Nelson Andrews, Domingo Tiexeira, and Rita Gonsalves were reelected to Tribal Council. Nitana Hicks Greendeer, Roxanne Mills Brown, and Winona Pocknett were also elected at the Sunday, February 12 election. 433 ballots were cast in the election.

Over 40 years ago, our Tribe began the process of securing a small fraction of our ancestral homeland in Southeastern Massachusetts. Today, I am honored to inform the community that federal district court Judge Angela Kelley confirmed what we have all known to be accurate, that the land now held in trust by the federal government is the ancestral homeland of the Mashpee Wampanoag.

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all of the Tribal Families a safe and Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. We realize that as the Tribe moves forward, we are making progress, but we must do so much more. Making life better for you is a huge task, and that’s what we were elected to do. The goal is to provide you with the services you need and an economic development plan that gets us there. Tribal members and this administration are committed to that plan.

The Election Committee is seeking volunteers and monitors for the upcoming regular election scheduled for February 12, 2023. If interested, please email the Election Committee Chairwoman Robyn Tobey Sweeting at robyn.tobey@yahoo.com. The deadline to submit interest in serving as an election monitor is January 12, 2023.

Regarding Chairman Brian Weeden’s alleged involvement in the Plimoth Patuxet Museum incident, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council regards this as a legal matter to be resolved by the courts. For that reason, the Tribal Council will have no further comment on the matter, referring all inquiries to the Chairman’s legal council.