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161 Introduction Donald Soctomah They have proven that the Atlantic Salmon has a genetic link to the rivers they return to I think that the Passamaquoddy have a genetic link to this ancient land, Land of the “Skicin” We are the stars who sing, we sing with our light. We are the birds of fire, we fly over the sky. Our light is a voice. We make a road for the spirits, for the spirits to pass over. Among us are three hunters who chase a bear. There never was a time when they were not hunting. We look down on the mountains. This is the song of the stars. —Passamaquoddy song The Passamaquoddy have always respected the ocean, rivers, and land. Many stories have evolved from this respect through the years. Along Passamaquoddy Bay, the forces of nature are shown through the power of the ocean. In Lubec you can see the ocean water in the bay flowing into the Atlantic. With this view, you can understand why the ocean hunters would stop at this point to carry their canoe around this section of water. This is the home of the world’s largest whirlpool. It’s so deep and powerful it seems as though it could take you to the center of the earth. Rocks, the shapes of creatures from the past, hold a special place in the hearts of the travelers. These rocks were where the Shamans held religious ceremonies, then inscribed messages on them for all to see. Where the Wenaukmees, legendary creatures from the past, left messages in the sand. The St. Croix River is at the center of traditional Passamaquoddy land. Its meaning is immeasurable. Life depended on the annual run of fish though the river. Spring villages were set up at the river’s outlet and its waterfalls to allow better access to fish. 162 passamaquoddy Life in the very early days was not always this simple. It changed as the environment and the features of the land changed. In order to survive, the Passamaquoddy have experienced cultural changes since the beginning of time. Traditional Passamaquoddy stories are handed down orally from generation to generation, and to me, this is more an accurate account of our past than the accounts of scientists. For me, my ancestral roots run deep here, and of that I am proud. The Passamaquoddy bravely have been battling against assimilation into the European civilization. For centuries, the destroying forces have tried to crush the soul of the Passamaquoddy. In 1931 an elder man from Indian Township said, “Passamaquoddy must be tough to survive.” Throughout Passamaquoddy history, survival was the name of the game. Even now, life expectancy is forty-eight years. Death rates far exceed those of the U.S. general population. Cultural survival starts at home. The use of Passamaquoddy language has declined. I remember an elder woman from Pleasant Point saying to the children, “You cannot think the old way of the Passamaquoddy unless you speak it.” The culture has been revived by leaders of the youth. A new era has come of a proud people, the People of the Dawn, the Passamaquoddy , the Skicin. Passamaquoddy Tribal Words of Wisdom mother earth: a native’s perspective You ask me to plow the ground. Shall I take a knife and tear my mother’s breast? Then when I die she will not take me to her bosom to rest. You ask me to dig for stone. Shall I dig under her skin for her bones? Then when I die I cannot enter her body to be born again. You ask me to cut grass and make hay and sell it and be rich like the white men. But how dare I cut off my mother’s hair? ...

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