Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

2021: The Department of Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland issued a decision in which he confirmed the status of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe's Reservation.

1870: Legislature authorized the conveyance of the remaining 3,000 - 5,000 acres in tribal ownership, abolished the Mashpee district, and created the town of Mashpee. The federal government did not approve this transaction as required by the 1790 Trade and Intercourse Act.

1904-1916: Mashpee children are sent to the Carlisle Indian School, administered by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, for assimilating tribes.

1675: King Phillips War. Over forty percent of the Wampanoag tribal population is killed and large number of healthy males sold off as slaves.

483 Great Neck Road South, Mashpee, MA

1790: U.S. Congress approves the Trade and Intercourse Act, requiring federal approval for Indian land agreements.

1976: The Mashpee tribe files land claim in in federal court.

2007: Mashpee Tribe becomes a federally recognized tribe, authorizing tribe to acquire land and re-establish its Indian Reservation.

2015: Department of Interior approves Land in Trust Application for “initial reservation”. Tribe begins re-acquiring tribal lands.

has inhabited present day Massachusetts and Eastern Rhode Island for more than 12,000 years