County Human Rights Group Supporting Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

MASHPEE – The Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission is supporting the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe as movements to preserve the tribe’s land in trust status have been launched.

A federal mandate from the Secretary of the Interior earlier this year disestablished the land, and it was taken out of trust.

Since then, the tribe has appealed the mandate. A federal court will come to a decision on the matter later this month.

The HRAC has expressed displeasure with the decision denying the tribe’s land in trust status.

Officials from the HRAC said that they hope the Department of Interior focuses on the value of the Tribe and work to ensure a path of cooperation and respect, especially during a time where everyone is collectively sharing significant challenges.

Other supporters of the reestablishment explain that the tribe has occupied the land for centuries, and that the decision to remove the status tears people apart as opposed to bringing them together.

Information on a petition to reinstate the land in trust status can be found on the tribe’s website by clicking here.