On July 19, 1776, only two weeks after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the United States signed its first international treaty. The Watertown Treaty of 1776 was a treaty of alliance and friendship between the Second Continental Congress and the Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaq Nations. Come listen to Osihkiyol Crofton-Macdonald, Tribal Ambassador for the Houlton Band of Maliseets, explain the treaty's significance from the Wabanaki perspective.

This free event is co-presented with Atlantic Black Box and Patten Free Library, with funding from Maine State Library's Revolutionary Maine Commemoration Grant. Preregistration is required.

About the Speaker
Osihkiyol (Zeke) Crofton-Macdonald is a Wolastoqey person from the Houlton Band of Maliseets in Maine (Metaksonekiyik) and the Oromocto First Nation (Welamukotuk) in New Brunswick Canada. Zeke has spent his life advocating for Native rights in the United States and Canada. He is currently serving as the Tribal Ambassador for the Houlton Band of Maliseets in Maine. He serves as the President of the Wabanaki Alliance and as a Tribal Commissioner for the Houlton Band on the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission. Zeke graduated from the University of Maine in 2015 where he received degrees in History and Political Science and is attending graduate school at the University of New Brunswick where he studies History. He is working on a master’s thesis on Wabanaki Treaty History.