1980: Maine Indians settle land claims against U.S.
President Jimmy Carter signs the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act. Maine tribes, including the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Penobscot, receive an out-of-court settlement of $81.5 million in reparation for land taken from tribes.
“I am pleased to sign into law H.R. 7919, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.
“In March of 1977, I appointed retired Georgia Supreme Court Justice William Gunter to review the land claims of the Indian tribes of Maine. Those claims, which were based on alleged violations of Federal law, had clouded the title of some two-thirds of the State of Maine, an area in which some 350,000 people reside…“I am pleased that a reasonable compromise has been reached which reflects the unique circumstances involved and avoids an extensive and damaging period of litigation.”—President Jimmy Carter, October 11, 1980
- Theme
- Federal-Tribal Relations, Land and Water, Native Rights
- Region
- Northeast
President Jimmy Carter signs H.R.7919, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act. Shown in the photo are from left: Maine Governor Joseph Brennan; Secretary of State Edmund Muskie; Secretary of the Interior Cecil Andrus; Maine Senator George Mitchell; and Terrance Polchies of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians.
Courtesy Associated Press