“The first Saturday of the pow wow each year, we will have a game,” said Nelson Andrews Jr., a tribal citizen and emergency management director, as he pointed to a field where the Wampanoag Tribe of Mashpee holds its annual pow wow. “So you take a soccer ball shaped out of chicken wire and it’s soaked in kerosene for months leading up to the event, light it on fire, and sprinkle some tobacco on it for a prayer.”

The game, estimated to date back thousands of years, is called Fireball. Once lit, tribal members toss the ball around like a hot potato, burning themselves with each catch. The burns are in remembrance of those who have passed away. But the field where Fireball has been played for millennia sits on land that is in danger of being flooded by coastal waters.

Another holiday weekend will be upon us, and we anticipate increased social activities and tourism in the area. With this increased social and tourist activity, comes the risk of spreading COVID-19 among ourselves, to our elders, and to the vulnerable. There is also the potential for the introduction of new COVID-19 cases from visitors arriving from various regions within the U.S. that have high case counts of COVID-19. Several communities with the U.S. saw some of the largest single-day increases of COVID-19 cases following the July 4th holiday. The good news is that there are steps you can take to protect yourself, protect our elders, and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Getting a flu shot this year is going to be more important than previous years and the Mashpee Wampanoag Health Service Unit, located behind the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, will be providing flu shots at no cost this fall.

More than 2.5 million children currently are being raised by their grandparents and other relatives, both formally through the child welfare system and informally through private family arrangements. These families often can get lost in the social service programs available.

Tribal Health will have a SHINE Counselor available September and October to assist tribal citizens in providing unbiased health insurance information and assistance with:

Mass Humanities will be holding a virtual presentation of the Massachusetts Governor’s Awards on Oct. 25, and announced that Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council Vice Chairwoman and Founder of the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project Jessie little doe Baird will be recognized at the event.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Law and Order Ordinance (2018-ORD-008) addresses Victim Rights. Tribal Members may not be aware that if they are victims of crime they have rights. The Mashpee Wampanoag Victim Services Program goes beyond and offers emergency basic needs for victims of crime and supportive services. Below are Victim Rights written into our Tribal Law.

People who are known or suspected to have COVID-19 may use non-emergency vehicle services, such as passenger vans, accessible vans, and cars, for transportation to receive essential medical care. When transporting a known confirmed positive passenger, it is recommended that drivers wear an N95 respirator or facemask (if a respirator is not available) and eye protection such as a face shield or goggles (as long as they do not create a driving hazard), and the passenger should wear a facemask or cloth face covering.

Dr. Betty Wong of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is still providing assistance in the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe EOC. Toward the latter part of August, a review was conducted of the Tribal court for future phased re-opening considerations and a draft plan was established and then reviewed with the Tribal Court staff. A virtual meeting was held with the Tribal school leadership for future phased re-opening considerations and a draft plan was established and reviewed with the WLRP Director and Principal. Additional guidance was also provided to the Mashpee Wampanoag Health Service Unit (IHS) from the CDC, regarding contact tracing and planning. In addition guidance was provided from Dr. Wong to the ICWA dept. on safe cleaning, transporting clients and disinfecting of their transportation vehicle, additional guidance is being planned for the transportation dept. as well. Please see CDC guidance on cleaning and disinfecting vehicles. A medical self-screening form process was put in place for all essential employees and an electronic version is being established in addition to the Text Illness Monitoring System (TIMS), a product of the CDC which will be implemented for community screening in collaboration with the IHS.

Cleaning reduces germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects and works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. Cleaning of surfaces followed by disinfection is the best prace measure for prevention of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses.

Disinfecting kills (or inactiviates) germs on surfaces or objects. Disinfecting works best for using chemicals, as directed, on surfaces after they've been properly cleaned.

COVID-19 can look different in different people. People can get a fever, cough, or have a hard time taking deep breaths. Most people who have gotten COVID-19 have not gotten very sick. Only a small group of people who get it have had more serious problems. CDC and partners are investigating cases of multi system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19. Learn more about COVID-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)

COVID-19 among American Indian/Alaska Native persons was 3.5 times that among non-Hispanic white persons according to a study that spanned 23 States from January 31–July 3, 2020. See full article

Mashpee Wampanoag Police Department is asking anyone with information on the destruction of this Memorial Bench at their Sacred Meeting House Tribal Cemetery, to please contact the Tribal Police Department’s non-emergency number at 774-361-6045.

Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are reiterating their request that he direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to waive cost-sharing requirements for COVID-19 related assistance for the state’s federally recognized tribes.