I am very pleased to share that the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) issued a statement today in support of the Mashpee Wampanaog in the wake of the Department of Interior's negative decision.

jessie little doe baird | September 2018

We know that we, the Mashpee Wampanoag, have occupied the same region for over 12,000 years. But what many do not know today is that we are in a struggle to maintain homelands that were placed in trust by the United States of America Department of the Interior in 2015- some 400 years after sustained European contact and settlement and the same number of years of struggle to maintain our homelands. Also lost on most is the level of irony in this situation- that while the Tribe struggles to ensure that these lands are not taken out of trust -we, along with 8 other sister tribes, paved the way for the formation of these United States via treaties and Indian Land Title granted to the Pilgrims on lands within the very same territory that is now being stripped away. The lands of the Mashpee Wampanoag Reservation today represent less than one half of one percent of our original territory- a mere scrap of our original territory- and this reservation is vital to the future sustainability of our tribal nation; a nation central to the history of the United States.

The United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) has an exciting career opportunity that they wanted to share with the citizens of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. USET has a current vacancy announcement for an Executive Assistant.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Health and Human Services Department will be sponsoring an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, August 27 from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Tribe's Community and Government Center. Community Members may contact the Red Cross at 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org and enter: WAMPANOAG to schedule an appointment.

Tuesday will be a historical moment in our quest to secure our ancestral lands. Beginning at 2 p.m., the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources will hold a hearing on the Mashpee Reservation Reaffirmation Act.

I want to provide this very important update to our Tribal Community. 

On Tuesday, July 24, 2018, I will be in Washington, D.C., testifying before the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources at a Legislative Hearing in support of the bipartisan legislation to protect our reservation lands here in Mashpee and Taunton!