Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head

cheryl andrews-maltais

Mashpee Signs Casino Pact; Vineyard Tribe Announces Plan to Sue

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.

aquinnah community center

Tribe Moves to Convert Community Center to Bingo Hall

As the plan to build a resort-style casino in Southeastern Massachusetts continues to run into roadblocks, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) is quietly moving to complete construction work on the tribal community center in Aquinnah where it wants to open a high-stakes bingo hall.

Wampanoag Tribe Says It Will Press for Casino Rights In Federal Court

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has vowed to go to federal court if necessary to win the right to build a casino, after Gov. Deval Patrick rebuffed the tribe’s attempt to come to the negotiating table last week.

Claiming the state has the right to regulate gambling on Indian lands, an attorney for the governor wrote in a letter that the Vineyard tribe waived its sovereignty more than 20 years ago when it signed a settlement agreement. But the tribe contends that federal Indian gaming law trumps state law.

Wampanoag Tribe Lays Odds on Casino

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has designated three areas in southeastern Massachusetts for potential casino sites and scheduled referendum votes in two of those locations, inching closer to being eligible for a state gaming license.

News Update: Tuesday, March 6 - Wampanoag Tribe Makes Play for Fall River Casino

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has jumped into the casino game again and is requesting a referendum vote from the city of Fall River to operate a gaming facility there.

Fall River mayor William A. Flanagan said he received a request from the tribe’s chairman, Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, on Monday for a vote within the next 90 days.

Ms. Andrews-Maltais indicated plans for the gaming project are well underway, Mr. Flanagan said on Tuesday.

Hoover Elizabeth Native American dancer costume

Aquinnah Powwow Celebrates Long Tradition of Community

The seventh annual Aquinnah Powwow at Aquinnah Circle began Saturday at noon with the Grand Entry, a procession of dancers and drummers. Members of 10 nations were in attendance, and the powwow also honored tribal veterans and elders.

Members of the Narragansett Tribe certainly had the most representation, with Hiawatha Brown as the arena director, head dancers Christian and Leah Hopkins, Dean Stanton, who always has a remarkable style of dance, and members of the Hazard family in attendance.

Wampanoag Powwow

Wampanoag Powwow

The seventh annual Aquinnah Wampanoag Powwow is taking place this weekend, on both Saturday and Sunday, in the circle at the Cliffs. Gates open at 11 a.m. each day and the grand entry begins at noon.

Throughout the day there will be Native drumming and dancing, plus numerous vendors and food.

The cost is $10 per day for adults, or $15 for a two-day pass, and $5 per day for ages 5 to 18 or $7.50 for a two-day pass. Under age five is free.

graduation

Tiffany Smalley Makes History For Wampanoag Tribe, Harvard

Tiffany Smalley yesterday was awarded her undergraduate degree from Harvard University, and with it the distinction of being the first student from the Wampanoag nation to do so since its first Native American graduate, another Vineyarder named Caleb Cheeshateaumuck, graduated in 1665.

Culture Luncheon Series Features Wampanoag Talk

The Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living held the first in a series of five cultural luncheons, this one featuring the Contributions and Influence of the Wampanoag, on Nov. 13 at the Grill on Main in Edgartown, with a meal including traditional foods carefully selected and prepared by chef Anthony Saccoccia and his staff to represent a traditional meal of the Wampanoag.

Tables were decorated with a floral arrangement by Ellen O’Brien. Those sitting at specially marked seats each won a bouquet at the end of the day.

Tribe Spurns Offer From Cape Wind To Pay $1 Million

Martha’s Vineyard’s Indian tribe rejected a $1 million inducement to drop its objections to the proposed Cape Wind development in Nantucket Sound, in the interest of preserving a cultural tradition which some tribal members deny even exists.

The offer from Cape Wind was made during a series of meetings convened by U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in Washington in January this year. Both the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe were offered $1 million each, to be paid in installments over 20 years.

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