Lecture Examines Maine Indigenous People and  the Boarding School Era

At www.oldberwick.org

Lecture Examines Maine Indigenous People and  the Boarding School Era

South Berwick, Maine- Old Berwick Historical Society will present an online lecture by educator John Bear Mitchell, a citizen of the Penobscot Nation, on Thursday, January 25th at 7:00pm via Zoom. Titled, The Tribes in Maine and the Boarding School Era, Mitchell will discuss how government boarding schools affected the Maine tribes and what were the repercussions.

John Bear Mitchell is a citizen of the Penobscot Nation from Indian Island in Maine. He presently serves as the University of Maine System Office Native American Waiver and Educational Program Coordinator, University of Maine’s Wabanaki Center Outreach and Student Development Coordinator, as well as, a Lecturer of Wabanaki Studies and Multicultural Studies at the University of Maine in Orono. He has served on numerous museum and educational boards throughout the state with missions based on Maine’s Wabanaki people. While working his way through college, he toured with the Native American Storytellers of New England. He presented a traditional and contemporary program in Native American Stories and Song. His singing and storytelling can be heard in many Maine PBS, tribal-sponsored awareness videos, independent film, HBO Lionsgate TV, and many documentaries with topics on Maine’s Native People.

The lecture is free and open to the public, no registration is required. The link to the lecture is posted on www.oldberwick.org. The lecture will be recorded and posted to the society’s website. The Old Berwick Historical Society’s 2024 lectures are generously sponsored by Kennebunk Savings and supported by historical society members and donors.