Newly formed youth group Mashpee Wampanoag Native Environmental Ambassadors successfully drafted and presented the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribes’ first Rights of Nature passage. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council voted unanimously on the State of Emergency for the Rights of Nature of Herring at the last Tribal Council meeting in April.

Construction of a pre-contact Wampanoag homesite on tribal lands was approved by Tribal Council last month. The traditional homesite project will be funded through the ARP-AIRE grant and is being facilitated by Grant Coordinator Talia Landry.

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is hosting an event for the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women on Friday, May 5th. The event will take place from 5:30 – 8:30 PM on Powwow Grounds.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is working with a non-profit Archaeological Firm PAST Inc., based out of Storrs CT on an archaeological project; where young adults can participate in archaeological field testing. The project will allow for up to 3 young adults to participate, compensated fully for their time , mileage (reimbursable), meals, and allows for hotel accommodations near the site. 

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) – Resource Stewardship and Science –Cultural Resources – Tribal and Cultural Affairs Program and the Delaware Tribe of Indians - Lenape Delaware - Historic Preservation in Oklahoma, is organizing a Youth Cultural Resource Monitor Training Program.

Tribal veterans are to be honored this year at Big Nick’s Ride for the Fallen which is a ride that Honors the Cape Cod’s Fallen Heroes, including our very own US Army Staff Sergeant Alicia Birchett, as well as all past and present veterans.

Tribal member Bryce Fernandes has completed the RPS Offshore Protected Species Observer Training on April 4th 2023. Protected Species Observers (PSOs) are certified professionals trained in protected species monitoring and mitigation procedures.

 A blessing of the land and groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 22nd in North Truro as tribal member Annawon Weeden will be constructing a traditional wetu there at the Highland House Museum.

All Mashpee Wampanoag '23 high school and college graduates are asked to send their name, future plans, or degree information to the tribe's Education Department to be honored in the upcoming Mittark.

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is hiring a variety of positions. If you are interested in any of the listed positions, please get your applications in ASAP.

The Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project is offering multiple classes that begin in the spring of 2023 with registration deadlines quickly approaching. There will be a Beginner Workbook Class (remote), Noun Possession Workbook Class (remote), and an Animate Intransitive Workbook Class. For more information, please contact jessie little doe at jessieldbaird@gmail.com

To help mitigate the problem, the town in coalition with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has spent years planting millions of oysters in the water every year. Some oyster condos are now abandoned in the river, but others are flourishing further along the waterway in Popponesset Bay.

A monument in Mashpee will be dedicated to all 252 men and women from Mashpee who served in all our nation’s wars from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam, including the names of 21 who never returned, giving the ultimate sacrifice. It is believed that this will be the only monument in the country that will contain the actual names of Native-Americans from one town that fought and sacrificed in all of America’s wars.

Tribal member Kia Fernandes was recently hired as the new Marketing and Communication Coordinator for The Salem Pantry. Kia manages all communications from The Salem Pantry, sharing their mission across all platforms.

19-year-old Lawrence Hendricks jr. “Junie” “Swift Deer” is now a journeyman of Local 876 Laborers Union. Junie worked diligently, navigating his way through the Building Pathways South program.

The Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Committee are looking for a Mashpee Representative to join as a liaison.

Native Americans from an area settled upon more than 400 years ago by those aboard Plymouth's Mayflower ship have come to Devon to tell their stories. Members of the Wampanoag Nation are performing in the city's Theatre Royal on Sunday. A theatre spokesperson said the performance, called "We Are The Land" was an opportunity to hear previously "silenced" voices.

The tribe’s annual Herring Day Celebration took place on April 18th at the Mashpee River run. The event began with ceremony led by Medicine Man Guy Cash and tribal elder Ramona Peters. Tribal youth then grabbed their nets and were able to practice their aboriginal rights to harvest Herring on our homelands.

As the summer harvesting season approaches, it is crucial that tribal members know their aboriginal rights. Aboriginal rights are federal laws that supersede state-enforced regulations. Below is an excerpt on tribal members’ aboriginal rights both on and off-reservation.

Cultural dance classes will take place on Powwow Grounds beginning on May 7th from 3:00 PM- 5:00 PM. They will occur every Sunday excluding Sundays when a General Membership meeting is taking place. All tribal members and their families are welcome to attend. For more information, please contact Crystal Maddox.