BDN interviews Ranco about agreement between Penobscot Nation, UMaine
In an article on the implementation of an agreement between the Penobscot Nation and the University of Maine, the Bangor Daily News interviewed Darren Ranco, an associate professor of anthropology, the chair of Native American programs and coordinator of Native American research at UMaine. UMaine occupies traditional territory of the Penobscot Nation, and this spring the two signed a memorandum to solidify their relationship and grant access for Penobscot Nation members to the Penobscot cultural items held by the school. Actions to accomplish this include installing signs around campus with Penobscot place names in their language, cataloguing artifacts to complete an inventory that will be located on a social media site for the indigenous community, and incorporating the questions and issues important to Native people in the research conducted at the university, according to the article. These efforts will help the people of the Penobscot nation become more connected and involved, and improve the quality of indigenous student life. “At its core [the memorandum] is a reflection of the Penobscot Nation acting as a sovereign entity, as a community, as a Nation, to really be the center for our own cultural heritage,” said Ranco. “As someone who’s a member of the Penobscot Nation, I’m very invested personally in that work, and creating really positive, mutually beneficial relationships, and understanding the roles that both Native and non-Native people can have.” Progress has been made, but there is still lots of work to be done, Ranco told the BDN. Maine Public also reported on actions to move the agreement forward.