Wunee keesuq Tribal family,

Last month we welcomed the new year with open arms and today we are seeing that 2020 brings new opportunities, growth and development. It is up to us to stand together and realize those opportunities and strengthen our nation as a whole…because it is only by standing together that we will rise.

There are challenges that stand in the way of our success that we will overcome. Our ancestors faced many obstacles that threatened the preservation of our people and our way of living. At times they may have looked insurmountable, but our ancestors persisted and overcame those hardships. We will continue that tradition in 2020. Passion and purpose is paramount towards our Tribal Nation’s vision, a vision of Mashpee Wampanoag People thriving with an abundance of love in each family.

As we look at the priorities for the new year, we continue to place the disease of addiction and opioids at the top of our list for good reason. Combating the opioid crisis from a place where we no longer accept vulnerability that enables our people to get caught by the unwanted disease is paramount. To do this, we are attacking it from all angles – physical, mental and spiritual – because it is a battle that we cannot afford to lose. Let us stand in alignment with our Creator’s divine alignment of being the best of the best.

Our mission is to be on time with each other, to have discernment in the decisions we make for ourselves and for each other so that we arrive on decisions on time. Our Creator has the perfect timing always; however, we must be active participants reaching towards positive and effective goals and results while lifting each other as Salt and Light of the earth.

Our core is to behave like every day is a new day and we make history every day because the day has never happened before. New possibilities, new ideas and new thoughts. We must renew our minds. We must envision where we want to be and what it looks like. We must see it to be it.

Kutâputunumuw;

Chairman Cedric Cromwell
Qaqeemasq (Running Bear)