Amelia Peters Bingham is used to tough battles. In the 1970s, she was part of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's land claim in Massachusetts.
The tribe lost the case but recently won federal recognition -- with the help of investors who spent $15 million on the tribe's petition. Now Bingham wants to know how that money was used.
Along with her son and a few other tribal members, Bingham is in state court hoping to find answers. The tribe is incorporated as a state non-profit entity.
“We want to know the agreements,” Steven Bingham Peters tells The Boston Herald. “It’s all closed doors, and it shouldn’t be.”
A tribal spokesperson said $10 million was spent on archaeologists, anthropologists, lawyers and lobbyists. The remaining $5 million was used for tribal operations, the spokesperson said.
Get the Story:Challenge from within: Casino plan faces protest (The Boston Herald 3/21) Relevant Documents:
DOI Final Determination | 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 Related Stories:
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