Student Groups

The American Indian Student Association (AISO)

AISO is a community for those who are Native American or First Nations students at UMaine and/or are interested in Indigenous ways/issues. We host social gatherings and often meet in the Wabanaki Center on campus to share our knowledge of cultural games, language, stories, music, food, etc. Our goal is to bring recognized diversity to the campus and to the local area of Orono, Maine by coming together; we’ve been apart for so long.

For Fall 2017, Meetings will be in 210 Corbett Hall, in the Native American Student Lounge in the Wabanaki Center, 6PM, on Wednesday evenings. First meeting will be held on September 13th.

Please contact Dylan Smith if you have questions: dylan.j.smith at maine.edu.

The Native People’s Alliance (NPA) (previous student group)

nap logoThe Native People’s Alliance  began when Judith Josiah-Martin, of the Office of Multicultural Programs, noticed a lack of native representation among the student body. She enlisted the help of grad students, Justin Umel and Minquansis Sapiel, and undergrad student, Brianna Finnegan, to get a group going. They spread the word, and held the first meeting in November of 2009 to write a mission statement and decide on a name for the group. Shortly thereafter, officers were elected, and the group became official with student government. Since then, the group has been holding weekly meetings and holding fundraisers. They are working toward native-focused events on campus and on the Penobscot reservation in nearby Old Town, and hope to continue to grow as a group and a family.

Mission Statement:

We, as members of the Native Peoples Alliance pledge to work toward the common goals shared by our fellow members. We will work to bring people together and build a supporting community where native students and non-native students alike feel comfortable and welcomed and are able to meet other native students. We will spread the knowledge about our people, who we are, and what we represent because we’re still here. We will represent the native community on campus and the surrounding areas in a way that does justice to our people. We will work to promote diversity on campus and perpetuate unity among the natives. Above all, we will be creating a family.

Gkisedtanamoogk giving Chief Oren Lyons a Painting
Gkisedtanamoogk giving Chief Oren Lyons a Painting

Past Events:

  • Culturefest
  • Potluck Dinner Socials
  • Honoring Chief Oren Lyons
  • Alfond Cleanup
  • Indian Island Volunteering
  • Discussion Panel for the movie Smoke Signals
  • Native Appreciation Day
  • Wabanaki Potluck
  • Leadership Retreat
  • Native Socials
  • The Hope Festival
  • Maine Day