September 2020 Mittark
Jessie Baird Named one of USA Today’s Women of the Century
Last month USA Today compiled a list of the 100 most influential women of the century and it included a woman from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. Jessie little doe Baird was featured in this amazing list of accomplished women for her work preserving the culture and heritage of her Tribe through language. The significant connection between the revival of an unspoken language and the tribal community is profound and will impact generations of Wampanoag to come.
Jessie, who also serves that the Vice Chair of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council, sees language as a way to communicate and a way to teach. It was this drive to give back her community back their language and in the process their way of making connections with their tribal community that pushed her to found the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project (WLRP).
Chairman's Column
Wunee keesuq Tribal family,
Our Tribe has continued to take an aggressive approach to combatting the ongoing pandemic and in the process have minimized the Covid-19 outbreak in our Tribal Nation. Soon we will begin to lift some of these restrictions in a safe and controlled manner. Tribal Council and Tribal Operations have been working closely with Emergency Management and the Centers for Disease Control on a detailed plan to ensure tribal citizens may access key services, including our school, health services, transportation, tribal courts and ICWA.
The reopening plan relies heavily on new safety measures that have been put in place over the past few months. These details, which are discussed in greater detail in this month’s Mittark, include thermal temperature scanners that have been placed at the entrance to our Community and Government Center, air purifies throughout the facility that utilize UV light to disinfect the air and touchless hand sanitizer stations.
We continue to take the utmost caution while preparing for the ‘new normal.’ Our reopening plan also follows guidance set by the CDC for cleaning and disinfecting public spaces. Our Tribe will also continue to require the use of masks, social distancing and frequent hand sanitizing. The combination of new technology that has already been installed and practical procedures allow us to move forward in a safe manner.
COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Program: Deadline Extended to September 25 for Tribal Citizens that Missed the August Deadline.
The majority of Tribal Citizens successfully applied for the COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Program last month. Checks for those tribal citizens in the amount of $1,800 were processed on or around August 28. However, not all tribal citizens submitted an application. To assist tribal citizens that missed the August deadline, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council approved a deadline extension. Tribal citizens that did not submit an application in the previous round will have until Friday, September 25 at 5 PM to submit their application and receive the emergency funds.
You may obtain the application and additional information about the program, including requirements, online at www.mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/covid-support. You may also direct questions about the Covid-19 Emergency Assistance Program to mwtcares@mwtribe-nsn.gov.
The program was launched to provide emergency financial assistance to enrolled adult Tribal members and their families directly impacted by the loss of income or other financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency. This program utilizes CARES Act funding from the federal government, and also meets the tax-exempt Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act requirements.
Each adult (18 years and older) Tribal Member wishing to obtain this assistance benefit from the Mashpee Wampanoag COVID-19 Assistance Program must complete and submit the COVID-19 Assistance Program Application Form to document your need in order to help us comply with the federal requirements relating to the use of CARES Act funding. The Assistance is for the amount of $1,800 per eligible adult Tribal Member that meets the eligibility requirements of needs and signed certification statement on the Application Form.
Explore Additional News in this month's Nashauonk Mittark
