Raising Awareness and Support for Tribal Lands

Chairman Cromwell was in Denver on Tuesday, October 23 raising awareness about the effect or a recent decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior that threatens the tribe’s reservation. A move that will mark the return to the Termination Era this country launched against tribe from the 1940s through the 1960s.

“The termination era has been reintroduced. It’s a very horrifying situation that’s happening with my Tribe,” said Cromwell.

But, despite that threat and its potential effect on the Tribe’s lands, Cromwell said our plans to expand education, healthcare, public safety and economic development remain in place.

Cromwell spoke on Tuesday, October 23 at the 75th Annual meeting of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) in Denver. He spoke before the General Assembly of the organization on the topic, Protecting our Land; Land into Trust.

This speaking engagement comes just weeks before the Tribe goes to Washington, D.C. to host a second “Mashpee Wampanoag Land Sovereignty Walk and Rally,” on November 14. The first walk and rally was on October 6 in Mashpee.

“It’s very important to talk about the September 7 decision,” Cromwell said. “How a negative decision will hurt my Tribe’s ability to maintain our homelands.”

With a packed auditorium of Native leaders in attendance at NCAI Cromwell made sure the issue of securing the Tribe’s reservation lands was front and center. Cromwell urged tribal nations to “stand with Mashpee” and support the legislation put forward by William Keating, which would reaffirm their land. “Now is the chance for us to stand united. I’m calling on all of Indian Country to stand with us on November 14 in DC.”

“We’re building awareness,” Cromwell said. “The answer is sovereignty. There is federal law for tribes, and Congress is responsible for enforcing those laws. So we’re simply asking them to do their jobs.”