Unsettled Past, Unsettled Future: The Story of Maine Indians Neil Rolde Paperback, $20, ISBN 978-0-88448-255-0 6 x 9, 320 pages, photograph Regional History / Native Americans

". . . best study of the land claims settlement and Maine Indian politics in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. . . ."
—Maine Sunday Telegram

". . . first book . . . about the whole history of the Maine Indians . . . goes far beyond last year's casino controversy. . . ."
—York Weekly

". . . important contribution to the history of Maine Indians . . . first comprehensive treatment of the subject. . . ."
—Down East Magazine

". . . rich in anecdotes . . . emphasis on political matters throughout . . . covers the full extent of Indian history in Maine. . . ."
—Bangor Daily News

The headlines have been full of controversy over casinos, racinos, land claims settlements, and sovereign rights for Native Americans in Maine—and it's likely that we'll be talking about these complex issues for some time yet. An award-winning historian with an enjoyable narrative style, Neil Rolde puts these controversies in context by telling the larger story of Maine Indians.

Rolde explores what we know about the prehistory period in Maine, the first contact between Europeans and Indians, how wars and treaties affected tribal lands, and why Maine Indians were treated differently from many of the other tribes in the United States. You'll learn about their legends and culture, their struggles with government agents, the long fight for the right to vote, and the history of tribal representation in our legislature.

And then there's that 1790 federal law that made subsequent state treaties with Indians null and void unless ratified by Congress, and the realization in the 1970s that title to two-thirds of Maine was clouded, leading to the Maine Indian Lands Claim Settlement Act. Was it fair? Is it over?

There are many generous voices in this book, sharing their stories and hopes and fears. It's a privilege to listen to them and broaden our understanding of the issues faced by Native Americans in Maine.

A former legislator and longtime historian, Neil Rolde is the author of The Interrupted Forest: A History of Maine's Wildlands; The Baxters of Maine: Downeast Visionaries; An Illustrated History of Maine; Maine: A Narrative History; So You Think You Know Maine; and other books.