Penobscot Nation – or Penawahpkekeyak, “the people of the place of the white rocks” – is one of the oldest continuously operating governments in the world. Penobscot Nation protects Penobscot People, culture and territory by promoting prosperity and success for all their people through economic and cultural opportunities that maintain the highest level of integrity, and preserve the cultural values entrusted to them by their ancestors. Penobscot Nation legally owns, protects, and cares for over 128,000 acres of land in Maine (just 2.2 percent of their ancestral homeland), combining Traditional Ecological Knowledge and western science to foster the wellbeing of its animals, plants, and peoples. Penobscot Nation and Trust for Public Land are currently partnering to return nearly 30,000 more acres of land, known as Wáhsehtəkʷ, to Penobscot Nation in the near future. (Photo credit to Ally McDougal.)