DIRECTIONS | Independent Research Guide
Interview with Girls from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

1. READ the notes below about the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the women and girls (dancers!) who you will be meeting on Tuesday, July 30th.  

2. REFLECT by jotting down your own notes and questions in this notescatcher.

3. RESEARCH more about anything that interests you below (optional for now since we are short on time – but in the future we will do more of this together as part of our journalism coaching / workshops).

4. WRITE  later this summer you will collaborate with other Nika V. “girl power journalists” on the Cape (virtually and/or in person) to write a story in our new magazine about these empowering and inspiring girls!   Your coaches at Nika V. will help you to make a plan using your research and what you’ve learned from your interview. 

Brief History of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

• Mashpee (the original name is Marshpee) is located on Cape Cod and is surrounded by the towns of Falmouth, Sandwich and Barnstable 

 

• The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is 11,000 years old – and is one of only 3 tribes remaining in our country from the original 69 tribes from the Wampanoag Nations
  • The other two remaining Wampanoag tribes are the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) on Martha’s Vineyard and the Herring Pond Tribe in Bourndale (just a few miles from the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges)

 

• The first visitors to the Mashpee Tribe’s land were the Vikings who came to Mashpee in the year 1004 (2024-1004 = 1,020 years ago!) 

 

• The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe was controlled by English settlers for hundreds of years. These settlers unfairly took away a lot of the Tribe's freedom,  many of their rights and much of their land.

 

• The culture of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe includes being kind and friendly.  This tradition of hospitality helped colonists from England to settle into the Tribe's land.

 

• Today the Mashpee Indian population is very small – for example out of 100 people in Mashpee only 10 are from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.  As of 2015, there were about 3,200 citizens of Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

 

• Hunting, fishing, and planting have been a part of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe for thousands of years 

 

• When the English came to their land, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe began to trade fur, rope, timber, and sassafras (a plant used for medicine)

 

• The Mashpee Wampanoag men also got involved in whaling where they would be out to sea for a year at a time! 

 

• Fishing in Mashpee is still very common with many rivers “loaded with herring during the spring months”  

 

• Today, many Mashpee Natives work in construction/building and health care industries or they work for the tribe doing many different jobs

 

• The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe works with the U.S. government to support health, education and other needs of the Tribe

 

• The leaders of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe make sure that the culture and social justice of the Tribe remain strong.

 

• Some of the titles of Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe leaders include
  • The Chief and his Circle of advisors
  • The Medicine Man
  • Clan Mothers

The 103rd Mashpee Wampanoag Powwow : “Understanding the Ways of the Fire” 

• The Mashpee Wampanoag Powwow is a 3-day event that takes place every year on the Cape in the town of Mashpee.  Earlier this month (July 5-7) the 103rd event was held. 

 

• At this event, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s family and friends gather together to honor “The People of the First Light.” 

 

• The Powwow celebrates Wampanoag culture, community, and traditions including competitions for drumming, singing, and dancing.

 

• At this festival there are also many tables where you can buy traditional food and crafts from the tribe.  Some of the crafts include: 
  • Regalia – ceremonial clothing
  • Painting
  • Jewelry
  • Woodwork
  • Pottery / ceramics
  • Leather goods
  • Dolls / Toys
  • Sculptures, carvings, pipes

 

• Traditional ceremonies and events are also held including fireball, the Sly Fox Mishoon Race, and the sunrise naming ceremony.

 

• The tribe gives prize money to dancers and drummers who compete during the Powwow weekend including the Wampanoag Powwow Princess Contest and the Little Miss Wampanoag Contest

 

• The girls who we met above from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe  include:

 

• Ciara Hendricks: The 2024 Powwow Princess and a Celebrated "Fancy Dancer"
  • ​Fancy Dancing is a fast Native American powwow dance that features jumping and twirling, with participants wearing bright colors and flying feathers and ribbons.
    
  • Ciara also won the annual competition of Powwow Princess and was honored with this title in July of 2024.
    

 

• Brooklynne Ennes: A Celebrated “Jingle Dancer” 
  • Jingle dancing is performed primarily by women, characterized by the light footwork and tinkling sound of metal cones attached to the jingle dress. The dance is a prayer or medicine dance, traditionally used for healing and is performed to a solid drumbeat. 

 

• Sherae Miranda: A Celebrated “Eastern Blanket Dancer” 
  • The blanket dance tells the story of a woman’s life, her coming of age and becoming a woman.
  • This kind of dance is only celebrated in the Eastern region of our country.​​​