Onward & Upward

upwardonward & ALUMNI WHO CARRY DARTMOUTH INTO THE WORLD

WHEN SAMANTHA “SAMMIE” MALTAIS ’18 JOINED HARVARD LAW SCHOOL’S CLASS OF 2024, SHE BECAME THE FIRST WAMPANOAG CITIZEN TO DO SO SINCE HARVARD’S FOUNDING. A MEMBER OF THE WAMPANOAG TRIBE OF AQUINNAH HAILING FROM HER ANCESTRAL HOMELANDS OF NOEPE—NOW CALLED MARTHA’S VINEYARD—THE 2021 WINNER OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN LAW SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP SAYS THAT HER VICTORY WAS “ON THE SHOULDERS OF SO MANY FOLKS WHO MADE SACRIFICES AND ADVOCATED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. KNOWING MY COMMUNITY WAS STANDING BEHIND ME MAKES ME EMPOWERED TO BE HERE.”

Sammie says her education is interwoven with her life experiences. “As Native students, we grow up with such a politicized identity,” she notes. “We grew up in these communities where we’ve listened to tribal leaders and activists talk about the institutional limitations we face in asserting our rights as Native peoples. I wanted a college experience surrounded by peers interested in advocating for Native communities.” The roots of her academic interests, which are deeply grounded in her Native identity, found eager soil at Dartmouth.

“Dartmouth was far and away my top choice,” she recalls, remembering her first campus visit via the Indigenous Fly-In Program. “Other Native students, the Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) faculty, and the Native American Program staff were pillars of my experience.” A double major in government and Native American studies modified with anthropology, Sammie valued the mentorship of N. Bruce Duthu ’80, Samson Occom Professor of Native American Studies. “As a leading figure in federal Indian law, he really shaped the legal foundation that I’m bringing to Harvard today. His classes gave structure to values I held deeply from being raised by a tribal leader in a tribal community.”

Sammie’s decision to modify her major with anthropology helped chart a new course for her postgraduate career. “That modification stemmed from my interest in cultural preservation, which led me to Dartmouth’s New Zealand Foreign Study Program. One of the reasons I joined the Peace Corps in the Kingdom of Tonga, a Polynesian monarchy never politically colonized, was my desire to learn about different forms of Indigeneity. The differences and similarities between our identities and communities helped shape my perspective on global Indigeneity."

When the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated her return home in March 2020, Sammie found new avenues to fight for global Indigenous rights through London-based nonprofit Survival International, where she co-led her first campaign, #MayflowersKill. “It was about centering Indigenous voices on the narrative of the Mayflower’s arrival, the beginning of settlercolonialism in the United States, and that history of erasure and romanticization.”

Building on her international experiences, she joined a second campaign, #Decolonize Conservation. “I come from a coastal community. Sea level rise will impact Indigenous folks first and foremost,” she reminds. “That campaign helped illuminate the problematic nature of a lot of conservation work—like greenwashing and the myth of net-zero—and the importance of centering Indigenous land stewardship in the fight.”

These campaigns have shed light on Sammie's future. “Working at the intersection of environmental justice to advocate for an Indigenous perspective in environmentalism—it’s where I see myself using my legal education,” she reflects. “I’m very driven by my goals, not only for my tribal community but tribal communities across Indian Country. I truly think that justice for me is a future free from the legacies of colonialism. It means tribes have the sovereignty and self-determination to combat climate change in a non-performative, impactful way. That is my motivating force.” —Gabriel Gilbert ’23