Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, Inc., formerly known as the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, is one of two federally recognized tribes of Wampanoag people in Massachusetts. Recognized in 2007, they are headquartered in Mashpee on Cape Cod. The other tribe is the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) on Martha's Vineyard.

In 2014 the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe consists of more than 2600 enrolled members.

History

During the colonial period, the Mashpee Wampanoag gradually sold their land and lost their autonomy, but many descendants stayed in the area of Mashpee on Cape Cod and maintained a common culture. In the 20th century, they worked to reorganize and be officially recognized as a tribe by the federal government.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council was established in 1972 under the leadership of its first president, Russell "Fast Turtle" Peters. In 1974 the Council petitioned the Bureau of Indian Affairs for recognition. In 1976 the tribe sued the Town of Mashpee for the return of ancestral homelands. The land claims case was lost but the tribe continued to pursue federal recognition for three decades.