INDIAN ISLAND – Runners escorting embers from a “Sacred Fire” that has been burning for 14 years arrived Saturday on Indian Island for the annual Wabanaki Confederacy Conference.

More than 40 tribes from Canada and New England are gathering for the conference, which is being held this year at the Penobscot Indian Nation reservation and officially begins Tuesday.

Traditionally, the term Wabanaki refers to the Algonquin tribes – Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Micmac and Maliseet – but other tribes have been invited to discuss issues pertinent to American Indians in the region.

“The conference is a traditional meeting of the Wabanaki tribes that goes way back,” Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis said Saturday in a telephone interview.

The Sacred Fire plays an important part in carrying on that tradition, and each morning of the conference will begin with a sunrise and fire ceremony. The conference ends Friday.

This year’s run began in Woodstock, New Brunswick, and runners escorted the embers to Indian Island. Next year, the run will begin at Indian Island and end at the next Wabanaki Conference site, which will be chosen during the conference.

One of this year’s runners was Dale Lolar, 52, of Indian Island.

“I had participated in another run prior to this and the experience was nothing short of profound,” Lolar said Saturday.

At each stop, a fire keeper is assigned to tend the embers and keep the flame burning.

“I learned a lot about myself and the history of the tribe,” Lolar said.

Each runner commits himself to a certain distance over the course of the trek and 13 runners of all ages crossed the bridge Saturday from Old Town to Indian Island, led by a police escort.

“It’s about who we are,” Lolar said. “These days it’s not so much about survival. We damned near were wiped out, and sometimes it feels like we still are battling extinction.”

For Lolar, there are many reasons that the run and the conference are important, but mainly it’s about the brotherhood of the tribes and the strength found within their relationship.

“This is special,” he said. “I like running. I run all year, but this is different.”

Not only is the conference a chance for the tribes to reconnect on a spiritual and cultural level. It also gives leaders the opportunity to discuss issues affecting all the tribes.

The focus of this year’s gathering is expected to be tribal sovereignty. But border issues for tribes that span from Maine into Canada, how to deal with rising fuel costs, and overall improvement of life for native people also are likely to be addressed, Francis said.

“It really brings people together,” Francis said of the conference. “Canadian tribes are dealing with similar issues and we really need to use that strength and this conference to allow one voice to be heard. It’s not just the Penobscot Nation that has these issues.”

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