Mashpee – The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe recently received a $19,100 grant from the First Nations Development Institute of Longmont, Colorado.
This award will support the efforts of the tribe’s project: “We are the Seventh Generation.”
The project is designed to help youth retain and perpetuate the cultural integrity of Wampanoag community values, through participation in seasonally-dictated activities and ceremonial gatherings.
It leverages knowledge and skills of culture-keepers and elders, by fostering connections with youths, as they strengthen identity, assume responsibility, and develop pride.
“We very much appreciate the opportunity the First Nations Development Institute’s Native Youth and Culture Fund has provided,” said Roxanne Mills Brown, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Education Department Director.
“The grant supports a dedicated focus on an age group often overlooked for specific inclusion in cultural activities.”
Thirty Wampanoag youths, ages 10-14, will engage in this 12 month Science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics-based cultural project, better known as STEAM.
STEAM activities foster children’s curiosity, creativity, and learning as they try things and explore the world around them.
Youth will be identified from the tribal community of Mashpee, and five surrounding communities, with whom we have a significant number of tribal families residing.
“This is a great opportunity for us to carry on our traditional teachings to the next generation while preserving our culture for all Wampanoag people,” said Brian Weeden, the youngest Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Councilman at 26 years old.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, also known as the People of the First Light, has inhabited present day Massachusetts for more than 12,000 years and currently has approximately 2,900 enrolled citizens.
By: LUKE LEITNER, CapeCod.com News Center
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