference in April.
Another component of this year’s academic theme is the adoption of a single theme-related book by a number of classes across the curriculum: Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty.
Thanks to all the faculty colloquium participants this year:
Matt Dube (co-chair), Lorien Lake-Corral (co-chair)
Leigh Alley, Phillip Buckley, Cindy Dean, Greg Fahy, Les French, Vickie Ireland, Anne Jordan, Michelle Lisi, Ruth Lyons, Donna Maher, Sharon Sawyer, Tim Surrette, & Rebecca White