INDIAN ISLAND – Drawing upon a rich cultural tradition of cleansing and renewal, newly elected members of the Penobscot Nation pledged Saturday to forge a prosperous future for their community, but not at the expense of losing their past.

In strong, defiant words, Chief Barry Dana, elected to a second term as the nation’s sagama, or leader, said he would “champion the dreams and goals of the Penobscot Nation” and not let anyone or anything hinder his nation’s progress.

Citing failures at the state and federal level to improve conditions for American Indians, Dana pressed for greater independence for the Penobscots and, with that, greater jurisdiction and responsibility for their natural resources.

“As your sagama, I stand committed to lead with integrity and to defeat any and all attempts by any person, agency or government that wishes to attack our sovereignty or compromise our integrity or pollute our river,” Dana told the several hundred people at the Sockalexis Center.

Dana urged Penobscot youths not to forget their heritage: to meditate by the water, reconnect with the mountains and “only take what you need, leave your campsite, your community, the river cleaner and better than when you found it.”

Such traditions were kept alive at the induction ceremony. A procession of elected officials and dignitaries bathed themselves in the smoke from burning tobacco, cedar, sweet grass and sage fanned into the air by two traditionally garbed men using an eagle wing and a feather.

Later, the leaders took puffs from a long pipe in a solemn ceremony, praying to the Great Spirit and their ancestors and the four geographic directions.

In a recent break from tradition, the nation allowed nonmembers to attend the induction ceremony in the hopes of their developing a better understanding of the Indian culture and traditions, said state Rep. Donna Loring, who was re-elected to represent the Penobscot Nation in the Legislature.

Dana’s words of economic independence and tradition come at a time when he and members of other tribes said they are facing increased pressures and their nations are under threat economically, socially and spiritually.

The water, land and air they rely on are increasingly becoming polluted and, while once self-sufficient, the communities and their economic well-being are still strongly tied to the outside world.

In a speech that drew a standing ovation, Dana said he envisions the Penobscots taking back what was once free and open land and opportunity.

On Indian Island, he envisions unobtrusive and nonpolluting windmills supplying electricity for the nation and a farm producing livestock and pesticide-free vegetables for the residents’ consumption.

Clean aquifers would provide residents with water to drink that could be bottled and sold on store shelves with the Penobscot name on it.

He said he dreams of the time when the Penobscots take back their reputation as the premier makers of canoes, paddles and pack baskets and once again are prominent in producing fiddleheads and maple syrup.

And in what is already proving to be a complex and controversial issue, Dana and others pressed their case for casinos in Maine.

They watch as other Indian tribes across the country prosper from casinos that allow them to establish cultural centers, improve health care facilities and provide higher education for their youth.

In Maine, much opposition has arisen over the prospects of one or more gambling casinos in the state, although a judge last week allowed backers of an Indian casino in southern Maine to go ahead with a petition to put the issue on a statewide referendum.

“We feel that if it’s done right and tailored uniquely to Maine, a resort casino could be just the right project to kindle the state’s economic fire,” Loring said.