Maine is latest state to drop Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples' Day

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Maine just became the latest state to drop Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples' Day, just days after its neighbor, Vermont, made the decision to pursue doing the same.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed the decision into law on Friday, citing the importance of better understanding the past.

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The relationship between Maine's government and the existing tribes in the state has reportedly been rocky for the last several decades. The wording of a 1980 land settlement caused different factions to interpret the agreement differently, with tribal leaders calling the settlement "fractured and broken," reports The Portland Press-Herald. Two tribes withdrew their representatives from the state legislature in 2015.

Mills, who took office in January, discussed fixing relations between the tribes and the state government as part of her gubernatorial campaign, reports the Press-Herald.

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Marianne is The Weekâ€™s Social Media Editor. She is a native Tennessean and recent graduate of Ohio University, where she studied journalism and political science. Marianne has previously written for The Daily Beast, The Crime Report, and The Moroccan Times.