logo
How a federal monument's new welcome center in Maine honors Native Americans

How a federal monument's new welcome center in Maine honors Native Americans

ATOP LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Maine (AP) — The founder of Burt's Bees envisioned a tribute to Henry David Thoreau when she began buying thousands of acres of logging company land to donate for what would become the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
But there was a major pivot: The monument's new welcome center tells its story not from the perspective of the famed naturalist but through the eyes of the Wabanaki tribes who were the land's original inhabitants.
Roxanne Quimby's family collaborated with four tribal nations, private entities and federal officials to create the $35 million center that the National Park Service opened to the public on June 21, providing a focal point for the 87,500-acre (354 square kilometer) monument.
Dubbed 'Tekαkαpimək' (pronounced duh gah-gah bee mook), which means 'as far as the eye can see' in the Penobscot language, the contemporary wood-clad structure atop Lookout Mountain provides a stunning view of Katahdin, a mountain of key importance to Penobscot Nation, one of four Wabanaki Confederacy tribes in present-day Maine.
'It's a sacred mountain. For Penobscot people, it's really the heart of our homeland,' said Jennifer Neptune, a Penobscot who contributed artwork and written interpretations for the exhibits.
Reflecting the land's Native stewards
Philanthropic funds covered the construction costs and land purchases for the monument, which is now now maintained by the park service. Tekαkαpimək donors included L.L. Bean, Burt's Bees and the National Park Foundation, funneled through the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, along with the Quimby family. Quimby sold Burt's Bees, maker of lip balm and other products, as she turned her attention to philanthropy.
Off the grid and reachable only by unpaved roads, the center features an amphitheater and eastward lookout for sunrise ceremonies led by the Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes, known collectively as the 'people of the dawn.' The vista stretches over land the tribes traversed for thousands of years. The other side faces Katahdin, which at 5,269 feet (1,606 meters) is Maine's tallest peak.
Inside, exhibits and artwork teach visitors about birch bark canoes, ancient fishing techniques, the night sky and local wildlife, with translations in Wabanaki languages. Floor tiles reveal an intricate map of tributaries to the Penobscot River, which flows past the island home of the Penobscot reservation to the ocean.
The welcome center has opened amid President Donald Trump's campaign to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives nationwide, including by issuing an executive order aimed at 'restoring truth and sanity to American history' that prompted Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to order a review of signs, memorials and statues.
While the Trump administration's moves have created some unease, a formal management agreement between the federal government and the tribal nations involved should protect the center's focus on the Native Americans who were stewards of this land for centuries, said Quimby's son, Lucas St. Clair, who marshaled his mother's effort to have the land donated to the National Park Service.
'We can do better about teaching the real history of the United States,' and the welcome center attempts that, he said. 'It's not an insult to America. We're not trying to talk badly about America,' he said.
Pivoting the focus
When Quimby began buying the land in the 1990s, she was inspired by Thoreau's travels through the region, which included an 1857 journey led by a Penobscot guide, Joe Polis, that he chronicled in 'The Maine Woods.'
But the focus began to shift in 2014 when her son joined a group led by tribal leaders that retraced Thoreau's lengthy travels on the 150th anniversary of that book's publication. St. Clair realized there was a richer story to tell.
St. Clair began consulting with the tribes, only to be humbled two years later, after President Barack Obama's interior secretary traveled to Maine to celebrate the land's designation as a national monument. A tribal leader chided St. Clair because no tribal members were invited to speak.
The omission had revealed a cultural blind spot: 'It just felt like, oh my gosh, I missed the boat on this one,' St. Clair recounted.
Another pivotal moment came after the unveiling of the first welcome center design, which Neptune said was inspired by a New England farmhouse-style structure that once served loggers in the area.
Tribal representatives felt the design smacked of colonialism and oppression, Neptune said. Lawyers were brought in to protect tribal heritage and intellectual property, while the non-natives involved made deeper efforts to understand Wabanaki culture, and the architect collaborated with an expanded tribal advisory board on a new design evoking a moose's antlers, inspired by a story of a tribal hero.
James Francis, the Penobscot Nation's tribal historian, hopes this collaboration serves as a template for future projects involving Native Americans.
'The real achievement of this project was the connection to Maine and how it was done — bringing in the Wabanaki people and giving them a voice,' he said.
Would Thoreau approve?
Wednesdays
Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture.
Quimby said the original design was beautiful, but the discussions with tribal members were eye-opening.
'The more we went along with it, the more we realized that they could make an enormous contribution,' Quimby said.
According to the tribe, Thoreau made a major contribution to Penobscot history by documenting their place names, and once wrote in a journal that 'the Indian language reveals another wholly new life to us.'
Thoreau would approve of Quimby's steps to conserve land for future generations, said Will Shafroth, former president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, which raises money to assist the National Park Service.
'You have to believe that Thoreau would basically sit on the side of the river and thank God she and her family did this,' Shafroth said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Air traffic controllers didn't warn a B-52 bomber crew about a nearby airliner, the Air Force says
Air traffic controllers didn't warn a B-52 bomber crew about a nearby airliner, the Air Force says

Toronto Star

time5 hours ago

  • Toronto Star

Air traffic controllers didn't warn a B-52 bomber crew about a nearby airliner, the Air Force says

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Air traffic controllers at a small North Dakota airport didn't inform an Air Force bomber's crew that a commercial airliner was flying in the same area, the military said, shedding light on the nation's latest air safety scare. A SkyWest pilot performed a sharp turn, startling passengers, to avoid colliding with the B-52 bomber that he said was in his flight path as he prepared to land Friday at Minot International Airport. More from The Star & partners

The 700-year-old Prague cathedral will get a new voice as an organ is nearly installed
The 700-year-old Prague cathedral will get a new voice as an organ is nearly installed

Winnipeg Free Press

time5 hours ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

The 700-year-old Prague cathedral will get a new voice as an organ is nearly installed

PRAGUE (AP) — The installation of a new organ at Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral is nearing completion, giving the 700-year-old biggest temple in the Czech Republic a proper instrument to accompany religious services and concerts. An international team was working on a three-story scaffolding above the main entrance inside the cathedral on Tuesday to put in place some of the remaining pipes. The work is scheduled to be complete in late August, followed by the voicing and tuning of the pipes through the end of the year. The public could hear the organ's first sounds on June 15 next year, the feast of St. Vitus, officials said. The organ contains some 6,000 pipes, ranging in length 7 millimeters (0.28 inches) to 7 meters (23 feet). The four-manual instrument was build in a workshop of Gerhard Grenzing in El Papiol near Barcelona in Spain. The renowned German organ builder has constructed almost 140 organs and reconstructed more than 90 historical instruments in many countries. Once completed in Spain, the new organ was disassembled and its parts were gradually transported to Prague on trucks. The cathedral is linked to the Czech statehood. It's a place where the Czech kings were coronated and buried while the Czech crown jewels are stored inside. The funeral Mass for Vaclav Havel, the Czech Republic's first president, was celebrated in the cathedral on Dec 23, 2011. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. The previous organ was completed in the early 1930s, but turned out to be too small for its monumental space and frequently broke down. There was no interest in fixing the organ during World War II and more than 40 years of the communist rule. Effort to build a new organ started in 2017, with a crowdfunding campaign that collected more than 109 million Czech koruna, or crowns, ($5.2 million), about 98% of the sum needed.

Initial probe into South Korea's Jeju Air crash hints at pilot error, angering families
Initial probe into South Korea's Jeju Air crash hints at pilot error, angering families

Toronto Sun

time8 hours ago

  • Toronto Sun

Initial probe into South Korea's Jeju Air crash hints at pilot error, angering families

Published Jul 22, 2025 • 4 minute read Rescue team members work at the site of a plane crash at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea on Dec. 31, 2024. Photo by Ahn Young-joon / AP SEOUL, South Korea — The initial results of an investigation into December's devastating Jeju Air crash in South Korea showed that, while the plane's both engines sustained bird strikes, its pilots turned off the less-damaged one just before its crash-landing. The finding, which implied human errors, drew quick, vehement protests from bereaved families and fellow pilots who accuse authorities of trying to shift responsibility for the disaster to the dead pilots. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board initially planned to publicize the results of an investigation of the plane's engines on Saturday. But it was forced to cancel its press briefing in the face of strong protests by relatives of crash victims who were informed of the findings earlier in the day, according to government officials and bereaved families. 'If they want to say their investigation was done in a reliable, independent manner, they should have come up with evidence that backs up their explanation,' said Kim Yu-jin, head of an association of bereaved families. 'None of us resent the pilots.' The Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air landed on its belly without its land gear deployed at South Korea's southern Muan International Airport on Dec. 29. It overshoot a runaway, slammed into a concrete structure and burst into flames. It was the deadliest disaster in South Korea's aviation history in decades, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. According to a copy of an unpublished briefing report obtained by The Associated Press, a South Korean-led multilateral investigation team said it found no defects in the plane's engines built by France's Safran and GE. The report said thorough examinations of the engines found the plane's right engine suffered more serious internal damage following bird strikes as it was engulfed with big fires and black smoke. But the pilots switched off the plane's left engine, the report said citing probes on the cockpit voice recorder, the flight data recorder and the engines examinations. Officials earlier said the black boxes of the Boeing jetliner stopped recording about four minutes before the accident, complicating investigations into the cause of the disaster. The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder cited in the briefing report refers to data stored before the recording stopped. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The report didn't say why the pilots shut off the less-damaged engine and stopped short of saying whether it was an error by the pilots. Bereaved families, fellow pilots slam the probe Bereaved families and pilots at Jeju Air and other airlines lambasted the investigation findings, saying authorities must disclose the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. 'We, the 6,500 pilots at civilian airlines, can't contain our seething anger against the preposterous argument by the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board that lost neutrality,' the Korean Pilot Unions Alliance said in a statement Tuesday. Unionized pilots at Jeju Air also issued a statement urging authorities to present scientific evidence to show the plane should have landed normally if it flew with the less-damaged engine. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The latest report focused only on engine issues and didn't mention other factors that could also be blamed for the crash. Among them is the concrete structure the plane crashed into. It housed a set of antennas called localizers designed to guide aircraft safely during landings, and many analysts say it should have been made with more easily breakable materials. Some pilots say they suspect the government wouldn't want to mainly and prominently blame the localizers or bird strikes for mass deaths as the Muan airport is under direct management of the Transport Ministry. The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board and the Transport Ministry have offered no public response to the criticism. They said they also won't publicly discuss the engine investigations to respect demands by bereaved families. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A person familiar with the investigation told the AP that authorities are looking at the localizers and other issues like whether air traffic controllers relayed the danger of bird strikes to the pilots swiftly enough and what emergency training Jeju Air offered to pilots. The person, who requested anonymity citing the sensitive nature of the investigation, said authorities earlier planned to publicize the results of probes after reviewing various issues, but changed the plan and tried to release the outcome of engine investigations at the request of bereaved families. He said authorities don't intend to lay the responsibility for the disaster to the pilots. Authorities aim to publish the investigation's final results by next June, the person said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But Kwon Bo Hun, dean of Aeronautics College at the Far East University in South Korea, called the government's planned announcement 'clumsy' because it didn't disclose evidence that supported its finding on the pilots. He said it only irritated 'emotional parts of us that the investigation puts the whole blame on dead people.' A former Transport Ministry-turned-university professor reached by the AP said the engine investigation report must be 'reliable' as it's based on an analysis of cockpit voice and flight data recorders that 'don't lie.' He spoke on condition of anonymity citing the delicate nature of the issue. Read More Sunshine Girls Canada Sunshine Girls Celebrity Toronto Blue Jays

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store