“Wabanaki” translates as “people of the dawn land” and refers collectively to the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Micmac, Maliseet and Abenaki Tribes. For thousands of years, the Wabanaki people traveled extensively by canoe throughout what is now northern Maine. Travel was made possible using the overland portages connecting the numerous watersheds in this vast wilderness. These ancient canoe routes would later be used by explorers, lumbermen, and recreational canoeists. Changes to the land and rivers caused the Indigenous People to adapt to a different lifestyle, reducing their dependence on canoe travel. Even in the midst of great change and adaptation, the Wabanaki spiritual connection to the land and their canoeing culture still exist today.
For more information on Wabanaki culture, please visit the following sites: