Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation

The Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation is one of several cultural heritage organizations of individuals who identify as descendants of the Wampanoag people in Rhode Island. They formed a nonprofit organization, the Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust, Inc., in 2017.[1]

Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe
of the Pokanoket Nation
Named afterPocasset and Pokanoket, two villages and bands of Wampanoag people
Formation2017[1]
Founded atCranston, Rhode Island[2][1]
Typenonprofit organization[1]
EIN 82-2650017[1]
PurposeLand Resources Conservation (C34)[1]
HeadquartersCranston, Rhode Island[1]
Location
  • United States
MembershipMore than 200[3] (2010)
Official language
English
Principal Officer
Duane Shepard Sr.[1]
SubsidiariesPocasset Pokanoket Land Trust, Inc.
Websitepocassetpokanoket.com

The Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation is an unrecognized organization. Despite having the word "nation" in their name, this organization is neither a federally recognized tribe[4] nor a state-recognized tribe.[5]

They should not be confused with other unrecognized tribes, such as the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts and Rhode Island;[6] the Pokanoket/Wampanoag Federation, based in Warwick, Rhode Island;[7] the Pocasset Wampanoag Indian Tribe in Cheshire, Connecticut; or the Pokanoket Nation, based in Millbury, Massachusetts, and Bristol, Rhode Island.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, one of the only two federally recognized Wampanoag tribes, states they are the descendants of the historical Pokanoket people.[8]

Nonprofit organization

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Members of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation registered the Pocaseet Pokanoket Land Trust, Inc., as a nonprofit corporation in 2017.[2][1] Leslie S. Rich, Esq., of Cranston, Rhode Island, is the registered agent.[2]

The directors include:

  • Chairman: George Spring "Buffalo"[3]
  • Vice chairman: Daryl "Black Eagle" Jamieson[3]
  • Leslie S. Rich.[2]

Land claims

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The organization owns more than 424 acres in Fall River, Massachusetts, and Freetown, Massachusetts. They claim the Watuppa Reservation,[3] the public access area of 8,500 acres owned by the City of Fall River.[9]

Activities

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Daryl "Black Eagle" Jamieson, who identifies as a Clan Chief of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation, is drum director of the Eastern Medicine Singers, runs the Eastern Medicine Cultural LLC, and Black Eagle Productions.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust Inc". GuideStar. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust, Inc". OpenCorporates. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Pateakos, Jay (February 4, 2010). "Pocasset Wampanoags say casino is behind land deal". Wicjed Local. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs". Indian Affairs Bureau. Federal Register. April 6, 2023. pp. 7554–58. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Appendix B: 66 State-Recognized Tribes". American Indian Health and Nursing. Springer Publishing Connect. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  6. ^ Spillane, Jack (May 12, 2022). "Pocasset Tribe fights to gain control of Fall River land they were given 300-plus years ago". The New Bedford Light. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "List of Petitioners by State" (PDF). Department of the Interior. November 13, 2013. p. 42. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Lindahl, Chris (May 13, 2017). "R.I. tribe protests repatriation ceremony". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Watuppa Reservation". Save Buzzards Bay Coalition. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Zuckerman, Faye (May 21, 2020). "RIEAP Alumni Consultant Program offers mentoring to the latest cohort". Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
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