The first powwow to be held on Gay Head since the days of King Philip took place in that town last night, and the flavor and spirit of those ancient days was revived so far as possible when Loren
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
