Sipayik remembers Majik Francis as clam garden project dedicated

The 10th anniversary since the death of 23‑year‑old Majik Francis while canoeing to find clams was commemorated at Half Moon Cove in Sipayik on Saturday, November 22, with the placement of a plaque dedicating the nearby Sipayik Community Clam Garden in Majik's honor. The occasion was marked by ceremony and solemn words shared by those who knew Majik, along with a recognition of the need to restore access to resources for the Passamaquoddy Tribe.

"Why was Majik in a canoe? He had to make a living and provide for his family and travel just to get clams, because our own resources have been depleted," said Passamaquoddy Chief Pos Bassett as he spoke to those gathered.

The clams along the shoreline of Sipayik, like those elsewhere in the Gulf of Maine, have been devastated by the influx of the invasive European green crab in recent decades. Prior to that, the installation of the causeway in the 1950s cut off Half Moon Cove from the flushing action of the bay, leading to a significant buildup of silt that clams struggle in. Another challenge to the clam population has been overfishing, which Denise Altvater spoke to. "We didn't have a fishing ordinance, and because of that, all the other towns came and took our clams."

"There is no reason in this world that this has to keep happening," Altvater said. "I don't care about the politics. I really don't. Let's care about each other. Wouldn't it be a wonderful tribute to Majik if this brought us back together?"

Majik remembered

Majik was fondly remembered by those present. "I loved seeing your son, and you could tell his heart was pure and was full of life," said Chief Bassett as he spoke to Majik's family. Bassett recalled Majik's first birthday when his father Dute hung a "huge sign" up on the retaining wall near their home. "Everyone that drove or walked by could see that it was Majik's first birthday that day."

When he was old enough, Majik became a member of the Little Eagles drumming group under Barbara Paul. "Everyone who joins picks a chant," Paul explained. "Majik picked the Turtle Song. The reason he chose the turtle is that he only has to do what he wants," she said with a chuckle. "That was his chant. He loved singing it." Paul and the Cipelahq Ehpicik, or Thunder Women, then shared the Turtle Song, with the sun breaking through the clouds as they did so.

Majik had a partner, Samara McLaughlin, and a 10‑month‑old son, Felix, when he was out looking for clams. The news that he had gone missing was extremely difficult for his family, including his mother, Cyril. "I didn't think I'd survive. I really wanted to just die. It's a pain no parent should feel." A search was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard, Maine Marine Patrol, first responders and many people from Sipayik and area communities. His body was found by divers from the tribe after four days of searching. For that period, and long after, the community rallied around the family, Cyril said. "I'm here today because of you all."

During his lifetime, Majik wanted to spread "his understanding of this way of life," said Adam Newell during the opening prayer. "We all carry his medicine in each and every one of us who got to know him personally."

Majik is not alone in being lost while searching for sustenance, with Alexander Peter Doyle Jr. also remembered by Chief Bassett during the ceremony. He died in 2008 "not too far from where Majik was lost," Bassett said, recalling him as a childhood friend. "We must restore our home. We shouldn't need to be placed in unnecessary danger just to live. Today is a wake-up call to all of us to fight to restore our home, and we must, as Passamaquoddy, as our future depends on it."

Record planting at clam garden

Apart from being dedicated to Majik, the plaque at Half Moon Cove reads: "On this day, the tribe pledges to restore Half Moon Cove by returning its life‑giving tidal connection to Passamaquoddy Bay – to heal these waters in honor of Majik's spirit, for Sipayik and all of our relations." It's a fitting tribute for the clam garden project, which, since its humble beginnings in 2021, has become the largest in the world.

The Sipayik Community Clam Garden started under the guidance of Denise Altvater and Wabanaki REACH. Bob Wood, acting for the Downeast Fisheries Partnership and Sunrise County Economic Council, successfully applied for a grant that led to five plots of 5,000 baby clams each, with each plot covered by netting for protection against green crabs. The first full annual crop of 250,000 clams was planted the following year as a joint effort of various organizations and volunteers, with Erik Francis officially appointed as steward.

Next year, the garden will see its largest planting ever with 750,000 clams seeded, Francis said. "This clam garden was inspired by Majik," Francis said. "Today, we are naming it after him."