‘We dance for our ancestors': Mashpee Powwow marks 104 years

Boston Globe

2 days ago

The Powwow is an annual three-day celebration, where Native American dancers, drummers, artists, and food vendors from around the Northeast convene in Mashpee, Mass., home of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
'Our culture is rooted in kindness and hospitality —values that helped early English settlers find success here and still guide how we welcome others today," the Powwow program read.
The Mashpee are one of two federally recognized tribes in Massachusetts and one of three remaining tribes of the
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The Mashpee have lived on
In 2015, the federal government granted the Mashpee Wampanoag full tribal sovereignty over 320 acres of land in Mashpee and Taunton, the tribe's website said. Approximately 3,200 people are enrolled tribal citizens, many of whom are performing at this weekend's Powwow.
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Robert DeGaetano, 23, has danced for his Mashpee relatives since he was a toddler holding his parents' hands in the arena. He said he never practices for the performance, just lets the drum beat carry him across the grass.
'It's kind of like freedom,' DeGaetano, a professional boxer and artist, said. 'It's just being able to express yourself and show your culture, and you're walking in the footsteps of your ancestors.'
Robert DeGaetano stands for a portrait during 104th Annual Mashpee Wampanoag Powwow in Mashpee.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
Dawn Falling Star Hendricks, a Blackfoot and Mashpee Wampanoag native, greeted old friends as she walked out of the dance arena on Saturday — the same place where she was crowned Powwow princess in 1976 and again in 1977. She went on to become an advocate for the Mashpee Wampanoag, campaigning for her tribe at the White House during Bill Clinton's administration.
'We deserve more respect, and I've been fighting for that for the longest time,' Hendricks said. 'But we haven't lost ourselves during the fight for recognition.'
Now 65, the Mashpee Wampanoag healer considers the annual gathering proof of the tribe's cultural autonomy, even as this year's event coincided with Independence Day celebrations around Cape Cod.
For DeGaetano, and many others in his Tribe, Independence Day stands in opposition to their Mashpee Wampanoag identity.
'I don't celebrate the Fourth of July,' he said. 'None of us really do.'
Roman Isom, 9, of the Narragansett Tribe wore a headdress made of turkey feathers.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
In some ways, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is still recovering from colonization. It is slowly regaining access to some
or private donations to the Native Land Conservancy, including a recent 5.1-acre donation from the estate of a Mashpee Wampanoag woman.
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The Tribe has also embarked on a mission to revive the Wampanoag language, which had not been spoken since the middle of the nineteenth century. In the 1990s, Mashpee linguist
'The language was always there, but no one spoke it. There was no way to learn it,' said Eva Blake, a Wampanoag language instructor.
She now helps teach it to other tribal citizens at
'The most important thing is to keep it alive for generations and it not just be a flash in the pan,' Blake added.
On Saturday, the Powwow was one more example of keeping traditions alive.
Nakeesha Brown, a 37-year-old hospital coordinator from Rhode Island, watched the dances with her three children, father, sister, and her sister's family. She has attended the Powwow since she was a baby, a tradition she is upholding for her kids.
'Generation from generation, we've continued with our traditions, our culture, and I just want to make sure that my kids have that instilled in them, as well,' Brown said.
Sookunon Nushkeesuqot, left, and Justin Maddox drum with the Youngblood Singers.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
Lance A. Gumbs, the vice chairman of the Shinnecock Nation on Long Island and part of the Youngblood Singers drum circle on Saturday, said summer powwows are a way for tribes on the East Coast to come together around their shared past.
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'The historic trauma still exists,' Gumbs said. 'We still have our traditions, our cultures, our songs, our dances. And this is the way for us to continue to pass that down through the generations.'
Jade Lozada can be reached at