Community Raises Earl “Swift Eagle” Mills Jr. as Chief

On Saturday, May 6th our community came together to raise a new Chief following the passing of Chief Vernon “Silent Dum” Lopez. The ceremony, which took place within our Sacred Circle on 55 Acres, was a beautiful example of Mashpee Wampanoag culture, tradition, and community. The consensus resulted in the raising of Earl “Chiefie” Mills Jr. as a new Chief of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and Vernon “Buddy” Pocknett as a new Sagamore. Chiefie, or Chief Swift Eagle, is the son of Chief Earl Mills Sr. and Shirley Mills. Sagamore Pocknett is the son of the late Chief Vernon “Sly Fox” Pocknett and Bernadine Pocknett.

I sat down with Chiefie one afternoon to discuss his feelings about the ceremony. He stated that he felt pleased with the outcome given that the community was able to come together as one, which he expressed is “the traditional way in which we come to a consensus”. He simply wanted the people to stand in support of whoever they felt was best fit, whether that ended up being him or not, because the position of Chief was not one that he actively sought out.

This is the traditional way of Wampanoag people when being considered as a new Chief; It is not a position that the individual would seek for themselves. Instead, they can choose to accept or deny consideration when asked by a community member and then see if they are ultimately chosen by the people at the raising ceremony. Given that the position is lifelong unless revoked, it takes a level of dedication to one’s community to be willing to accept it. According to Earl, the title of Chief is a “burden to wear” because of its inherent demands, but it is one that he now proudly carries.

According to Chiefie, the role of the Chief, or Sôtyum, is to act as a point person who leads the community based on what they say their needs are. The role of Chief is not that of a dictatorship, but rather he or she serves as a leader and representative on behalf of all the people. This applies to the role of a Sagamore, or sub-chief, as well. Traditionally the tribe has always had multiple Chiefs, Cheifie can recall multiple within his lifetime alone, and they serve in that capacity for the entirety of their life.

Being raised as the son of a Chief has helped to prepare Chiefie to fulfil this role. He recalls being a young child with attentive ears as he listened to elders at tribal council meetings discussing issues that were important at the time. Many of those issues remain the same today, and he feels it is important not to forget those topics as we move forward. His father, Chief Earl Mills Sr., remains as a pillar of knowledge that Chiefie can seek council from when needed. He lightheartedly talked about the way of our Mashpee elders within his father’s generation, and how, if something needs correcting, they are not known to hold their tongue.

One of our longest standing struggles as Wampanoag people revolves around land rights issues. Chiefie has seen this first-hand, remarking that “Our people need land not only to live upon, but to be able to practice our ways … We can’t hunt without land where there is game, we can’t fish without clean waters for which to gather the fish, we can’t have ceremonies without all these things.”

Chiefie plans to be an active Tribal Council member when it comes to matters of importance like these for our community. The Chief and Medicine Man are the only two council members who do not have required attendance at Tribal Council meetings. However, for Chiefie he feels that the people put him in this position for a reason, and he plans to represent the people in that way when high priority issues are present at the council table.

When asked if he had a message to share with the community, Swift Eagle stated:

“I want to move with the tribe into the future, but I want that future to be rooted in the traditions of our ancestors to the extent that we are able to do that. While there are some things we have lost, we’re looking to the spirits of our relatives to guide us to regain the important things both culturally, and spiritually to help the people into the future.”

Kutâputush Chief Swift Eagle for your dedication to our tribal people and your willingness to serve in this position. We appreciate all that you have done and will continue to do on behalf of our people.

By Dasia Peters