The
Shinnecock Nation held an annual election for its governing council of trustees.
According to The Southampton Press, Lance Gumbs, a prominent former leader of the tribe, won election to the council. He had previously been barred from office due to
internal turmoil on the reservation, which is located on the far east end of Long Island.
“After six years, I finally made it back,” Gumbs, who serves as an area vice president for the
National Congress of American Indians, told the paper.
Voters also elected Dondi Williams Jr. as sachem and Linda Franklin as sunksqua, The Press reported. Both are traditional positions of leadership within the tribe and are reserved for elders.
The tribe was historically governed by a three-member board of trustees, which had been set up during the colonial era. Gumbs had served on that board in the past.
After gaining federal recognition in 2010, the tribe adopted a new constitution and established the seven-member council,
Read More on the Story:
Lance Gumbs, Once Barred From Shinnecock Tribal Council, Returns To Board
(The Southampton Press April 4, 2018)
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