Our fight for federal recognition

In the early 1970s, some Maliseets and members of other tribes not living on recognized reservations banded together to form the Association of Aroostook Indians. After the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians earned federal recognition, members of the Maliseet tribe could access various federal and state programs.

Tribal members can take advantage of health care services through Indian Health Services (IHS), as well as housing services through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Our native tribe is authorized to govern its own affairs.

Connect with your heritage

Before contact with Europeans, Maliseet Indians occupied much of what is now considered the eastern border between the U.S. and Canada in northern New England. Following the Jay Treaty in 1794, the Maliseets obtained free border crossing rights between the two countries.

Points of interest within Maliseet Tribal Lands include the…

  • Meduxnekeag River, where our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived and fished for brook and brown trout.
  • Tribal administration office in Littleton, ME, which houses the Vocational Rehabilitation, Natural Resources, Economic Development, Tribal Planning and Education departments, as well as the Boys and Girls Club.
  • Health and wellness center in Houlton, ME, which provides a wide range of health care services to tribal members of all ages.


 

 

Contact us today to learn more about our tribal practices, traditions and history.