Career
He serves as the tribal historic preservation officer for the Passamaquoddy tribe, and has written several books about Passamaquoddy history, as well as a children"s book, Remember Maine: Tomah Joseph"s Gift to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Education and Political Between 1999 and 2002, Scotomah served as a tribal representative to the Maine House of Representatives. In this capacity, he successfully introduced legislation in 2000 to change offensive names, which included more than 25 places in Maine called “Squaw Mountain.”
As Officer, Soctomah is a frequent consultant on historic and educational projects, including films, CDs, and books
He has worked on a project to inventory Passamaquoddy place names in Maine, and has also been deeply involved in Passamaquoddy language revitalization efforts.
In addition to running the Passamaquoddy tribal museum, Soctomah contributed to the Downeast Heritage Center"s second biggest exhibit in Calais, Maine, called “People of the Dawn.” Displays include replicas of local pictographs, some dating more than 3,000 years, one depicting a 17th-century sailing vessel, probably Champlain"s, which must have moored in Machias Bay within view of the artist. Soctomah contributed to the exhibit with a donation of a centuries" old wampum belt.
Maine State Legislature, "Brief History of Indian Legislative Representatives."
National Association of Officers, "About THPOs"
Soctomah, Donald, educated "Passamaquoddy." In Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Writing from Indigenous New England.
(Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2014).