Wampum

In our move this weekend, we missed this very sad news:

Members of Maine's Passamaquoddy Tribe mourned the traffic death of Pleasant Point Gov. Melvin Francis on Friday, remembering him as a devoted advocate and peacemaker who routinely volunteered his skills as a carpenter to help people in need.

Francis, 60, was killed Thursday night when his pickup truck collided head-on with a tanker truck on Route 9. The tribal leader, who was alone in his truck, died instantly in the accident near a bridge over the Union River, on the wilderness highway known as the Airline.

He was returning to the Pleasant Point reservation from Indian Island, where he participated in the signing of an agreement by Venezuelan-owned Citgo Petroleum Corp. to donate heating oil to four Maine tribes. That followed a meeting in Augusta with state legislators, as the tribe continues its push to legalize slot machines in Washington County.

Like most Maine Indians regardless of tribe, I have family members named "Francis". It's one of the few names which show us that we are all in fact related, despite modern inter-tribal grievances. The loss of Governor Francis will be felt throughout Maine for many years.