AP reports on MOU between UMaine, Penobscot Nation
The Associated Press reported the University of Maine and Penobscot Nation will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) May 10, formalizing their collaborations in the past decade to help manage the tribe’s cultural heritage. UMaine President Susan J. Hunter and Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis will be among leaders planning to attend a ceremony at the Hudson Museum. The agreement will impact several facets of how the university handles tribal resources, the AP reported. The university’s Anthropology Department, for example, holds collections of Penobscot archaeological artifacts, and UMaine said it will begin a collaborative cataloging process with the tribe, according to the AP. The University of Maine Press also publishes Penobscot materials through a relationship with the tribe, and the university said the tribe will hold copyright when it’s a publication’s author, the report states. U.S. News & World Report, The Seattle Times and Bangor Daily News carried the AP article.