Category Archives: News

High Court Upholds Indian Child Welfare Act ..Haaland stops at the Old Indian Town on Cape Cod

Peters long challenged America to protect Native American children. And he won.

 

Tribal nations received a major victory today when the US Supreme Court rejected

Slow Turtle’s vision for the future served Indian Country well.

all of the challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act, “some on the merits and others for lack of standing,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote in her majority opinion. The surprising but welcomed decision ensures that neglected or orphaned native children are placed in tribal homes.

 

Once again, a Mashpee Wampanoag is responsible for change that benefited Indian Country.  Supreme Medicine Man John Peters, “Slow Turtle”  spearheaded the federal law that passed in 1978. He also successfully advocated for the legal use of peyote and other indigenous herbs as traditional medicines for rituals. Repatriation of Native remains was another successful effort lead by Peters.

Indian Country beathed a sigh of relief on this decision.

As luck would have it, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited the Tribe today.  Her name is on the Supreme Court ICWA filling because as Interior Secretary she represents the US government on behalf of Native Americans, It is pretty remarkable that she’s visiting the Tribe whose Medicine Man is responsible for one of the most significant laws impacting Indian America.

The New York Tines did an excellent job of chronicling Peters’ life and work.

John Peters, Indian Advocate In Massachusetts, Dies at 67 – The New York Times (nytimes.com)T

The Haaland visit

But since we are talking about the Haaland visit, we have to say the purpose was a little foggy. But we have a pretty good idea, so do you. Allegedly, it was arranged by the Weedens and their new best friend, the cheeky TA David Greendeer and pal Alex….ahem, there were originally all kinds of silly restrictions for those attending.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland

We’ll get back to that weirdness. But it was so strange that the Elders did not have a place of prominence in this event.  Bad optics for sure. The other foolishness was that they were not going to let anyone take pictures but “PR.” So were they taking everyone’s phones? As it turned out after the dinner with the Council, Haaland made remarks, graciously took selfies, group pictures and enjoyed herself. Tribal members enjoyed the social also. And you know Photo Op Wamps media mogul Paula Peters was the first one to take a picture with the Secretary. What an amateur. Another highlight was that Sherry prepared the meal for Haaland, Another star making us proud.

Thank God we had a bunch of REAL Wamps up in there.

 

 

The Invisible Man in full view

Much was expected of David Greendeer. It turned out to be misplaced confidence.

David Greendeer has been the Tribal Administrator since January 1, 2022.  And, his 16-month tenure has failed to produce the best management practices promised. As a matter of fact, it has been a relentless “shock and awe campaign.”

When he did offer a staff moral booster, it was so ridiculous, it had to be retracted. He rarely meets with staff directors unless he’s pressured or called in.  He has tried to involve shady consultants in sensitive Tribal business and he is constantly inserting himself in Tribal politics while changing sides. His involvement in a legal matter is another outrage. His behavior with women has not improved and has worsened according to sources.

We also learned the “Invisible Man” moniker is solid. Why? The David Greendeer rarely comes to work. He shows up about 3 (maybe 4) days a week, for 5 hours a day at most. All staff but one other top administrator work 8-10 hours or more a day. So to say that the staff is on autopilot is an understatement.

Now this would not be so bad if he actually did his job.  As a salaried administrator, you are expected to produce impactful policies, methods and management strategies that benefit the Tribe. It is not based on an hourly rate. But the guy has not done a thing to move us forward.

The most envious of all people on earth are those who are extremely ambitious but too lazy to take action.” 

 

 

Ear plugs in short supply…….try Amazon

Da Magpie yip yaps incessantly at town and environmental meetings too causing a run-on earplugs Cape wide.

The Tribal Council meeting was pretty standard until he started…Da Magpie.  Once again David Weeden, heretofore referred to Da Magpie began battering the efforts to get Tribal homelessness under control. We have 60 Tribal members who need emergency housing.  Del Sol will be full capacity in a matter of weeks and the incremental rooms and apartments openings very soon. Meanwhile Robin Sweeting had drafted various application forms to jump start the eligibility process. The staff needs to start moving people into the system so they can get housing. Da Magpie went on picking apart the application forms as the Council members and Robin responded with obvious answers to foolish, unnecessary questions. This continued for a half an hour. Once again Da Magpie’s need for attention was more important than getting at our homeless problem. One Council member said, ” He was all over the place.  I was confused and never figured out where he was going.”

This is a pattern with Magpie.  He’s determined to upend important projects that happen to be initiatives of Vice Chairman Carlton Hendricks, Jr. You may recall a few months ago he demanded that Hendricks hire an architect to assess a dilapidated building (at the farm) to determine it’s historic relevance to the Tribe. Prior to his going off about “protocol” and checking in with him as the Historic Preservation officer.  Ahem. Well, the VC said his research did not find the building on the state or federal historic registers. So, because Magpie couldn’t prove otherwise, he insisted on the architect. That will cost us $4k that we don’t have and delay the fish market another two months. The man’s ego is enormous.

He has no shame. Instead of re-upping his Historic Preservation grant to properly pay his $70k salary, (takes it from ARPA federal funds) he props himself on to the board of the $9.1 million broadband grant. Yes indeed.

Jordan’s a credentialed IT guy well qualified to serve. It’s a lonely job but somebody’s got to do it.

He will join Barbara Jonas, Ellen Sharp, Bobby Foster, and his partner’s son Jordan Kelliinui. It’s a regular Frybal Council. Easily the most qualified, Keliinui has a Masters in Cyber Security. This huge grant will serve 130 tribal households, businesses and a number of other cyber deserts.  The thing to keep an eye on is the Indirect Costs. Yesssss.

The IDC are things like salaries and other administrative expenses not connected to the actual installation, product and so on. IDC gets pretty funky. It can reach $4.368m. One person on this board who will remain nameless almost sent the Tribe into a tailspin last year because they weren’t properly drawing down grant money causing huge problems with revenue streams and bill pay. That was one of those things we didn’t tell you about because you would have lost your mind.

So Councilman Weeden went from Broadband  Liaison to Board member. What’s your bet he ends up drawing a big ole salary for running the broadband project?  Just like he did Historic Preservation, which is nothing but a shell of it’s former self.

One more thing, you probably already know that the Da Magpie is running against Hendricks for Vice Chairman….So stock up on earplugs.

Our advice to him comes from Mark Twain “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt”

 

 

 

 

A Council Meeting to watch

You have to laugh when people get out “over their skis.”

Tonight’s Council meeting will be full of action. Some playing out for the Tribal public and some in Executive Session. You need to pay attention. Last month a lot of moves were being made that raised eyebrows. Personnel problems that have been ongoing and of course the budget, that is also getting squared away.

The issue of the Clan Mothers vs Elders in the Raising of the Chief seemed to be resolved at the Sunday meeting with the Constitution (and the Recognition documents) providing the guidance through a resolution finalizing the process.

Preserving all aspects of our Tribal history is important.

Keep an eye on those resolutions…

Good news.  The Parsonage funding of $1.6 million came through which means historic renovation and jobs. Again, thanks Vice Chairman Hendricks and Secretary Jackson for their hard work. This building is on the state historic register.

Protect the Tribal Constitution

For the third time this year, the Constitution came up. Revising the Constitution. That means changing it. Substantially.  Of course, David Weeden is leading the charge.  He is actually supported by someone who helped construct the Constitution in the early 2000’s, and chronically complains about it.  It’s a small core of people but they’re devoted.

Here’s the thing.  A Constitution is the foundation and framework for Tribal governance. It sets the boundaries, in stone.  Well, you know what happens when the foundation or the framework is disturbed in any way.  The house eventually falls apart. Chaos for sure.

So David Weeden said he’s putting together a committee set up to start diddling with the Constitution. You can bet the goal is to shift power around.  There’s a bunch of other ulterior motive stuff going on. It’s tough to alter the Constitution and it’s set up that way for just this kind of situation. But let’s back up for a minute.

Revising the Constitution is a move that automatically sets off alarms. And rightfully so.

When Da Magpie bought it up a few months ago. The legal counsel including a Tribal member who is an attorney, advised that they needed to correct all the ordinances that conflict with the Constitution.  There are hundreds to comb through.  One of them was defeated a month ago where the chairman would assume the vice chairman’s administrative responsibilities.  This you will recall was based on one of those bogus actions (executive order) by Cedric Cromwell. Let’s be clear, Victoria and Rebecca are going through all those conflicting ordinances that were passed while Cedric was Chairman. David and the crew went right along. The horror of that administration lives in those illegal ordinances that Da Magpie approved.

So putting the cart before the horse to make the Constitution conform to ordinances is not in our best interest.

More stuff ….copyright and the Red Box

So the Council meeting was a full agenda.  A major move forward is the plan to

It’s bad enough that New Seabury was built on what we considered our land, but to name it after  one of our heroes is beyond ironic.

establish a living tribal village designed to present a true picture of how we lived 400 years ago. The grant for $175K will launch the project that could be located near the farm. Talia Landry and Councilman Nelson Andrews are spearheading the effort. The idea of presenting our traditions and heritage to the world as we see it has been discussed for over a decade. Now it’s coming to fruition.

The copyright of our mystical hero Maushop tells you the value and limits of ownership of branding (Maushop Village) and intellectual property.

There’s one potential problem. Naming it Maushop Village might not work because New Seabury probably has the development copyright named after our mythical hero.  Which brings us to the language copyright controversy. There was a joint meeting between the town and Tribal Elders over a project honoring Tribal veterans. The group wanted to use the Wampanoag language to inscribe a message on a plaque. The town representative said they had to check with Jessie Baird to get permission. Right. To avoid copyright infringement is what it’s called. So Jessie owns the copyright to our language that is thousands of years old? What do you think? So did Jessie write our language and copyright it?

Okay, to be clear, copyright means you own the intellectual property that you created.

Jessie has used the Tribe to get millions of dollars in language grants while her cousin Cedric was Chairman. We may never know what went on. Are the Weedens far behind?

People, corporations, governments copyright music, books, logos, brands, but languages…no. Jessie is scamming again circulating misinformation because people really don’t know how that works. She has never told us where she got her undergraduate degree, so she could not acquire a masters, and she lied about having a doctorate.

Jessie is still working to get back into the tribal structure anyway she can.  She had the nerve to try to get on the enrollment committee.  Ahem.  That didn’t work.  She made it on to the pow wow committee.  All in all she earned a new name of “Little Red Box.” Her legacy of adding hundreds of people to the roll from the Red Box. Ask her about the Red Box.

More on what constitution revision really means.  You will be shocked. It’s coming your way.

 

Clan Mothers….Elders? Let the Tribe decide

The Chief was our Traditional leader before and after recognition.. Hopefully the process of finding his successor will be a smooth one.

The passing of Tribal Chief Vernon ” Bunny” Lopez brought hundreds of Tribal members to the Old Indian Meeting House to tribute the Centurian. Lopes was the last chief chosen to be the traditional leader prior to recognition and remained it the chair for another 16 years.  At the Council meeting the primary discussion concerned ” Raising the Chief” to replace Lopez. The question of who would lead the selection process bubbled up again several months ago when Paula Peters announced that the Clan Mothers would hold a gathering on May 6 for Tribal members to talk with those interested in assuming the role.

Councilman Domingo Texiera questioned how the Tribe should proceed in the Chief selection.

Roxanne asked what everyone wants to know…Since when are the Clan Mothers in charge?

Councilman David Weeden defended the Clan Mothers leading the process saying they were “welcoming” to the Elders and others who wanted to participate. But Councilwoman Roxane Mills Brown addressed the real issue saying, ” No one gave the Clan Mothers the authority to call the meeting. Also, there are questions about the role of the Clan Mothers in the Tribe. Clan mothers are not in the Constitution.”

Former Councilman Aaron Tobey who is chairman of the Elders said, ” The Elders should be able to provide information on the process.” He added that the Tribal Constitution does say that the Chief shall be selected by the general body according to Tribal custom and tradition.  According to Tobey the Constitution also says that everything in that process is confirmed by a resolution by the Council.

Of course, Da Magpie said, “The process should not be political.”  Well, let’s just violate the Constitution then.  Brilliant.

So, the Council decided to let Tribal members hash it out at the General Body Meeting this Sunday.

More on the rest of the meeting tomorrow.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly…

A record number of Mashpee were on the Tribal Council zoom meeting last night. So were some of Reel Wamps’ contributors.

Herrin’ and Roe say Da Magpie needs to stop talking and recapture the grants needed to run his program and pay his $70,000 salary.

Herrin’ ” That was quite meeting last night. What they call a “mixed bag” of activity.

Roe ” I should say so. It went on forever. Da Magpie, probably hurt his nephew, the chairman more than helped on that Executive Order business.

Herrin’ “ Da Magpie?”

Roe ” Ya David Weeden is a Magpie… a talkin’ ass bird that never stops.  It mimics sounds, even barking dogs.  Da Magpie is notorious for talking nonsense all the time, in circles, running out the clock. You can see Council members nodding off on the zoom. Nap time.”

Herrin’ ” Wow, so he’s an expert on Executive Orders? Reads ’em all the time he says.  Reads the ones by President Biden and such.  Oh Yeah. And he says that his nephew has the same authority as President Biden, Damn right!”

Da Magpie’s politics on the Board of Selectmen and the Tribal Council are not benefiting the town or the Tribe. His quest for relevancy is not in our best interest.

Roe ” You know the whole Tribe was up in arms at the thought of taking voting power from

Ramona Peters’ grew the Tribe’s historic preservation program in to a success story with a
$500k annual budget. When Magpie took over a few years ago, everything went south.

the Council and handing it over to his nephew through some Executive Order.   But no, Da Magpie kept on and on about how the White people do it and other governments do it. That our Constitution is ” awful.” Like our laws aren’t real. Indian law. Too hell with the Constitution then?”

Herrin’ ” Well, the Council members pushed back with the answer. Executive Orders don’t exist in the Tribal Constitution.

They voted to revoke the Executive Order by a 6-1 vote. That was a relief.”

Quahog Pie: ” Uncle Herrin’ isn’t Councilman Da Magpie in charge of historic preservation? Is that why he kept talking? To keep us from tearing down that old torn up building?

Quahog Pie knows the  answers to all his  questions. Ridiculous spectacles are his specialty…

To stop the construction of the fish market? Cause he couldn’t prove that the old building was a historic building like he was supposed to? And then turned around an told the Vice Chairman that he had to prove it was not a historic building even though the Vice Chairman already did? Is that why he talked for 15 minutes about getting an inspector to go in and do all that research which will cost thousands of dollars and delay the project another 3 months, when he already knows it has no historic relevancy to the Tribe?

Herrin’ ” That’s it.”

Quahog Pie ” So does Councilman Da Magpie get paid to stop projects?”

Roe: ‘ Boy, we don’t know what he gets paid to do or why. What we do know is his $70,000 salary comes out of the federal money from the American Rescue Plan meant for Tribal members.  He spent down hundreds of thousands of dollars in the historic preservation grant and never restored it to run the program or pay his salary.”

Weetamoo: ” Well then, he’s about self-preservation, right?

The world has changed since Weetamoo’s time, But Winnie’s lack of decency is a abnormal to her and even modern day Wamps.

Herrin’: ” Probably. Da Magpie’s spotty career path was started by his pal Cedric Cromwell. But a few years before that he was running up

Winnie & Da Magpie, fierce Cromwell loyalists failed to denounce the corrupt regime. Winnie refused to face the reality of loosing badly to Hendricks for VC and the recent Council re-elect. campaign. She needs to get help.

and down a hotel hallway trying to put all the White people out screaming, ” Get out Get out. This is our land.”  That was during the King Phillips Ball. Magpie’s mouth got us in so much trouble. Because of him, the Tribal events at  Cape hotels  have been banned. That shut us down for years.”

Roe: “He’s such an Indian. Using it when it’s convenient. You would never know it judging by how he praises the town and punks us. And now he’s Chairman of the Mashpee Board of Selectman after raising hell and playing the race card. He likes to play Indian, but he don’t wanna be Indian.”

Weetamoo: ” I want to know about the Winnie person who was attacking the Vice Chairman at the meeting. Is there something wrong with her? She was screaming and yelling, cursing, and lying about all kinds of things. I hear it’s a regular occurrence.  Is that how Mashpee Wampanoag women act these days?

Herrin’ “ No it is not.  But people are tired of Winnie’s madness.  Every time she sees the Vice Chairman she looses it. If there’s a microphone around she really goes berserk. She’s banned from the Elders, the farm and she’s headed for serious trouble with the Council.  She would not shut up. Took foreva to mute her. The chairman threatened to shut down the meeting, she still didn’t stop attacking.  She was kinda hard to understand at one point. Just spitting and babbling.”

Roe: ” Consider it a blessing.”

 

 

The complaints about Greendeer and his potential legal problems have not stopped him from obsessing on all the wrong things. He has produced nothing but scandal.

Minnie Ah Ha “ I need to know about what I saw earlier this week. I

Minnie is stunned by Green deer’s audacity. But so is everyone else.

walked into the government center and in the rotundaall the department directors were standing in a circle around the TA. What’s his name Cujo?

Herrin’ ” Not really it’s David Greendeer. The guy is a mess.

Minnie Ah Ha ” I should say so.  He had them standing in this meeting for nearly an hour. Elders, a pregnant woman standing as he prayed for 15 minutes. He talked a lot of nonsense for most the time before he asked what was on their calendars for next week.

Roe “Puttin’ on quite a show for all to see. He was trying to chat Natalie up the other day.  That had ta be comical. But his actions speak louder than silly words.. Maybe if he showed up a did some work instead of chasing all the women in the Tribe he wouldn’t be in so much trouble.”

Minnie Ah Ha “Oh my. How do you know this?”

Herrin’ ” The man’s prolific, brazen. Women complain about him openly and loud…in the building, out of the building. The dude knows no boundaries.”

Minnie Ah Ha ” But he has legal issues pending right? I just don’t understand.”

Roe ” Don’t worry.  He’ll understand soon enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Chairman! Mr. Chairman!

Quahog Pie only shows up to chastise Tribal Chairmen. It’s just not a good sign.

So, Quahog Pie came into the Government Center looking for the chairman. He hasn’t been there since Cedric Cromwell started side winding years ago. But now, there’s a lot of bad vibes, lota jealousy and erratic dictatorial behavior that interferes with government operations…. So Quahog Pie waits in the lobby touching Alice Lopez’s statute, reading the notices and posters, examining the beautiful murals, peering at John Peters bust through the Elders door. He smiles with pride.

But it fades quickly.

Quahog Pie told no one he was coming.  He doesn’t have too. He has nothing but time. He never grows old, he answers to no one. A youth who is uninhibited, and tells what he sees, is the most honest broker. He waits and waits and waits for the tribal chairman.

The chairman finally appears lumbering across the rotunda, tall, and gray faced, into the Council chamber to talk to new council members, (that he hadn’t sworn in for 2 1/2 weeks) and he emerges moments later. Quahog Pie begins.

“Mr. chairman, Mr. chairman! Why are you so angry? Why are you causing more

The memo would constitute a complete shutdown of the government led by disinterested and unstable administrators.

chaos issuing *Executive Orders” giving you unbridled authority over employees and Council members? We don’t have “Executive Orders” anywhere in our Constitution. Are you confused? Do you think you are the President of the United States? Or are you just trying to empower yourself to control and intimidate the new Council members?

No response

Staff and project workers have suffered from two previous tantrums by the chairman where he shut down projects and interrupted services.

“Mr. Chairman, why do you want all this responsibility now

when all the work has been done by others.  Not you. You have your propaganda machine giving you all credit. You made yourself a figurehead. You have no initiatives, no interest in addressing all the crisis around us. And you won’t attend meetings. Important meetings on finance, reducing the Tribal debt, and economic development. Addressing our spiritual needs, is of no interest to you. Worst of all, you don’t visit sites or congratulate 

Tribal members or staff for their work.   But you get that big fat check every week, and you take a lota trips.”

Mr. Chairman 

I didn’t go on the trip to DC for NCAI. How come? But actually, I’m glad. I heard all about it anyway. “

No response. 

“They said that man Alex Rodriquez paid for $100 steak dinners for tribal youth. They could have done pizza and hamburgers Mr. Chairman. Is he your advisor now? An outsider? A grifter. That’s the word on Rt 130.” 

No response

“Why did you lie about Tribal support? We were silent about your alleged incident. The tribal position was clearly stated on the website. Whatever your actions were, they belonged to you. The Tribe spoke loudly again this election.” 

No response

“Why did you make Steve Peters (III) lie in our name? Like we condoned your accused wrongdoing. This was a planted story by Paula Peters that appeared nowhere else. But the circulation in Indian Country only brought us more shame.

 Mashpee Tribe Offers Show of Support for Chairman Charged in Thefts

 BY JENNA KUNZE

Native News Online

JANUARY 12, 2023
One week after pleading not guilty to two criminal theft charges, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Brian Weeden returned to work today amid a show of support from the Tribe.

Brian Weeden (Photo: Mashpee Wampanoag Website)
Chairman Weeden, 30, had been on paid leave since early December 2022, when he was identified as a suspect in the theft of cultural items from the Plimoth Patuxet Museums in Plymouth, Mass. He was charged with breaking and entering and felony larceny of more than $1,200, according to Plymouth District Court.
Weeden pleaded not guilty to the charges in Plymouth District Court on Jan. 5.
At a tribal council meeting last night—the final day of Weeden’s paid leave—tribal council members discussed the situation with their chairman, according to the tribal spokesperson, Steven Peters.
In a statement provided to Native News Online, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council said the following regarding Weeden’s return from the leave: “Brian Weeden was elected Chairman in 2021 and has served his people in that capacity continuously since his election. Chairman Weeden has worked effectively for his people securing land in trust, a record amount of grant funding, and strengthening our cultural ties and economic development for future generations. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe stands united with our Chairman and Tribal Council.”
“Mr. Chairman, this statement was not from the Council or the Tribe. No surprise here Mr. Chairman. You are using the same spokesperson as Cedric Cromwell, Paula Peters. She led the campaign that ushered Cedric Cromwell into power, setting us back 30 years. And now she has her tenacles in you. Her war with Plimoth Plantation is not ours. We have never been fans of Plimoth, but we’ve been anxious to have our own living village, on our own land, revealing our ancient legacy. 
Not a deer farm, Mr. Chairman.”
The Chairman covered his ears and stepped into the elevator.

The more things change………..

The Chairman is taking it mighty slow at our expense.

The election results sent a message. The Tribe wanted change. Apparently, the Chairman was in no rush. He cancelled the Wednesday Feb 15 Council meeting and scheduled one for March 8, That’s nearly a month’s delay. Instead of performing the ceremonial swearing in of the six council members, he delayed it for ten days. So, maybe it will happen this Wednesday. Who knows? And then there’s the budget.  It will be delayed again. He’s headed to an NCAI meeting, his second major trip in a month’s time. You try to figure out what this is all about because we don’t get it.

Sober House living room

 PROJECTS MOVE AHEAD, TRIBE ON TARGET WITH CRITICAL PROJECTS

The men’s sober house has been fully renovated and will be ready for occupancy in March. The home will accommodate 8 men in the 4 bedroom, two bath, house.  The house has a large Livingroom, dining room and kitchen. The live in director has an apartment downstairs. Tribal members and friends

The place is so nice you don’t want to leave.

donated the furniture, and appliances for men in recovery. Vice Chairman Carlton Hendricks, Jr. says this community partnership will help to make the program a success.  He adds that another home is set to be renovated soon.

A tour of the oyster farm (HACCP facility) is pretty remarkable. The

The facility will pump thousands of dollars into our economy.

building (60 x 60)is closed in, and the finishing touches are being made for the processing of shellfish. The latest equipment including conveyors, to sort, clean, and distribute shellfish is set for

David Pocknett, Jr. shows off hundreds of traps made by the team.

delivery. The HACCP team made the hundreds of traps that line the building. Tribal men have played a major role in building this facility that will move the tribe into the marketplace on every level. We will be competitive by producing, harvesting, and selling oysters and clams. A fish market is also on the horizon.          

The shelter for the homeless is also close to opening.  It’s another project opening to serve an urgent need.

This is what the tribal government is supposed to do. Serve. Do the work. With the new diverse Council all the weight will no longer be on be on the Wamp 5 (2 officers and 3 Council members) The 7 will help us catch up after loosing so much time and so many lives.