Wabanaki Marker Removal Sparks Debate on National Parks' Role in Storytelling

Interpretive signs at Acadia National Park, including one that explained the sacred significance of Cadillac Mountain to the Wabanaki people, were among approximately 30 markers removed nationwide under a Trump administration campaign to strip national parks of materials deemed disparaging to American history. The removals have led to a legal challenge and renewed debate about the role of national parks in reflecting the full spectrum of American history.

The Wabanaki Confederacy, who have inhabited the region for over 10,000 years and were the original stewards of the land that now comprises much of Acadia National Park, considered Cadillac Mountain, known to them as Wapuwoc, or "white mountain of the first light," a significant gathering place. Signs developed over years of partnership between park officials, organizations like Friends of Acadia and the Schoodic Institute, and citizens of the Wabanaki Nations, including consultation with Wabanaki elders, explained the mountain's importance, its history, and its connection to Wabanaki culture and language. These removed signs did not delve into the more difficult aspects of Wabanaki history, such as the impact of disease or the reduction of their nations.

Other signs removed from Acadia addressed topics such as climate change, noting increases in average annual precipitation. The campaign, spearheaded by the Interior Department under the previous administration, also flagged and led to the removal of signs, books, films, and exhibits nationwide that covered subjects including slavery, climate change, and the massacre of Native Americans.

Former National Park Service director Chuck Sams, one of the first Native Americans to hold such a position, stated that the attempt to "rewrite history into a single narrative" is counter to democracy and the idea of a pluralistic nation. Under the Biden administration, Sams and former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland aimed to ensure national parks reflected the experiences of all Americans.

A coalition of conservation, history, and science organizations has filed a lawsuit against the federal government to reinstate the removed Acadia signs and hundreds of other items. Todd Martin of the National Parks Conservation Association, a plaintiff in the suit, asserted that parks have a duty to "preserve and interpret American history, the good, the bad, and the ugly."

Despite the removals, Indigenous groups and park partners continue to collaborate. In Acadia, the Abbe Museum, largely overseen by Wabanaki people, hosts programs that bring Native voices into the park through music, arts, and culture. Penobscot Nation citizen Jennifer Neptune noted the emotional impact of seeing her people's stories erased, emphasizing that such removals affect not only Indigenous people but also other communities whose histories are often marginalized.

Over the past decade, efforts have been made to foster co-stewardship agreements between the National Park Service and tribes. By the end of the Biden administration, there were over 400 such agreements, with 159 within the National Park Service alone. These agreements aim to allow tribes to fulfill their obligations to protect natural resources and enable federal partners to facilitate tribal access for gathering traditional foods and medicines. Suzanne Greenlaw, a citizen of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, highlighted the significance of these co-stewardship relationships, stating they represent unprecedented collaborative efforts.

Sams expressed cautious hope for a rebuilding period for the park service under future administrations, acknowledging the historical "ebbs and flows" that Native American tribes have experienced with different administrations.