Penobscot Indians

Penobscot Tribal Nation

Seal of the Penobscot Tribe of Maine
Total population
2,278 enrolled members
Regions with significant populations
Canada ( New Brunswick,  Newfoundland and Labrador,  Nova Scotia,  Prince Edward Island,  Quebec),  United States ( Maine)
Languages
English, Eastern Abenaki
Related ethnic groups
other Algonquian peoples

The Penobscot (Panawahpskek) are an indigenous people in North America with members who reside in the United States and Canada. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic provinces.

The Penobscot Nation, formerly known as the Penobscot Tribe of Maine, is the federally recognized tribe of Penobscot people in the United States. They are part of the Wabanaki Confederacy, along with the Abenaki, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi'kmaq nations, all of whom historically spoke Algonquian languages. Their main settlement is now the Penobscot Indian Island Reservation, located within the state of Maine along the Penobscot River.

The word "Penobscot" originates from a mispronunciation of their name for themselves: Penawapskewi. The word means "rocky part" or "descending ledges," and originally referred to their territory on the portion of the Penobscot River between present-day Old Town and Bangor.

The Penobscot Nation is headquartered in Indian Island, Maine. The tribal chief is Kirk Francis. The vice-chief is Bill Thompson.

Little is known about the Penobscot people pre-contact. Native peoples are thought to have inhabited Maine and surrounding areas for at least 11,000 years. They had a hunting-gathering society, with the men hunting beaver, otters, moose, bears, caribou, fish, seafood (clams, mussels, fish), birds, and possibly marine mammals such as seals. The women gathered and processed bird eggs, berries, nuts, and roots, all of which were found throughout their native lands.