Greetings Tribal Family,

Are you ready to powwow on our ancestral homeland? It’s going to be a beautiful homecoming. It’s been several years since we have hosted our annual powwow on tribal land and bringing it back now just feels right. Just thinking about it fills me with pride knowing that we are on the right path and that our ancestors are looking down on us today in approval.

Even as I write this I can hear the sound of the drum, feel the pulse of our dancers as they leave their mark on their homeland, and smell the fritters and fish cakes our traditional cooks will be stirring up at our 97th Annual Mashpee Wampanoag Powwow.

With the powwow returning to tribal lands, it was only fitting that this year’s powwow committee landed on “A Traditional Homecoming” as the theme. It’s truly special to return the powwow to traditional lands and a very appropriate theme.

Speaking of our 2018 Powwow Committee, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the tremendous amount of hard work they have put in over the past few months. The committee Chairman Brian Weeden, Secretary Cassie Jackson, treasurer Clayton “CJ” Oakley-Robbins, and committee members Delscena Hicks, Eleanor “Tootie” Coombs, Winona Hendricks, and Marcy Hendricks who all deserve a lot of credit for making this happen. I also want to thank tribal council powwow committee co-liasons Winona Pocknett and Winnie Johnson-Graham.

Let’s also thank our powwow princess for giving her people 100% over the past year. Chenoa Peters has represented her Tribe well at community events, powwows (including the Bermuda Powwow last month), and as a shining example of positive leadership for her youth peers. It has been a pleasure to have Chenoa as powwow princess over the past year.

Hosting our annual homecoming celebration on sovereign reservation land is truly empowering for our people. We have a sacred connection to it, which is why we are pushing hard to get legislation passed that would forever protect it.

Powwow is an opportunity to share this special connection we have with the land with the larger community. It’s my hope that many of our friends and allies will be at Powwow to learn about and celebrate our rich culture, as well as show their support for us moving into the future.

Support from our tribal members, friends and allies is always welcome. We currently have a tremendous amount of support within the federal government and on both sides of the aisle to see a permanent fix to protecting our land.

Looking forward to seeing all my relations at Powwow. Let’s show the world how Mashpee shines.

Kutâputunumuw;

Chairman Cedric Cromwell
Qaqeemasq (Running Bear)