On Saturday, November 30 the sounds of an intertribal social – complete with drumming, singing, round dancing and the hum of good conversation – mixed with the smell of home cooked dishes will fill the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center as the Tribe will be hosting its annual fall social. The potluck social will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the gymnasium and is open to all tribal citizens, family, friends and neighboring tribes.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Education Department in partnership with CCDF, NYCP, and First Nations is hosting a Cultural Night Gathering Idea Swap and Taco Bar. The cultural event will be held on Thursday, November 7 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM in the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center Gymnasium.

Shirley L. “Misqua Wahan” Mills, 90, went peacefully to her final rest on Friday, October 4 surrounded by her loving family.

Misqua Wahan, meaning Red Dove, was given the pipe as a recognition of her strength and quiet leadership, during the Sun Dance Ceremonies, in which she participated at Crow Dog’s Paradise in Rosebud, South Dakota; as a Sundancer and Pipe Carrier, she was a beloved and honored elder of the Native American communities in National and International traditional circles. In or around 1957 Shirley was adopted by the Mashpee Wampanoag people, in a ceremony led by the Reverend Leroy Perry, Gay Head Wampanoag. She will be sadly missed and fondly remembered for her wisdom, kindness and smiling eyes.

Recently the Nantucket Historic Association shared a series of photos and details on tribal Ancestor Ruth (West) Coombs.

Ruth was a Wampanoag singer, who was born on Nantucket at the very end of the 19th century. She became well known on Nantucket and around New England for performing under her Native American title Princess Red Feather. Her concerts raised awareness about and promoted Wampanoag culture.

This writer is so glad I’m still alive to read that the celebration of Columbus Day is in the past and that for the first time ever people in Mashpee will be honoring and celebrating a townwide Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 14, 2019. It is so long overdue.

I thank all who support this new holiday voted by last year’s Mashpee Town Meeting. We, the Mashpee Wampanoag, “People of the First Light,” have been here in southeastern Massachusetts for more than 12,000 years, long before the Mayflower Pilgrims landed in 1620 in Provincetown.

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe celebrated the town's first officially recognized Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday. The town of Mashpee voted to recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day rather than Columbus Day earlier this year, and became the first town on the Cape to do so.

Tribe members and Mashpee residents gathered at the Mashpee Archives to invite the public to learn more about the Wampanoag tribe and its traditions.

Co-Ed Volleyball has returned to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center Gymnasium. Tuesdays from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. you can join family and friends for spirited games.

Co-Ed Volleyball was initiated by the MWT Tribal Health Department in 2012 to provide a fun, healthy activity for community members of all ages. After many years of strong attendance, participation began to dwindle. Thankfully, the success of the beach volleyball has re-ignited interest and indoor volleyball has returned.

At Four Winds middle school in Greenfield, MA, Columbus Day was marked with a fundraiser for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

It all started last year, when students learned about the arrival of the Mayflower and the subsequent relationships between the European colonists and the natives, according to school Director Becca Lipton.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will host a community blood drive for the American Red Cross on Monday, November 4. The drive will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center Gymnasium located at 483 Great Neck Road South in Mashpee. You can be the lifeline patients need when you give blood.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Child Care Development Fund is hosting a First Aid & CPR Training on three days - Nov 9 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. & Nov 12 and 14 from 5 to 9 p.m. - at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center. RSVP to Kendall Scott at (508) 477-0208 ext. 164.

On Saturday October 19 Donald Peters, Chuckie Green Fred Spruill, Dale Oakley, Buddy Pocknett, Naomi Lopez Walker, Miles Peters, and Tony Perry constructed a new greenhouse at Maushop Farm.

On November 15 thru 16, 2019, the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project (WLRP) — in partnership with the Native American Brown Alumni (NABA), Native American and Indigenous Studies at Brown, and the Haffenreffer Museum — will be hosting a Language Symposium entitled Indigenous Languages & Educational Sovereignty: Language and Culture Based Education in Northeastern Tribal Communities. 

The Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project (WLRP) is offering two new language classes this fall – an introductory conversational skills class and an Intermediate Immersion class. Both classes will begin on November 14 and will be held in the Summerfield Park office at 800 Falmouth Rd Unit 307 C Mashpee.

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s Historic Preservation Office is collaborating with the Mashpee Old Indian Meeting House Authority Inc. a registered non-profit; to preserve the Mashpee Parsonage (431 Main Street, Mashpee, MA).   

The MWT THPO recognizes the unique character as well as the historical significance of the Parsonage and is committed to preserving the historic structure for future generations to appreciate. Toward that end, the THPO requires a Historic Structure Report: Current Condition Assessment, Architectural Master Plans and a determination on a specific Plans of Action. Deliverables will assist in securing additional Capital Improvement Funding, influence the developing Rehabilitation/ Restoration efforts and specify long term long term maintenance plans relative to safeguarding the historic building as close to the original construct as possible. The THPO hopes that the final HSR will be used as a model for the preservation of other historic structure(s) in the town of Mashpee and surrounding Cape Cod region.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Food Pantry in Mashpee, Massachusetts provides fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthy food options for income-eligible Tribal members. The Food Pantry hosts "tastings" of recipes made with healthy Food Pantry items so that food-insecure families have an engaging and nutritious experience while picking up pantry supplies for their household. 

Each month vacant committee seats are posted. Volunteering on a Commission or a Committee is an important part of being involved and helping the tribal community. Everyone needs to be involved.

If you would like to be a part of the Tribal Historic Preservation Department team as a volunteer during the months of September – November, 2019 please contact the Department at 508-477-0208 ext 174. The hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10AM – 2PM. An informal training will be provided.

There are several open positions at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. As of the date of publication the following positions are open. Please visit the Human Resource section of the Tribe’s website for complete position descriptions and details for applicants.