November 2021 Mittark
Results of the Fiscal Recovery Funds Survey
Two months ago, tribal members were asked to complete a fiscal recovery funds survey. The survey is designed to give tribal operations and tribal council feedback on the best ways to use the funds.
178 tribal members completed the survey and provided feedback on the services that would best benefit the Tribe. Of the 178 responders, 31% were under the age of 40, 36% were between 40 and 59, and 33% were 60 and older. Also, 46% had no dependents, 53% had 1-4 dependents, and 1% had over 5 dependents. The responders represented a wide range of the community and provided a substantial sample.
The survey allowed responders to rank a series of services that Fiscal Recovery Funds could be applied toward.
We learned that promoting healthy childhood environments is the top priority receiving an average rating of 4.3 out of 5. Funding under this category may be used for childcare, home visiting programs, and enhanced child welfare support.
Following up next are health needs, economic impact, and building stronger neighborhoods and communities. Each of these categories received a rating of 4.1.
Building stronger neighborhoods and communities includes support like affordable housing, homelessness, housing vouchers, and counseling.
Addressing negative economic impacts is designed to support loss or work, underemployment, and tribally-owned businesses negatively impacted.
Addressing health needs provides support for our health services and fills gaps in health care.
Developing jobs programs for youth received a rating of 4.0. Support in this area would improve jobs programs, employee training, and underemployment and unemployment due to rehab recovery and other life events.
Addressing educational disparities made worse by Covid-19 received a rating of 3.8, and replacing tribal operations revenue received a 3.4.
These results will guide Tribal Council as they allocate the funding.
The final question asked tribal citizens if they believe the Tribe should continue its development of Casino Gaming. 70% of tribal members responded yes that we should continue the development of Casino Gaming.
The other day I sat at the fire for Talking Star Ann Peters Brown at our Meeting House. I offered a prayer for her journey to the Creator and talked with family and friends as they passed through. We spoke about Mashpee then and Mashpee now.
I sat and observed the changes that have taken place over a generation. Some of the change has been positive, but most continue to challenge our traditional ways of life. Changes that challenge the balance with the natural world and our ability to survive on our ancestral homeland.
I observed changes in our burial ground. Land cleared for the passing of youth and decorations that memorialize the loss of a life gone too soon. I've also observed youth gatherings at our burial grounds, desperately seeking to hold onto memories and connections that they shared with family and friends.
Our traditions prepare us for the passing of a tribal member. We honor that person with a traditional fire. We give space for their spirit to stay with us for a few days, and then we let that spirit move on to a life with our ancestors and the Creator. It's hard, but we have to let their spirit move on. It's healthy for our ancestors, and it's beneficial for us to let go at the right time as well.
I'm afraid we are not allowing our youth that has passed on to make that next journey. Their spirits are being held back with gatherings and memorial items that do not allow the energy to move on.
I'm also concerned that some of these gatherings at the burial grounds are not healthy and do not align with our traditional ways. Our burial ground is a sacred, shared space that should be kept clean. Seasonal decorations that are not natural to the land – such as stone and plants – should not be permanent fixtures. It's our responsibility to treat the space as sacred and respect the larger tribal family with which we share the land.
I understand that our youth are dealing with difficult emotions. As a community, we were not prepared for the passing of our children. We did not prepare our youth for it. I'm sorry for this and open my door to any youth that are seeking answers. I also know many other elders in the community are available for anyone that would like to talk.
With Love,
Pauline Peters
Hartman Brings Attention to Indigenous Rights with Wampum Belt
An exhibition at the Wampanoag Trading Post and Gallery and Brown University’s Granoff Center last month drew compelling connections between Native artistry, Indigenous traditions and a 2007 United Nations resolution on global Indigenous peoples’ rights.
“The Beads that Bought Manhattan: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” was on view at the Granoff Center’s Cohen Gallery through Oct. 24. It was presented by the Brown Arts Institute in collaboration with the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative.
The exhibition’s focal point is a belt made of deerskin, artificial sinew and wampum — cylindrical beads made from quahog clam shells — that symbolizes and celebrates the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), adopted in 2007.
One of the belt’s creators, Hartman Deetz, said making wampum is more than an art form. It’s also a symbol of his identity and ancestral history.
“I was about 8 or 9 years old when my grandfather first took me out to dig clams,” Deetz said. “This was a part of my summers, a part of my cultural heritage, gathering clams along the same banks as my ancestors had for thousands of years. Now, decades later, another part of my cultural heritage has come from the hard-shell quahog clam: the art of wampum.”
Deetz, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, said his ancestors once used wampum as a form of trade, intricate shell jewelry, clothing and accessories with nearby tribes and European settlers. They would often create belts made of wampum, sinew and deerskin to symbolize inter-tribal pacts to maintain peace or share stewardship of the land.
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