The Aquinnah Circle, that rare, remote place at the extreme western tip of the Vineyard with its majestic, windswept natural land features that speak of thousands of years of natural history, has been attracting visitors since before there were paved roads up-Island. The history and culture of the area run as deep as the rich veins of clay in the landmark Gay Head Cliffs.

This week the area earned an official designation as a cultural district from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. It marks the second such designation on the Vineyard, following the creation of the Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District last year, and the first one that involves collaboration between a town and a Native American tribe.

The cultural district designation is big news for the smallest town on the Island and comes at a time of transition for both the town and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

Aquinnah is about to embark on a vision planning process for the area at the Circle following the move of the Gay Head Light that attracted national attention last year, and the acquisition by the town of more property there. Long-term plans call for creating some kind of low-key public park around the lighthouse that will be educational and welcoming to visitors. University graduate students have been engaged to assist with the planning, and workshop sessions begin next week.

The tribe too has reached its own crossroad. Plans to convert the tribal community center building to a bingo hall have been dashed, at least for now, by a federal judge who ruled strongly late last year that the tribe gave up its sovereign rights to gaming when it signed a land claims settlement agreement with the town and the state some thirty years ago. The outcome is still subject to change, as the tribe plans to appeal the ruling. Whatever happens, the case is likely to spend months if not years in the federal courts. Meanwhile, closer to home, among members of the tribe there are practical matters that demand more immediate attention, with children to educate, families to house and elders to care for. The recent vote to transfer control of the unfinished community center from the tribe’s gaming corporation back to the tribal council appears to be a step toward resettling tribal affairs and casting a new vision for the future.

The Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, working with Arts Martha’s Vineyard and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, played a lead role in the effort that led to the creation of the cultural district. The chamber is working on similar designations in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. The designation is more than symbolic in that it expands the possibilities for state assistance and grants. These efforts are to be applauded as a potential boon to tourism on the Vineyard, especially in the shoulder season months. As chamber executive director Nancy Gardella put it: “They are visitors of arts and cultures, so they leave a soft footprint; they love to come off-season; they are extremely responsible and curious.”

In focusing in recent years on casino gambling, the tribe has given less attention to other, less intrusive ways to attract tourist dollars. The cultural district designation for Aquinnah Circle could be the foundation for a whole different kind of economic development plan.