New Member Elected to Wampanoag Tribal Council

Jannette Vanderhoop, who was recently elected to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission after running a write-in campaign, will serve her first term as councilwoman after she is sworn in on Jan. 4.

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Aquinnah Shop Restaurant Sold for $2 Million

The Native Land Conservancy purchased the iconic cliffside restaurant and the surrounding land this week. It will hold the property until the Aquinnah Land Initiative, a new Wampanoag nonprofit, can raise funds to buy the property.

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Vineyard Tribe Applauds U.S. Interior Decision for Mashpee

The recent decision to reaffirm some 170 acres of land owned by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe as a federal trust is welcome news to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head.

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Sovereignty Under Threat, Mashpee Tribe Says
Louisa Hufstader

More than 100 people signed on for an internet videoconference with the chairman and vice chairwoman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, Cedric Cromwell and Jessie Little Doe Baird, Monday afternoon.

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Abrupt Action by Federal Government Puts Mashpee Casino Project in Jeopardy

A recent decision by the federal government to take some 300 acres of Mashpee Wampanoag land out of federal trust does not affect the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), but it speaks volumes about the political climate currently facing native peoples across the country, tribal chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais said this week

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Holiday Meal Origins Hold Some Hard Truths
Will Sennott

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, two members of the Wampanoag Tribe held a gathering on Saturday entitled The Thanksgiving Myth Busted.

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Casino Rights Argued in U.S. Court
Stephen Kurkjian

The attorney for the Wampanoag Tribe of Mashpee told a federal judge in Boston Monday that the tribe is in active negotiations with Gov. Deval Patrick over a compact that will allow it to open a casino in Taunton by 2014.

Howard M. Cooper said the Mashpee Wampanoags hoped to complete negotiations with state in less than 60 days and submit the proposed agreement to the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs for needed ratification.

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Governor Signs Casino Compact for Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
Remy Tumin

Gov. Deval Patrick signed a compact with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe on Monday, cementing a deal to grant the Mashpee tribe an exclusive casino license for southeastern Massachusetts over the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

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Aquinnah Tribe Hails Mashpee
Ian Fein

When the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe received a telephone call from U.S. Department of Interior last week, formally announcing their federal recognition as a sovereign Indian tribe, members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) looked across to the Cape with a warm heart and a jaded eye.

They had lived through a similar moment almost 20 years ago to the day, when they celebrated their status as the first federally recognized tribe in the commonwealth.

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Mashpee Signs Casino Pact; Vineyard Tribe Announces Plan to Sue
Remy Tumin

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) yesterday announced its intention to file a lawsuit against Gov. Deval Patrick, and possibly also the town of Aquinnah, to protect its right to build a casino in southeastern Massachusetts and on the Vineyard.

Scott Crowell, a Washington state attorney who represents the Vineyard Wampanoags, said yesterday the tribe will file a lawsuit on Sept. 3 in federal district court.

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