Wunee keesuq Tribal family,

Native American indigenous rights are being attacked and our tribe is on the front line. The injustice that we see today, right here in Mashpee, will have a cascading effect that would threaten the sovereignty and the land and the integrity of native communities across the country.

Let’s be honest. The administration’s ruling on our tribal lands is not isolated. It’s part of a larger trend of the federal government to roll back Indian rights on every front.

This is more than a casino. There’s a great deal more at risk if our land is taken out of trust. It threatens the preservation of our culture and our language immersion school. It means our ability to create sustainable economic development and our public health programs will be at risk. And most importantly, our people, the original inhabitants of this land will have to struggle to find stable homes in their homeland.

At the same time, our tribal members are being harassed while exercising their aboriginal rights to hunt and fish on our ancestral homeland. These incidents are deeply concerning to me and threaten the preservation of our way of living. Whether the public and public officials are ignorant to our rights as Native Americans or not, we will continue to meet thess incidents head on. We will also continue to step up efforts to educate the community on our aboriginal rights.

Education can be a slow process, but it will not deter us from continuing to exercise our rights. I was pleased to see that in at least half a dozen places across the Cape the Environmental Police have put up signs to educate the community on aboriginal rights. I was also pleased to see the property owners near Oregon Beach in Cotuit agree that the cars of tribal members will not be towed. They just ask that tribal ID be visible in the car. There’s still a great amount of progress needed in this area and it will remain a priority for me.

Kutâputunumuw;

Chairman Cedric Cromwell
Qaqeemasq (Running Bear)