MASHPEE – The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe hosted a rally on Saturday as part of their effort to bring awareness of issues surrounding its land sovereignty.
The event included a march from Mashpee Community Park to the Tribe’s Powwow Grounds led by Mashpee Wampanoag Chief Vernon “Silent Drum” Lopez and featured speakers, tribal musicians and a pot luck meal.
The federal government ruled last month that land cannot be held in federal trust. That decision has dealt a near-fatal blow to the tribe’s plan to build a casino resort in Taunton.
Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell called the government’s decision an injustice.
“It’s about justice and restoration,” he explained, “And this is a sign of our people coming out to walk requesting justice. We’re still here, we still remain here, and I really believe as American’s tribe it’s inherent on the face of American policy that our country would you know turn their back on us.”
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