Editing Penobscot (section)

==Spirituality ==
The Penobscot have a rich history of connection to the land and all of its bounties in Maine which is apparent in their folklore and reverence towards all things. Their rich spiritual cosmology informs their efforts of preserving land and natural resources in their sacred homeland. The landscapes of Maine are extremely valuable to the survival and beliefs of the Penobscot; their namesake river is personified, and most dear to them. Annette Kolodny describes "how deeply rooted the Penobscot cosmology is within the Maine landscape; their ethic of mutual obligation to a land full of spirits, animal-people, and daunting power is fundamentally geographic, every place name helping to orient a traveler in relation to both physical space and spiritual power."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kucich |first1=John J. |title=Lost in the Maine Woods: Henry David Thoreau, Joseph Nicolar, and the Penobscot World |journal=The Concord Saunterer |date=2011 |volume=19/20 |pages=22–52 |jstor=23395210 }}</ref>

Their reverence is also based on their cosmology starting with their origin story where Klose-kur-beh ([[Glooscap|Gluskbe]]) is the central character. Klose-kur-beh provides the Penobscot with "spiritual knowledge" and "practical knowledge (like how to construct a canoe)" as well instilling their "ethical precepts through" twelve 'episodes' which instill the importance of each unique value.<ref name="Kolodny 2007 1–23">{{cite journal |last1=Kolodny |first1=Annette |title=Rethinking the 'Ecological Indian': A Penobscot Precursor |journal=Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment |date=2007 |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=1–23 |doi=10.1093/isle/14.1.1 |jstor=44086555 }}</ref> Klose-kur-beh provides humans and animals with practical skills needed to thrive in the unforgiving climate of the North East and punishes those who operated outside of his code. Since Klose-kur-beh dates back to creation, according to Penobscot cosmology he was aware of other races and warned of the arrival of the white man, "What makes the white man dangerous is the lethal combination of his greed ('he [. . .] wanted the whole earth') and his lust for power ('he wants the power over all the earth'). That combination leads him to 'reach forth his hand to grasp all things for his comfort' and, in the process, virtually destroy the world".<ref name="Kolodny 2007 1–23"/> This warning from such a prominent figurehead in Penobscot beliefs highlights that they upheld the values of preservation and protection of Maine's land and ecological resources.

The French missionaries converted many Penobscot people to [[Christianity]]. In the 21st century, some members practice traditional spirituality; others on Indian Island are Catholic or Protestant.<ref name="wmm" />