# Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) (Wampanoag: Âhqunah Wôpanâak) is a federally recognized tribe of Wampanoag people based in the town of Aquinnah on the southwest tip of Martha's Vineyard (Wampanoag: Noepe, the land amid the streams) in Massachusetts (Wampanoag: Mâsach8sut), United States.
The tribe received official recognition in 1987, the same year that their land claim on Martha's Vineyard was settled by an act of Congress, with agreement by the state and the United States Department of Interior. The government took into trust on behalf of the tribe 485 acres of Tribal Lands purchased (160 acres private and approximately 325 acres common lands).

## Government

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head is governed by an elected eleven-member council. The administration as of March 2023 is as follows.
The tribe's honorary tribal chief and the medicine man are hereditary positions held for life.

## Economic development

The Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe operates a shellfish hatchery on Menemsha Pond, cultivating oysters. Tourism is also very important to the tribe. Aquinnah circle has been deemed a cultural and historical site by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is the first town-tribe partnership in the nation. The town of Aquinnah owns the publicly accessible land atop the cliffs, but the tribe has right of refusal for all lease agreements.
In 2011, the state of Massachusetts passed a law allowing legalized gambling, and federally recognized Native American tribes began to develop proposals to develop casinos.
Faced with state opposition to a Class III facility on its land, in 2013 the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head proposed a Class II facility to be developed on its property. The state and town filed suit against it in federal district court, and the judge ruled in their favor. The tribe, together with the Department of Interior, appealed to the US Court of Appeals, First Circuit, defending its case in December 2016. Many tribal members own their own businesses, while others have had to move off island for employment.

## History and Origin Story

Wampanoag people have lived in the area of Aquinnah, Massachusetts, for millennia. Traditional Wampanoag legend states that the first Wampanoag arrived on the island and discovered the island was inhabited by Moshup, the creator of the islands, his wife, Squant, and their many pets. Traditionally, they fished, grew crops, and hunted whales. Moshup and his wife provided the Wampanoag with food and general knowledge of the land, living side by side. Once the European settlers arrived, Moshup left the island. As he left, he threw a whale against the cliffs in anger which resulted in the eroded appearance seen today.
In 1641, Thomas Mayhew Sr acquired the land from a sachem named Tawanquatuck. English people began settling in the region in large numbers by the 17th and 18th centuries, encroaching on Wampanoag lands. A year later Thomas Mayhew Jr arrived who was a Puritan preacher. He aimed to convert the Wampanoags to Christianity. Interactions between the two groups often led to violence resulting in the abduction of Wampanoags, followed by tribal retaliation. Over time, the Wampanoag were dispossessed of their lands and disease epidemics decreased the Indigenous population by about half.
Some Wampanoags intermarried with English colonists and later European-American generations. As the Wampanoag had a matrilineal kinship system, they considered all children born to their women to be Wampanoag. They carried on their culture this way. Descent and inheritance passed through the women's lines.
In the 19th century, most Wampanoag men worked in the whaling industry on board ships. Some advanced in rank; for instance, Amos Hoskins became master of the Massasoit in 1851.

### 20th century

In 1972, the Wampanoag people on the island formed the Wampanoag Tribal Council of Gay Head, Inc. for cultural preservation and political self-determination. It filed a land claim suit in 1974, seeking to gain title to 3,000 acres of lands lost to the state and town. In the nineteenth century, these bodies had not gained federal approval through the Senate for extinguishment of Wampanoag title, as required under the 1790 Non-Intercourse Act. The Wampanoag claimed part of the public lands in the Town of Gay Head (now Aquinnah). The suit was controversial, clouding title to other lands in the town.
The US federal government formally recognized the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) on 10 April 1987. Under the Massachusetts Indian Land Claim Settlement Act of 1987, the federal government agreed to take into trust on behalf of the tribe approximately 485 acres of Tribal Lands purchased (160 acres private and approximately 325 acres common lands). The Town of Aquinnah contributed some land and the state of Massachusetts contributed up to $2,250,000 to a fund so that the Wampanoag could acquire land to be held for communal purposes. Common lands include the Gay Head Cliffs, Herring Creek, and Lobsterville. The private lands are in several parcels. Other land owned by the Tribe includes parcels in Christiantown and Chappaquiddick, both on the island. The settlement provides details as to responsibilities and jurisdiction.
Since that time, in 1988 U.S. Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, to establish a regulatory framework for gaming on Native American lands within the jurisdiction of federally recognized tribes. As required by law, the Tribe soon submitted its proposed gaming ordinance to the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).
Clay mining has been protected by the tribal constitution since 1995, ensuring tribal members access to the clay cliffs.

### 21st century

The tribe withdrew its earlier proposed gaming ordinance, submitting an amended form in May 2013. By letter dated 23 August 2013, the Solicitor of the Department of Interior responded to an inquiry by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) and said that the Wampanoag were not prohibited by the terms of their 1987 Settlement Act from applying for approval of gaming on their lands, in accordance with state laws.
The tribe has pulled back from an earlier proposal to develop a Class III gaming casino on its land, to which the state had objected. The state said the tribe was limited to local zoning on its land based on the 1987 settlement agreement.
The state had been working to license privately developed casinos in three regions of the state. This plan included negotiating with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe for a casino to be developed in Taunton, Massachusetts, which the tribe had acquired. This project was challenged in federal district court by opponents in February 2016 based on language defining Indian tribes recognized by the government in the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. It has been appealed to the US Court of Appeals, First Circuit, for exploration of the definitions.
The governor and other parties opposed approving a Class III casino to be developed by the Wampanoag tribe on the Vineyard. As of 2014, the Gay Head Wampanoag proposed to adapt an existing building for a Class II boutique casino. It was challenged in federal district court in a suit by the state, joined by the Town of Aquinnah.
In June 2016 the US District Court ruled against the tribe. Judge J. Dennis Saylor IV said that the tribe was subject to state and local regulation of gambling. In addition, he determined that the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) did not have "sufficient governmental control" over its reservation to manage a casino. "Mr. Rappaport explained that this referred to the tribe’s lack of police (they have only conservation rangers), ambulance service, firefighting staff, or any jurisdiction over the behavior of nontribe members on tribal property. Should anything go wrong at the casino, the Town of Aquinnah was neither willing nor able to assume those responsibilities."
The federal government has sided with the tribe, keeping the issue alive. Saying there were "material errors" in the judge's decision, the tribe appealed the ruling to the US Appeals Court, First Circuit in December 2016, with support of the US Department of Interior.
In February 2019, the tribe announced it will begin construction of the Aquinnah Cliffs Casino in March 2019. The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head is scheduled proceed with construction despite opposition from the towns of Aquinnah and Chilmark, and a request from the Martha's Vineyard Commission for the Wampanoag tribe to work with the commission to "preserve the unique values of the Vineyard." The Wampanoag tribe says the commission has no jurisdiction over the project.

## Culture

The Aquinnah Cultural Center is a collaborative heritage preservation, operated by a nonprofit founded by tribal members. In 2006, the building was recognized for its significance in Native American history by being added to the National Register for Historic places.
The Wôpanâak language has been extinct since the 1800s. A revitalization project started in 1993. Wampanoags understand their language to be a gift from the creator. The community continues its practice at ceremonies and during prayer.
The tribe hosts an annual Cranberry Day celebration on the second Tuesday of October. According to Wampanoag legend, the cranberries were brought from heaven in the beak of a white dove as a gift from the Great Spirit. The berries were dropped into a bog where they flourished under the care of Granny Squanit, the woman's god of wild fruits and herbs. The tribe does not tamper with the bog via weeding or using fertilizer in order to leave full control to the Great Spirit. The holiday began as a week long encampment before becoming a three day long festival to eventually one day. On Cranberry Day the community usually begins picking at 6:00 am and the day comes to a close with a community potluck dinner. All Wampanoag children are excused from school to participate.

## Notable Aquinnah Wampanoag people

* Linda Coombs, author and historian
* Elizabeth James-Perry, wampum artist and restoration ecologist
* Helen Manning, writer, education director, activist, historian
* Julia Marden, artist reviving traditional Wampanoag twining
* Gladys Widdiss, tribal elder in Aquinnah reservation
* Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop, trader, whaler, teacher, and Civil War veteran