Federal and State Recognition

With the settlement, the Houlton Band of Maliseets obtained federal recognition and the Penobscot Indian Nation and Passamaquoddy Tribe continued to be federally recognized, while forging a new relationship with the State.  The basic principle of the settlement is that all Indians and Indian lands in Maine are subject to state laws to the same extent as other persons and lands in Maine, except that the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Penobscot Indian Nation are accorded certain rights of self-rule.

The Maliseet People in Maine who are not part of the Houlton Band and the Micmacs, who had been recognized by the State of Maine since 1973, were not federally recognized in the settlement.  As a result of the settlement, the Maine Department of Indian Affairs, which acted as an advocate and liaison with other state agencies, was abolished.   Thus, those ignored by the settlement also lost services that had been provided by the State.  It was not until late 1991 that the Aroostook Band of Micmacs finally won federal recognition.