Party time for Mashpee Wampanoag tribe

By CAPE COD TIMES
May 24, 2007

At the stroke of midnight last night, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe became officially recognized by the United States government. So today, it’s party time. Tribal members plan a daylong celebration at their headquarters in Mashpee.

Tribal Council Chairman Glenn Marshall released the following statement: “Three hundred and eighty-six years ago, the Mayflower landed at Plymouth and was met by representatives of a sovereign nation. The complexities of that relationship, the friendship, the first Thanksgiving, the betrayal, the battles, the efforts at resettlement, and the constant struggle are well documented. Today has reaffirmed the faith of that first meeting. But in another respect, we are today who we were then: The keepers of an important American story, one that was in danger of dying out, but has been given a new birth.”