Feds revoking reservation status for Massachusetts tribe's 300 acres

Mar 31, 20200

Steven Senne – Associated Press count

A wooden sign advises motorists of the location of Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal lands in Massachusetts. Tribe Chairman Cedric Cromwell announced in a post on the tribe's website on Friday, March 27, 2020, that he federal Bureau of Indian Affairs told them that the tribe's reservation will be "disestablished" and its land taken out of trust, per an order from Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt.

BOSTON - A tribe is losing reservation status for its more than 300 acres in Massachusetts, raising fears among Native American groups that other tribes could face the same fate under the Trump administration.

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe was notified late Friday by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs that it will be rescinding its reservation designation and removing the land from federal trust, according to Cedric Cromwell, the tribe's chairman.

https://www.startribune.com/feds-revoking-reservation-status-for-tribe-s-300-acres/569227822/