Vera Francis

Vera Francis

Life and Career

Vera J. Francis is a Passamaquoddy educator, environmental activist and performance artist rooted in Wabanaki traditional storytelling. She resides in Perry, Maine, on the Pleasant Point (Sipayik) Reservation. Francis writes and speaks frequently about environmental issues and tribal politics in newspapers, at conferences, and on websites.  On April 19, 2013, she was interviewed by Parker Cavallaro (UNH '13) for this article.

As part of the nonprofit Ntulankeyutmonen Nkitahkomikon—NN “We Take Care of Our Land”, Francis has advocated for the environmental preservation of Pleasant Point-Passamaquoddy ancestral territory. Because Passamaquoddy ancestral homeland is now divided by the U.S.-Canadian border along the St. Croix river, Francis has been involved with legal proceedings concerning both  federal governments, including litigation between the Bureau of Indian Affairs, members of the Passamaquoddy-Pleasant Point (Sipayik) Reservation, and various energy companies seeking leases for land in trust. In addition to work with NN, Francis’s second activist group, The Schoodic Riverkeepers, has dedicated its work to more recent issues involving the St. Croix River alewife (a migratory species of herring) and glass eel. The group has called for these two species to be restored through measures such as unrestricted spawning runs, traditional resource management such as catch limiting, and increased support for an indigenous economy through export of fish products ("Vera Francis-Personal Interview").

Part 1: The Story of A Fish

A History of Turmoil

For over 600 generations of Passamaquoddy ancestry, the St. Croix River alewife (Siqonomeq in the Maliseet language) has traveled from the brackish tidal waters of Passamaquoddy Bay to upstream spawning grounds in the river's 1,650 square mile watershed ("8.0 St. Croix River Basin" 1-2). With eight independent tributary streams and lakes, the St. Croix River basin provides the freshwater environment necessary for the alewives' annual run. Today, things have changed for the migratory fish. Alewives will travel 35 miles inland through the lower branch of the river, as they always have. They will reach the town of Baileyville, Maine, as they always have. And, since 2008, they will be allowed by the Canadian government to pass through the Milltown Dam, which is used for hydroelectric power generation ("St. Croix Alewife Pt. 2").

The fish will then travel to Woodland Dam where, since 1998, alewives have been permitted by the state of Maine to pass further upstream. This brings the fish to Grand Falls, where their journey ends. For just over 17 years, the alewives have finished their run at the Grand Falls Dam, where they are left to spawn in tributary lakes and streams below this point ("The Alewifes Argument" 1). International opposition has kept them here, and, until recently, it was uncertain if the fish would ever go further.

Alewife and The Maine Economy

Sport fishermen see the alewife as a pest since the mature fish are able to feed on the fry of a much more coveted species, the small mouth bass. While bass str renowned as the prize of fisherman around the word, for the Passamaquoddy this marine trophy has overshadowed the ecological and cultural significance of the St. Croix alewife. The economy of Maine's sport fishing industry, along with the continuing need for hydroelectric power along the river, have cut off the remainder of the alewives'  territory ("St. Croix Alewife Pt. 2"). As a result, roughly half of Passamaquoddy ancestral territory receives no yearly spawn. Furthermore, the alewives's current run is cut off from nearly 98% of tributary area by square mileage. Thus, the tribe has not received any natural supply of alewife to upper tributaries in almost a quarter of a century ("Vera Francis-Personal Interview"). Shortly, though, everything will change.

Part 2: The Story of A Woman

Maintaining the Right to Fish

In addition to her efforts with land preservation and legal activism with NN, Francis is a founding member of a second Passamaquoddy activist organization known as the Schoodic Riverkeepers. Advocating for the tribe's traditional fishing rights, the organization focuses exclusively on alewife and river restoration, and has called on the U.S./Canadian International Joint Commission to restore the alewife's original territory. The Passamaquoddy believe strongly that the alewife is bestowed the natural and spiritual right to regenerate in its original scale (Toensing 1). Chief Hugh Agaki of the Passamaquoddy tribe at St. Andrews, New Brunswick, comments on this naturalistic philosophy:

"What’s happened to the Alewives is a reflection of what’s happened to ourselves, in terms of an indigenous species being displaced from our natural territory..." (Passamaquoddy Push for Restoration of Alewife..." 1)

To say that the alewife is tied to the Passamaquoddies' livelihood would be an understatement. The alewife, much like the glass eel, is a culturally-embedded species. The two species were once among three other searun fish in the St. Croix. Now that the Atlantic Salmon, Shad, and Blueback Herring are gone, these two fish are all the tribe has left ("St. Croix Alewife Pt. 2").

Ecological Activism that Preserves Tradition

Vera Francis sits in front of her shoreline camp on Schoodic Lake. The sun has just dipped below the horizon, and it is dusk when my call reaches her. She is fishing for glass eels--not a breed, but an age where the juvenile eel is transparent, giving its body an almost crystal-like appearance. "We're paying attention to what's going on," Vera mentions in reference to current state legislation.

The legislation in question is Maine House Bill L.D. 451, unanimously reccommended for a house vote by Maine's Marine Resources Committee and signed by the governor on March 21st, 2013. Because of L.D. 451, Vera is considered non-licensed by the state of Maine because she is above an imposed license limit, capped at 200 for the Passamaquoddy.

I discover that Vera is actually fishing for glass eels in protest, (her licence number would be 341 if not for such strict regulations). In the state's eyes, she is not supposed to be doing what she is doing--and may even be asked to leave. In the eyes of her ancestors, she is doing what she is meant to do, and what her tribe has done for thousands of years. How, then, is the debate settled, when modernity and resource management clash with the intrinsic right to preserve one's way of life?

Vera explains to me that this "debate" need not exist. "We are fishing through a sustainable management plan that is focused on what comes out of the water." The Passamaquoddy's solution to the ecological fragility of the glass eel is quite literally a matter of numbers.

Rather than managing the species through access to fishing licenses alone, the juvenile eel is preserved by measuring how many are caught. When tribal members reach their catch limit, they simply stop fishing. This practice is in direct contrast to the state's approach on glass eel fishing where year by year, eel licenses have been tightened in their availability. L.D. 451 only worstens the prospect for legal traditional fishing. For regular eel harvesters, scant licensure is merely an inconvenience. For the Passamaquoddy, the glass eel (often fetching up to two thousand dollars per pound) is not just essential but financially critical ("Feds to Stay out of Maine Glass Eel Dispute" 1).

It's not just about the fish. Vera reminds me that the glass eel and alewife demand specific fishing practices. One must learn how to craft a seine for the eel, how to rig it in the water, and how to know when to stop fishing. These practices maintain the tradition of practical knowledge and skill that has always been a part of Passamaquoddy life. By continuing to fish for alewife and glass eel, the Passamaquoddy have also created an economy that supports industry outside of the tribe. Alewife is a good baitfish: catches are used by fish processing plants to create fish meal for lobstering, and are shipped off to distributors for commercial bait supply. When manufacturers, fish processors, and fisherman use the alewife, or when glass eels are purchased for eating, these subsequent economies perpetuate the traditional practices of the Passamaquoddy and ensure their future with a traditional marine subsistence ("Vera Francis-Personal Interview"). Francis explains why these indigenous fishing rights are so critical: "If you can't fully access the environment to participate in the traditional activity, you cannot acquire a traditional economy. You won't be able to acquire the knowledge or new knowledge that is required to sustain a traditional economy."

Looking Towards the Future

If the Passamaquoddy are to maintain this traditional economy, they must continue their advocacy for the resources that allow them to do so. Still, the frantic pace of modern progress will continue to conflict with the ecological necessity of tribal members. The impact of development along the St. Croix will push relentlessly forward--but so too will the Passamaquoddy. Francis's commitment to preserving the glass eel is illustrative of her continuing commitment to her own ancestral territory. The alewife will soon see waters that have not been seen in decades. The glass eel may finally receive the responsible fishing management needed to ensure its future as well. These are the triumphs that define Vera Francis, and define the Passamaquoddy as a resilient, adaptive, and resourceful people.

In an ongoing effort to inform scholarly communities, Vera is published in the March 2012 issue of Yemaya, a journal for gender and fisheries published by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF). In her article, Francis reminds readers how the perception of progress from the colonial perspective is often seen as a detriment to indigenous communities and their ecological resources (Francis 2-3).

*This article began as a biographical entry for Wikipedia.  Thanks to Vera Francis for her interview, and for her feedback on both the Wikipedia article and this one.

References

“The Alewives Argument". The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.

Alewife St. Croix Part 2. Dir. Ed Bassett. 2010. Digital Media.

“Feds to Stay Out of Maine Glass Eel Dispute.” Sun Journal. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.

Francis, Vera J. "Exercising Sovereignty on the Sea." Yemaya 39 (2012): 2-3. Print.

“Legislators Pass Bill to Reopen River to Alewives." The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.

Toensing, Gale C. "Passamaquoddy Nation Seeks to Free Alewives on St. Croix River - ICTMN.com." Indian Country Today Media Network.com. Indian Country Today, 11 July 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.

"Vera Francis-Personal Interview." Telephone interview. 19 Apr. 2013.

Walsh, Tom. "Passamaquoddy Push for Restoration of Alewife Spawning Grounds."Passamaquoddy Push for Restoration of Alewife Spawning Grounds. Bangor Daily News, 10 June 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.

"8.0 St. Croix River Basin (Eastern Maine Coastal)." Maine.gov. N.p., Oct. 2007. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.

2013

Parker Cavallaro, UNH '13

English

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