The relationship between the Penobscot people and their environment is fostered by a greater spiritual connection. The People have been there “since time immemorial” where they lived in line with the “rhythms of the seasons, fishing, hunting and gathering in their customary places along the river,” according to Butch Phillips, a Penobscot elder. Gluscabe, the “cultural hero and teacher” of the Penobscots, showed the People how to make canoes, bows and arrows for hunting, and spears and nets for fishing. Phillips says he emphasized the importance of living harmoniously with the creatures of the earth and honoring the “ancient practices of conservation of the bounty.”
For almost 200 years, industrialization has prevented the Penobscot Indian Nation from connecting with the foundation of their culture in the same way. John Banks, the current director of the Penobscot Department of Natural Resources, was quoted in 1997 on the chemical disintegration of the river and the cultural disintegration of the Penobscot ancestry: “The chain from parent to child that has served to perpetuate our cultural and spiritual traditions is being broken down because of pollution. It is causing a tremendous loss in cultural integrity in this tribe.”
Chief Kirk Francis of the Nation describes the reestablishment of the Penobscot cultural identity as the most important issue of his lifetime. Francis asserts that, “It’s the very core of our identity as a people and it’s simply the most important in the Penobscot Nation’s life.” According to Phillips, harmony within the “Sacred Circle of Life” will not be restored until the water, fish, wildlife, and plants of the Penobscot River are safe to consume and free of the damage of industrialization. The Penobscot River has been the heart of the Penobscot Indian Nation for thousands of years; they are fighting to keep their heart healthy. They are fighting to keep their heart in their own hands.
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