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Federal Recognition
Mashpee recongnition decision due this month


The Bureau of Indian Affairs is expected to issue a decision on the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's federal recognition by the end of the month.

The tribe, based in Massachusetts, filed a petition for federal recognition in 1975. Since then, the tribe has submitted more than 30 boxes of genealogical records, census documents, maps, newspaper stories and interviews in hopes of proving its case.

One piece of evidence the tribe submitted is the Old Indian Meeting House, the oldest surviving Indian church in the nation. Built in 1684, tribal members say it documents the continuous community and political influence within the Mashpee community. The house church is being renovated with the help of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Connecticut.

Tribal leaders and elders are confident they will gain recognition when the BIA issues the preliminary determination on March 31. A final determination is due March 2007.

Get the Story:
Meeting house's upgrade joined by 30 dusty boxes (The Cape Cod Times 3/7)
Wampanoag church renovation preserving more than a building (The Cape Cod Times 3/7)

Relevant Documents:
Summary of Acknowledgment Cases | R. Lee Fleming Declaration

Only on Indianz.Com:
Federal Recognition Database V2.0 (May 2005)

Relevant Links:
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe - http://mashpeewampanoagtribe.com

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