January 2019 Mittark
Plans to Develop Gooseberry Island Denied: A Win for Our Wetlands
Gooseberry Island Trust and SN Trust requested several variances in order to develop a single-family home on the 3.9-acre island, a development that the Tribe has stood firmly in opposition of. The proposed home would sit on fragile wetlands and next to the Tribe’s First Light Oyster farm.
The owners of Gooseberry Island in Popponesset Bay struck out again in December with the Zoning Board of Appeals in their bid to build a home on the island with a bridge to the mainland.
Chairman's Column
Wunee keesuq Tribal family,
It’s hard to believe that we’re ushering in a new year and we’re still petitioning the U.S. Government to recognize our full rights as a tribal nation. Last month the General Society of Mayflower Descendants recognized the hypocrisy of the situation and decided to formally put its support behind our Tribe. We’re also up to 23 co-sponsors of our bi-partisan Mashpee Wampanoag Reservation Reaffirmation Act…
Language School Design Sessions
Mukayuhsak Weekuw (The Children's House) is growing! Help us design a community plan for everything Grade 2-4 students need to know about their culture & homelands. Join WLRP for a meal, survey, and discussion series Tuesdays in January: January 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 4:30-6pm in the K-1 classroom at Mukayuhsak Weekuw (483 Great Neck Rd. S).
Contact: Jennifer Weston (jweston@wlrp.org)
Explore Additional News in this month's Nashauonk Mittark
The Mashpee Wampanoag Housing Department is pleased to announce it will once again run the “Home Rehabilitation” Lottery. The lottery awards three homeowners that are also members of a federally recognized tribe that live within the Tribe’s service area up to $15,000 to complete needed home repairs. Applications for the “Home Rehabilitation” Lottery are being accepted now through Thursday, January 31, 2019.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Education Department is offering a four-day winter camp for kids between grades 1 and 6. The fun-filled camp will run during the public school February Vacation from February 19-22 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM daily.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will accept sealed bids from qualified General Contractors for completion of a Site Feasibility Study and Architectural blueprint, for its new DHHS/CCDF-funded childcare center at Meetinghouse Road, Mashpee, Massachusetts 02649.
The Tribe’s Community Development Corporation, which continues to assess the viability of an exchange with the Air National Guard for the wastewater treatment facility on Otis, is in full support of legislation that was finalized in the Massachusetts House and Senate on Thursday, December 20. The legislation will regulate short-term housing rentals through websites like Airbnb and includes an important tax that will establish a Cape and Islands Water Protection Fund.
The Powwow Committee is currently looking for dedicated tribal members to join the committee. The Powwow Committee is responsible for organizing the Tribe’s annual homecoming, our largest event held each year. For more information about the committee, please contact Committee Chairman Brian Weeden at (774) 413-0520. Letters of interest can be sent to Francie Dottin, executive administrative assistant to the chairman, at frances.dottin@mwtribe-nsn.gov.
Descendants of the country’s earliest settlers greeted by the Wampanoag people are backing the tribe in a fight to secure about 321 acres of reservation land under threat.
The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, made up of about 30,000 lineal descendants of the Mayflower Pilgrims, announced last month that it supports legislation pending in Congress that would end a legal challenge to the tribe’s reservation and bar future lawsuits.
Come speak your Native language this January -- No language experience needed!
Date: Wednesdays & Thursdays: 8 classes (Jan. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24)
Time: 5:30-7:30pm
Location: WLRP office @ Summerfield Park (800 Falmouth Rd. Suite 307 - upstairs, enter by the blinds & kitchen storefronts)
WLRP will be hosting a community night in the Mukayuhsak Weekuw classrooms & MWT gym on Friday, January 18 from 4:30 – 6:30 PM.
For the second year in a row the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will host a Mashpee High School Varsity Boys and Varsity Girls Basketball Game. The two games will be played on Friday, January 11 at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center.
The Provincetown Community Compact is pleased to once again offer the David Bethuel Jamieson Artist Residency for people of color at C-Scape Dune Shack. Applications for all dune shack residencies are due January 15, 2019.
In the woods, on the other side of the Wakeby, on the Canaumet, a Great Pine has been asked for its life to build the Great Mashoon, as dried grasses, twigs, and sticks are piled around its base.
Honor songs and prayers are sent to the soft blowing winds, with tobacco bundles adorned, a sacred fire is lit.
Last month the USA-Region One (New England) Administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn along with Indian Program Manager Michael Stover and Grant Project Officer Kwabena Kyei-Aboagye with Mashpee Wampanoag Natural Resources Director Chuckie Green to view first hand the environmental issues that the Tribe is tackling.
Wampanoag citizens from all tribal communities are invited to an information session hosted by the Wampanoag Advisory Committee to Plymouth 400 and SmokeSygnals to learn about exhibits, events and activities being planned for the upcoming commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower upcoming in 2020. The two-part session to be held at the Mashpee Wampanoag Government Center on Saturday, January 12 from 11 am to 2 pm will invite input and seek tribal artisans to participate in an historic wampum belt project.
The Indian Education Department is bringing a six-week regalia making workshop to students attending Wareham Public Schools and their families. The workshop is open to all Native American students in K-12 Wareham Public Schools.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Education Department Career Pathways for Tribal Youth has organized a series of college tours over the next few months for high school juniors and seniors and a parent or guardian. The College tours include transportation to and from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, hotel stay and a per diem provided for the student and 1 parent/legal guardian.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is available for the 2018 winter season. LIHEAP is designed to help eligible low-income households supplement part of their winter heating service bills.
The Election Committee is seeking volunteers and monitors for the upcoming regular election on Sunday, February 10, 2019.
The Committee is also seeking a moderator for the candidates forum. The date for the forum is TBA.
If interested, please email Rita Lopez at Rita.lopez@mwtribe-nsn.gov.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Election Committee extends notice to all Enrolled Tribal Members who will turn 18 years of Age on or before Sunday, February 10, 2019, that they are required to complete a Voter Registration Form in order to vote at the general election on Sunday, February 10, 2019 (the “Election Day”).
The Education Department will hold an Open House on Friday, January 25 at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center. The open house will start at 5:00 p.m. and is for all native students from kindergarten to college and their families. There will be plenty of information to share along with food, door prizes, raffles, drumming and much more. Please save the date on your calendar and stay tuned for additional details.
List of Committee and Board Seat Openings
The Powwow Committee is currently looking for dedicated tribal members to join the committee. The Powwow Committee is responsible for organizing the Tribe’s annual homecoming, our largest event held each year. For more information about the committee, please contact Committee Chairman Brian Weeden at (774) 413-0520. Letters of interest can be sent to Francie Dottin, executive administrative assistant to the chairman, at frances.dottin@mwtribe-nsn.gov.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe currently has an open seat on its Housing Commission. The Housing Commission is tasked with policy-level goals, determinations and policy review that guide the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Housing Department.
The Election Committee is looking for several dedicated tribal members to assist with the election process. If you are interested in serving on the committee, please send a letter of interest to Francie Dottin, executive administrative assistant to the chairman, at frances.dottin@mwtribe-NSN.gov
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is looking for tribal members to serve on the Land Planning and Use Committee. This committee’s duties will consist of land use planning and land acquisition recommendations. The committee will consist of nine tribal members who will serve in two-year staggered terms. If you are interested in serving on the Land Planning and Use Committee, please send a letter of interest along with your resume/CV to Francie Dottin, executive administrative assistant to the chairman, francie.dottin@mwtribe-nsn.gov.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe currently has open seats, including three (3) 2 year terms and one (1) 3 year term on its Enrollment Committee. One of the most important responsibilities of the Enrollment Committee is to review enrollment applications. Please visit the Tribal website at https://mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/enrollment to review the Enrollment Ordinance.
If you are interested in serving as an Enrollment Committee member, please send your letter of interest to Francie Dottin, Executive Administrative Assistant to the Chairman, at Francie.Dottin@mwtribe-NSN.gov.