Kutaputush! The Clan Mothers want to thank Miss Toodie, Eleanor Coombs, for recent attendance at the meetings where she shared some lessons in our Wôpanâak language. It certainly was inspiring and one of the many ways the gathering is culturally enriched.

The schedule for upcoming tribal council meetings is posted below. Meetings are open to tribal citizens to attend and are not open to the general public. Due to the ongoing pandemic, meetings may be held over zoom. Please check the tribal council meeting calendar for links, agendas, and attendance details that are posted prior to each meeting. You may also sign up to receive email notifications by sending an email to publicrelations@mwtribe-nsn.gov.

Granny Squannit last week visited Teaticket Mass for the first time in her life. She stretched screaming loud to the Owl for help. He could not help her because he was in the river taking a bath. Her brother went by cart and brought her home to” People of the First Light”. As a medicine woman, she rested in the backyard and pulled the leaves over her little legs and crooked feet.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Education Department is offering a four-day winter camp for kids between grades K and 4. The fun-filled camp will run during the public-school February Vacation from February 22-25 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM daily.

The camp is open to a limited number of students on a first-come, first-served basis that are in grades k-4. Children will enjoy a variety of fun activities including outdoor winter fun at 55 acres, archery, field trips, and many cultural activities, language games, songs, and dances.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Housing Department will host a community information session for the HUD ICDBG Shelter Plan on Thursday, February 17 at 6:00 PM. The information session will be held in person at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center and over zoom.

All Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Members are invited to attend and have their voices heard before the ICDBG Shelter Plan is submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe General Body Meeting in February will continue to be held over zoom video conference.

Please click here for details on accessing the meeting.

Two members of the Tribal Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee (TRMTC), Prairie Island Indian Community (PIIC) (located 30 miles southeast of the Twin Cities, Minnesota) and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (located in Mashpee and Taunton, Massachusetts), were featured in recent news articles highlighting their efforts to put additional lands into trust or retain reservation lands, respectively (trust lands are lands held by the federal government on behalf of or for the benefit of a Tribe or tribal members). For the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, a multi-year battle over the Tribe's reservation lands was formally decided in December 2021, when the U.S. Department of Interior issued a decision confirming the legal status of the Tribe's reservation lands. For PIIC, the Tribe is currently in the process of requesting that Congress put additional lands in trust. This additional land – 1,200 acres located 35 miles from PIIC's current location – was purchased by PIIC in 2018, and in 2019, Congress introduced the Prairie Island Indian Community Land Claim Settlement Act (H.R.4752), which sought to put the land into trust; the bill is currently awaiting further action.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is pleased to announce several new hires. These hires will help support the programs and services provided to our tribal members.

Cynthia Burke - ICWA Case Worker

Joanne Frye - Victim Services Advocate

Kayla Gomes- Human Resource Manager

Ronalda Hendricks-Charlton - Court Clerk

Cheryl Lammers - ICWA Case Worker

Vanessa Rodriques - Maintenance

Amber Tubbs - Executive Administrative Assistant

There are several open positions at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. Below are a few featured positions open at the date of publication. Please visit the Human Resource section of the Tribe’s website for a current list.

• Public Relations and Communications Specialist

• Tribal Comptroller

• Program Manager, American Indian Resiliency in Education

• Administrative Assistant

The Tribe is seeking temps to fill a variety of positions in a range of departments. If you are interested in learning more about the opportunities, please contact Human Resources Manager Kayla Gomes at 508-477-0208 ext 120 or email kayla.gomes@mwtribe-nsn.gov.

Tribal citizens that are in need of assistance are encouraged to apply today for the Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The program was first launched in 2021 and provides up to $3,000 to pay rent that is in arrears, up to $3,000 to cover moving or move-in expenses and rental payments up to $500 per month for 3 months.

The Tribe has been awarded a new grant in the amount of $80,000 to assist our elders with Covid related concerns over the next two years.

The funds which are part of the Title VI Nutritional and Caregiver grant, will allow the Lunch and Learn Nutritional Program to hire an outreach worker who can interpret health care initiatives and specifically those guidelines coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This part-time worker will be responsible for assisting our community health care workers by contacting and visiting with our elders directly to educate them and them to understand the CDC initiatives. Specifically, they will be able to help tribal elders understand and administer self-testing kits for Covid. The outreach worker will also be responsible for helping tribal elders with critical knowledge about how to prevent themselves from getting sick.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Court’s Office for Victims of Crime was awarded a tribal victim services grant in the amount of $347,415. The formula grant was announced late September and funds will enhance services for victims of crime in the community.

Christopher William Soliz, (Two Trees Dancing), son of Christopher and Kate Soliz, and grandson of tribal elders Chet and Barbara Soliz of Mashpee, has been offered early admission to Cornell University. Currently a senior at Putnam Valley High School, Chris is a member of the National Honors Society and Science Honors Society.

The Mashpee Wampanoag ICWA Department will once again host a series of Sacred Parenting workshops. Workshops will start on Monday, January 24 at 6 PM and continue through March 21. Receive $40 for each session you attend and a sacred parenting box with crafting supplies.

The program consists of 8 workshops that will help parents heal the past and move forward in strength. Attendees will work to honor one’s identity, which includes the scars of the past, share our legacy, and bring the healing process for our children while remaining connected to our own indigenous identity.

In January the Mashpee Wampanoag Health Service Unit began offering WIC. WIC is a special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) that provides foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.

Appointments will be available quarterly on the last Tuesday of each month from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. To make an appointment, call 508-771-7896 or email ccwic@healthimperatives.org.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is available for the 2021/2022 winter season. LIHEAP is designed to help eligible low-income households supplement part of their winter heating service bills.

For more information, or to pick up an application for the 2021 season please contact the Fuel Assistance Coordinator at (508) 477-0208 ext. 159. Applications are also available by clicking the button below.