“As we celebrate our 200th year as a state, it is important to recognize that our collective history goes much further back long before statehood. Maine’s culture today is in large part the direct result of those who first hunted, farmed, fished and occupied much of the land that we call our home. Today we honor the contributions and resilience of the Indigenous peoples of Maine and examine our shared history with open eyes, open minds and open hearts, pausing in gratitude for the long-standing presence of the Wabanaki tribes in the State of Maine, and recommitting ourselves to our shared future as a place and as a people.” – Governor Janet Mills