Chief Silent Drum Lopez announced this month that he will be retiring after decades of service to his community.
We asked the Chief what he would be looking for in a person to step into his role. It will have to be someone who has many years of life experience he said.
“It has to be someone who is known to our people and knows about our history. Someone who has experience in our cultural ways and feels comfortable wearing traditional regalia,” he said, “and it would be good if they know about our connection to the land and hunting and fishing. And they have to know how to council people.”
Could the new chief be a woman?
“Of course,” he said, “We have had women leaders in history. It is something to think about.”
As a tribe we do have a lot to think about.
It has been nearly two years since the Clan Mothers began having discussions about raising a new chief of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. The major questions being how can it be done in a way that is as inclusive as possible, and who are the ones among us that possess the experience, skill and leadership qualities we expect from our chief?
The Clan Mothers represent the traditional aspects of the community and hope to guide the process with those principals in mind but need more input from tribal members.
With a goal to raise a chief by this coming Fall, these discussions will continue during the weekly Clan Mother gatherings that are held on Sundays at 1 pm at the Mashpee Wampanoag Museum. As the weather improves these meetings will be moved to the sacred circle on our tribal grounds. If you have thoughts or recommendations about the process or who a new chief should be please attend a meeting or relay your ideas through your Clan Mother.
