TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot Nation

PANEL TITLE: Recognizing Sovereignty as a Stepping Stone to an Enduring Democracy

BIOGRAPHY
Donna is an elder and former council member of the Penobscot Indian Nation, she held the position of the Nation’s Representative to the Maine State Legislature for over a decade. Her legislative service ended on October 1st, 2008. She is a former Senior Advisor on Tribal Affaires to Governor Janet Mills. She hosts her own radio show, Wabanaki Windows at WERU Community Radio in Orland. She is a graduate of the University of Maine at Orono and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Maine Orono. She received a second Honorary Doctorate from Thomas College in Waterville, Maine, in May 2022.

Her professional background is in law enforcement. Donna served as the Police Chief for the Penobscot Nation from 1984-1990. She was the first woman police academy graduate to become police chief in the State of Maine. In 1992, she became the first woman Director of Security at Bowdoin College, a position she held until March 1997. Donna is a Vietnam Veteran. She served in the Women’s Army Corp in Vietnam from November of 1967 to November of 1968. She served during the TET Offensive. Donna authored and sponsored LD 291, “An Act to Require Teaching Maine Native American History and Culture in Maine’s Schools.” Governor Angus King signed the Act into law on June 14th, 2001.

The law is changing the way Maine views its history. Donna conceptualized and advocated for the first “State of the Tribes Address” in Maine History. Tribal Chiefs addressed a Joint Session of the Legislature on March 11, 2002. The event was carried live on Maine Public Television and Radio. In May of 2008 Donna’s book titled “In The Shadow of the Eagle A Tribal Representative in Maine” was published. The book is a journal of her experiences in the Maine State Legislature as a Non-voting Tribal Representative. Donna Co-Authored a documented History of Tribal State relations published by the Maine Permanent Commission titled 'One Nation Under Fraud A Remonstrance: A Historical Reference. A version of this article was published by the Maine Law Review 75.2 issue in 2023.

In March of 2009, Donna donated her legislative and personal papers to the Maine Women Writers Collection at the University of New England where they have been categorized and made available to the public and to scholars for research. On October 1, 2009, the University of New England Women Writers Collection established an annual lecture series in the name of Donna M Loring. The Donna M Loring lecture series is held annually featuring a keynote speaker on Native, Civil Rights, Environmental, or equal justice issues. On September 20th, 2011, Donna was inducted into the University of New England’s prestigious Deborah Morton Society on its fiftieth Anniversary when she joined the ranks of such women as Senators Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, author Mary Sarton, internationally known artist Dahlov Ipcar, federal attorney Paula Silsby, Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Court Leigh Saufley and former first lady Mary Hermon to name a few. Donna was recently appointed to the Abbe Museum’s Board of Trustees. She was Awarded the ‘Courage is Contagious Award’ by the University of Maine School of Law 2021 Appointed to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees to fill the first Wabanaki Permanent Seat by Governor Janet Mills.

Learn More about Donna

Downeast Magazine Article

UMAINe Alumni Profile

UPCOMING DAWNLAND FESTIVAL OF ARTS & IDEAS

Organized by the Abbe Museum, the Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas is a unique multi-day event is an evolution of our popular Abbe Museum Indian Market (AMIM) and Native American Festival that featured invitation-only Native arts markets and performances. The Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas includes those elements but will also spotlight conversations by Wabanaki and other Indigenous leaders on some of the biggest questions of our time, including climate, democracy, and food systems.

The Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas is FREE and open to the public.

This event is supported in part by grants from the Henry Luce Foundation and Maine Office of Tourism, along with a partnership from the College of the Atlantic.