Kennebec Messalonske Trails acknowledges that the lands that these trails wind through- in Waterville, Oakland, Fairfield, Benton and Winslow– are part of the homeland of the Wabanaki Confederacy of the Dawnland, which includes the following nations:
Abenaki, Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot.
Thousands of years before European settlement, the first nation peoples of Maine stewarded the rivers, forests and ecosystems of this beautiful land. The trails we now walk on hold stories, knowledge and deep histories and practices that are still alive in the indigenous communities today.
We also acknowledge the deep harm of colonization, which includes the forced displacement of indigenous peoples, suppression of their language and culture, and the erasure of their sovereignty. Here in central Maine, the Abenaki Nation, whose homelands include Waterville and the Kennebec river valley, remain unrecognized by the Federal US government despite the Abenaki people’s continued presence, culture, and resilience.
We affirm that the Wabanaki are not only part of the rich past of this area, but are a vibrant community of the present and future. As an organization, KMT commits to learning from and working with the tribes of the Wabanaki confederacy to honor these lands with respect, reciprocity and care.