Blue Hill Heritage Trust will be hosting Dwayne Tomah, a Passamaquoddy language keeper, as part of their Wabanaki Speaker Series on Nov 6th and 7th. Dwayne is the director and curator of the Sipayik Museum and teacher of the Passamaquoddy language and culture. Dwayne is the youngest fluent speaker of the Passamaquoddy tribe and has served on the tribal council. 

His life has been dedicated to working on language and culture preservation. He has edited the Passamaquoddy dictionary and worked to create a Passamaquoddy language app. He shares native legends through song and dance. He also has worked with Animal Planet on a segment called “Winged Creatures”, highlighting the history of the thunderbird. 

Dwayne is currently working with the Library of Congress on translating the Passamaquoddy wax cylinders. He has also been involved in repatriation and the Land Back movement and shares historical truth regarding the Doctrine of Discovery from an Indigenous perspective.

Doctrine of Discovery is a contentious principle that granted Europeans the right to claim land they “discovered” as their own and then create laws to support their dominance. An example of the kinds of regulations and laws set up to strip First Nations people of power was an 1823 court decision that regulated land rights on tribal territories. Even today Native people can only “occupy” tribal land, they cannot hold title to it. Due to some graphic/mature topics in this session, it is intended for mature audiences and ages 18+.