The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Education Department began accepting applications on July 15 for academic scholarships for the 2018-2019 school year. Tribal members enrolled in one or more accredited courses for the upcoming semester may apply. All students are eligible to receive $500 per course or up to $2,000 for full time students with 12 credits or more.

The Federal Highway Administration recently announced $17-million in grant awards from the 2017-2018 Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund.  These awards represent funding for 94 projects to develop transportation safety plans, enhance safety data, and improve transportation infrastructure. The Tribe received $340,000 for the Design of Old Barnstable Road Project, which will provide a completed construction plan for a one-mile stretch of road, designed to prevent another pedestrian fatality, and reduce the potential for serious bicyclist and vehicular crashes

The Building Pathways for Tribal Youth Program sponsored a cultural fishing trip with tribal member Aneba Costa on June 30th. Youth harvested shellfish, crabs, and herring and cooked them at the museum, along with a striped bass Aneba caught earlier at the canal. 

Save the date for a week-long field trip camp. From August 20 to 24 the Indian Education Department will sponsor a series of field trips. Registration opens August 6 and space is limited. There’s only space for 20 campers.

A house that’s related to one of the very early families of the Tribe, 218 Great Neck Road North better known as the Walter Mingo House, was listed for sale last month. The modest home has seen several generations of prominent tribal members reside under its roof. The surrounding land has also provided sustenance for the community for many years. The thought of the structure being purchased outside of the tribe and potentially being demolished or altered beyond recognition would be a sad moment.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Emergency Management Department received the FY18 2018 AmeriCorps Tribe award for over $250K. This award is to establish the first ever Tribal AmeriCorps disaster services program on the eastern half of the US. 

Work on the Law and Order Ordinance began about 3 years ago.  It started out initially as a simple civil code to handle minor offenses but with Land into Trust came criminal jurisdiction and more responsibility.  The Laws created had to encompass Criminal Offenses, Drug Offenses, Domestic and Family Violence, Gaming Offenses, Community Offenses, and Traffic Violations.  Fortunately, the Tribe had been award a grant from the Department of Justice in 2015 to develop the Laws needed for a sovereign government.  It was determined that related aspects of Law should be compiled into one Ordinance which became the Tribal Law and Order Ordinance.  It is important to inform Tribal Members about what it contains and how it will impact the tribe. A series of articles will be written about the Tribal Law and Order Ordinance.  We will start our series with Chapter 1, General Provisions.  We have incorporated the Wampanoag language within the document with English interpretations in parenthesis.

Pollinators, like bees, butterflies, birds, and bats have been on the decline. It poses a real threat to our natural environment and our ability to produce the foods we all eat. In response to this issue, the kids, staff and interns of the Native Youth in Science Preserving Our Homeland (POH) camp have made two pollinator gardens, providing vital resources needed to revive the health of the pollinators.

Two of our Tribal CRMs participated in the 2018 UMass Boston –Plymouth 400 Field School. This was the third year that we have had CRMs participate and receive Field Tech training.  This allows our CRMs to gain useful insight into the world of Archaeology. After receiving training CRM’s field reports become more comprehensive as a result, improving the data collection efforts of the department.

The North American Indian Center of Boston will be hosting an All Nations Back to School event on August 22 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 105 S. Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA.

Rebekah Dottin, daughter of Francie Dottin, Execute Assistant to the Chairman, graduated on April 27, 2018, from the United Airlines School for Flight Attendants in Houston, TX.  Rebekah’s home base is Newark, NJ.  Congratulations Rebekah.

V'Santi Tobey recently graduated from El Camino Real Charter High School and is planning to attend the University of California Davis in the fall on a Blue and Gold University Scholarship. V’Santi will be majoring in theatre and dance.  She credits the support she received fro her family, the Los Angeles Indian Community and her family back home with her success. She is the great-great granddaughter of the late Louise Tobey, Great granddaughter Harold "Wise Bear" Tobey, and the Late Margaret Pina, Granddaughter of Pamela Tobey, daughter of Danielle Tobey and Ronald J. Cruz (Pocknett) who is her stepfather.

Sydney Harris graduated on May 19, 2018 from the University of Rhode Island. She received her degree in health science. Sydney is the daughter of Bryan Harris and granddaughter of Barbara Harris.

Congratulations to Frederick Peters Jr.the Mashpee Wampanoag Family Dental Clinic May Incentive Prize Winner. Each month one lucky patient of the clinic is chosen at random as the winner and is able to select a prize. Prizes include items such as an electric toothbrush, a water pick or a dental care package.

There continues to be multiple scams circulating that are meant to scare and confuse you into giving out personal information.

• Remember you don’t have to answer the telephone.
  

• If you don’t recognize a telephone number, don’t answer it.

• If you do answer, NEVER give out your personal information.

• Don’t open emails from senders you DO NOT know.

• Always confirm with a utility company (or other) by contacting the number on your bill if there is a question of cancellation or past due funds.