Photo: Skeezix1000 | Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA-3.0
Earlier this spring, thanks to a grant from conservation charities, the Passamaquoddy tribe was able to purchase Pine Island for $335,000 as part of a "land back" campaign for indigenous people. The land was taken from them by colonialists when Maine acquired statehood in the 1800s. Prior to that time, the tribe lived on the island for more than 10,000 years. "Our concept of land ownership is that nobody 'owns' land. Instead, we have a sacred duty to protect it. This is like finding a lost relative," Donald Soctomah, historic preservation officer for the tribe, told the Guardian.
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