To assure that the identity of the Vineyard’s Indians, their history, culture and tribal lands will be preserved, a Wampanoag Tribal Council of Gay Head was organized on Saturday, and Mrs.
In a motion filed in U.S. District Court on April 4, attorneys for the town asked the court to clarify the scope of the court rulings that gave the tribe the right to build a gambling facility.
Members of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission met with Wampanoag tribal leaders at a private summit in Aquinnah this week to discuss fallout from the recent start of construction on a long-planned bingo hall.
Aquinnah selectmen voted Wednesday to send a letter to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), requesting a public meeting to discuss the bingo hall now under construction.
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has officially broken ground on a long-promised gambling facility in the small up-Island town, unleashing a flurry of concern.
Here is a timeline of key events in efforts by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) to offer gambling in Massachusetts:
1870 – Massachusetts incorporates the town of Gay Head over the objections of the Wampanoags.
Dec. 1974 – Tribe sues town in U.S. District Court, asserting its rights to tribal land under the 1790 Non-Intercourse Act.
Construction has begun on a large bingo hall planned by the tribe in Aquinnah — and tribal leaders have issued a stern warning to the town and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to not interfere.
