Downeast Maine is a place and a people shaped by water , bedrock , and climate since the Laurentide Ice Glaciers melted away some 10,000 to 14,000 years ago . The resulting landscape , seascape , and climate have provided plentiful resources for humans to thrive for at least 10,000 years .
Despite several hundred years of substantial change , Wabanaki people remain connected with their culture and continue traditions within their schools , cultural centers , and communities .
This hard , generous , enduring , resilient , and breathtakingly beautiful place has fundamentally shaped the lifestyles , industries , pastimes , beliefs and behaviors , and the way people interact with each other and with the natural splendor around them .
The rich history of this region ’ s role in the nation ’ s formation remains visible because of the uniquely unspoiled character of Downeast Maine , and the lightly developed open views of rivers , coastline , lakes , forests , and wild blueberry barrens . The coastline and inland waterways that provided travel routes for the Wabanaki and enabled European exploration remain navigable and abundant with wildlife . Landscape features that were key to mapping the eastern part of the nation are intact today .
Downeast Maine remained a battleground between European powers for roughly 150 years leading up to the American Revolution . Battles that defined the outcome of the Revolution and the geographic boundaries of the United States were fought here , including the first naval battle of the American Revolution . Passamaquoddy , one of the Wabanaki tribes , and European descendants of those who fought in this and other defining battles of the American Revolution live here today .
Indian Days Celebration - Despite several hundred years of substantial change , Wabanaki people remain connected with their culture and continue traditions within their schools , cultural centers , and communities . The Wabanaki communities are among the few Indigenous groups on the eastern seaboard who have kept their Indigenous languages intact . The languages spoken in the Wabanaki communities are Passamaquoddy-Maliseet , Mi ’ kmaq , and Penobscot .
The St . Croix River flows through the middle of the Wabanaki ancestral homeland which they have occupied for at least 10,000 years . The St . Croix eventually became the international
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