MATLT sent board member Lucy Santerre to the First Light Summit on Friday, October 11, 2024 at the Penobscot Theatre in downtown Bangor. The day kicked off with a welcome song and opening prayer followed by a keynote address by Corey Hinton, Leader of the Tribal Nations Practice Group at Drummond Woodson and colleague of several current and former MATLT board members. He encouraged bipartisan engagement in Indigenous rights issues and received a standing ovation.

Attendees were then witness to a panel with members of the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship who discussed land return initiatives and progress in Wabanaki territory. Speeches concluded at the Penobscot Theatre with a presentation by Lisa Sockabasin, Co-CEO of Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness.

The group then stepped onto the sidewalk for a surprise parade led by the College of the Atlantic Drumline. The parade ended at Norumbega Park on the Kenduskeag where attendees surrounded the Burnurwurbskek Singers, a group of Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Mic Mac drummers, who performed several songs, including the national anthem of Native Americans sung across the continent. At one point, all attendees, numbering well over 100 people, participated in what the drummers called one of the largest Long Dances they’ve ever led.

Next, attendees were invited to a delicious lunch of Smoky’s BBQ at the new Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness youth and cultural center downtown. Heather Augustine charismatically introduced Corinna Gould of Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, whose ancestors lived on the lands that many know as the San Francisco Bay Area. Her tale of breaking ground on an Indigenous land back project via the creation of a land trust was inspiring. The summit also featured a beautiful performance by singer Isaac Syliboy.