Reel Wamps

Dasia Peters hands the crown to her cousin Amiyah Peters who will reign until next year’s Pow Wow.

The Pow Wow Princess legacy lives on in the Peters (Costa) family lead by brothers Jermaine (AKA “Quahog”)( & Christine) and Randy III.  Jermaine’s beautiful Dasia gave up the crown to her cousin Amiyah (2022-2023) the daughter of Randy, whose sisters Chenoa and Ketura wore the crown previously. Amiya performed a lovely traditional blanket dance for her exhibition.

The ladies maternal great-grandmother Natalie Costa is a much loved Elder of one of the Mashpee Wampanoag’s oldest families, the Cowets.  They are smart, talented and beautiful representatives of our people. Good luck Amiyah!

SHOWS ABOUT NDN’S YOU GOTTA WATCH

People are fascinated with Native Americans and for the first time in decades a slew of TV series and movies produced with Native actors by Natives and are digging into what that Native Life is for real.

Dark Winds—Is an excellent mystery suspense with an all-Native cast on a Navajo

Walking in two worlds is tough as depicted in Dark Winds a well-produced mystery revealing the difficult life on a desolate Navajo reservation in the 70’s.

reservation centered around a small tribal police force trying to resolve murder robbery that heaps tribal revenge on the “colonizing demons,” spells, the FBI and all the social problems Native people experience in the workplace and at home.

AMC Sunday 9pm

Dreaming of ways to get off the reservation while trying to deal with the crazies surrounding you.

Reservation Dogs- Oklahoma reservation this comedy is full of characters found in every tribe. It centers on a crew of diverse hustling young Natives with big dreams that are hard to fulfill. Watch for the ghost …the funniest guy in the show. Catch up on Season 1 on Hulu or FX.

             HULU Season 2 — August 3

RUTHERFORD FALLS--A comedy that closely resembles us in that the tribe is in northern New York,

Rutherford Falls has everything! even PretendYins

still lives on their land surrounded by Whites. Their reservation and government are functioning ” the Indian way.” Unlike us they have a casino and they’re branching out with a marijuana business, lots of land to give away and a cultural center etc. It also has a transgender Native character. Maybe we can learn something.  It is funny. Got a new word for those nuts we run into all the time...”PRETENDYINS”

   Catch up on the 2 seasons on Peacock

We could make millions on a Mashpee show.  We wouldn’t have to make anything up.

Council Meeting

The Old Indian Church Cemetery is the resting place for ancestors who deserve better. Rosalie Newcomb is right.

Since the Mittark continues to be very selective about what they print…we thought we would talk about some Council activity that people actually care about….since few people read the Mittark  anyway.

Everyone complains about the bad activity going on at the cemetery. Rosalie Newcomb is always reminding Council about what goes on over there in plain sight. Thank you Rosalie.

Her points:

• People are over there partying and drinking.
• The trash and liquor bottles are everywhere.
• Bobby Foster is in charge and he’s been on vacation twice since he got the job.
• Camera’s and security are needed.
• The whole thing is a disgrace to the ancestors.

All true Rosalie.

So she was told  there would be a follow up with the Tribal Administrator.  Ahem…

Ok so the Tribal Administrator is someone nobody sees.  The last time he actually took action was a couple of months ago

“The Floater” —Bobby’s wherever he wants to be whenever. A true Mashpee Wampanoag “Phenom.”

when he said that employees could take 2 hours off a day and fish. And that didn’t include the lunch hour either. That little faux pas was quashed within hours by a council member….. as she laughed all the way back to her office.  No one could figure out what the hell he was thinking because it was so outrageous. As for reigning in the notorious Repo Man (AKA  Bobby Foster) that could be tough since he’s been spotted touring Mashpee in a new ride…a Jaguar. Boby’s trifling ways are part of his incredible legacy….he’s held every job at the Council and never hit a lick.

The Code of Conduct should be implemented in a month.  

The language program will be brought under the Tribe which has been long awaited. There is a $276K deficit because of a lapsed grant. The Tribe will pay the bill and be reimbursed when the grant is restored.

Champion builders should complete the second phase of the housing project in 140 days. The company gets high marks for quality work but the Tribe is still negotiating to secure the bonding. Right now there is a 10% hold back of funds as opposed to a bond.

Rita is a talented professional. We’re lucky she’s on the Council and leading IHS.

Council Member Recognition

On May 18th Council members Rita Pocknett and Nelson Andrews received the Unsung Heroes

Nelson brings us national recognition. Positive press is good.

Award from the Mashpee Chamber of Commerce.  Needless to say, that’s a good thing.  Both council members hold important posts in the Tribal government that play important roles in maintaining good quality of life in our community. Our Indian Health Services department provides excellent service to tribal members and is a constant source of innovation and administrative efficiency that benefits the Tribe thanks to Rita. Nelson’s management and expansion of tribal Emergency Management is recognized and cited in Indian Country as an example of a well-run program. He’s called upon to present as an expert on tribal emergency management for FEMA and NCAI. Nelson constantly seeks out revenue sources and grants to self fund his department. He recently brought more distinction to Tribe when the MWT was the only Native Nation participating in the AmeriCorps/CDC initiative that will recruit, train, and develop future physicians, nurses, social workers, and other professionals in the public health sphere.

Good stuff to have our leaders recognized locally and nationally.  We need to say thanks too.

FIELD DAY IS BACK Get the KIDS OVER THERE!

        Lots going on….. don’t miss it!

It’s hard to imagine what Cedric was thinking during his trial because there just wasn’t a bright spot to be found. For someone who pleaded not guilty and was convicted on 6 of 8 counts, he either got some bad advice or thought he could get away with some really bad actions.

Now some of his crew tried to be evasive, like Trish and Bobby Foster.  They served on the Gaming Authority where at least $650 million was funneled to Genting vendors, lawyers, consultants, architects, builders and every non-tribal member you could imagine.

They were clearly watching too much Law and Order because they (Trish and Bobby) kept saying, ” I don’t recall.” and it was all in the FBI record. Stupid. Bobby’s complicity is beyond reproach. And Dino, Bobby’s cut buddy was so awful, we can’t talk about it here. Well, Robbie Hendricks told the truth.  Whatever contract Cedric wanted he got, no questions asked.

They called themselves Partners in Progress. On the gravy train. But, in the end, they abandoned Cedric. A Black man who attends Mashpee Baptist Church had to give him a ride to federal court in Boston.

Cedric had one character witness…Dan Neuy who served on the Gaming Authority, a cop no less insisted that he be paid. He showed up but the defense never called him. What does that tell you?

And yes, Trish ushered Cedric in with her cousin Paula Peters in the beginning with the 2009 election where non-tribal

Once again Bobby, the guy with a forged GED, is at the center of the storm with stupid dog tricks and a big salary. Yup. And a player in a federal criminal trial.

members voted and Bobby Foster was the caretaker of disheveled ballots that could not be validated and mysteriously disappeared. Incredible. The BIA was begged to help 3 times.  Tribal Elders took Cedric to court.  They kept on. Winnie Johnson was easily the most prolific Cedric cheerleader even after the indictments.  The shrewd  Yvonne, never out of power went along for the ride for 12 years. Finally, she resigned from the Gaming Authority as secretary after the FBI called her in asking for the minutes. Ahem.

Paula and Trish launched a regime that destroyed the Mashpee Wampanoag and a family legacy of Tribal progress for their own self-aggrandizement. A few of the Steve Peters family try to ignore this degradation of the influential family but it is a disgusting reality. It was initiated by a very few. But their actions impacted many  Mashpee in a bad way.

“Hap” Peters was beloved for initiating progress while preserving our unique culture. His children kept that tradition but some of the grandchildren chose the corrupting influence of power over the Tribe.

They are just as guilty as those Reel Wamps has criticized repeatedly for over a decade because they failed their ancestors by joining the corrupt regime.

There is not a damned thing about a Mashpee family that we don’t know…if we’re Real Mashpee. But quiet is kept, we hold it close because it is still us against them.

So think about where you think we should go from here.

What the future looks like for you and your family. You have a right to a good quality of life.

Sometimes we go deep here about our problems.  But it’s better to know than not know when someone aiming to hatchet you in the back.

Cedric’s bribery trial turned into a freaking nightmare. Stay tuned.

Beginning May 1, enrolled Tribal members will be able to go online or fill out a paper application to receive the disbursements from the American Rescue Plan Act.  Allocations of $750 for youth up to 17and $1,750 for adults 18 and over. The only no vote was Councilman David Weeden.

An Interesting discussion was the report of statehouse lobbying efforts by the  Hickey firm. The firm gets a flat fee of $12,500 a month which is a good deal for the Tribe. Because hourly billing is brutal. But most who know the process know that lobbyists rarely bill hourly.  Nonetheless, we were raped by Genting law firms under the Cromwell administration so thankfully we are not going through that nightmare.  Hickey has been working for 6 months. Their report was about sports betting and how we’re ” doing really well” with that.  The marijuana opportunity, likewise.  Aboriginal fishing rights were a little more detailed but there was no discussion of a means of enforcement of punishment for harassing and assaulting Natives while lawfully fishing. Councilman Aaron Tobey found a number of areas where the Mashpee Wampanoag were excluded and had been excluded from participating in projects (for 5 years)  where we would receive major benefits.

So the lobbyist opened his presentation with the statement that he knew the Council was “unfamiliar” with the legislative process. That was telling, but also dangerous because there’s always someone in the room who is familiar. He praised Councilman David Weeden for finding “15” instances where the Mashpee Wampanoag or Native Americans were not mentioned in legislation….an intern could have done that in10 minutes. Left out were the tangibles. Where is the legislation or the amendments? Who are the sponsors in the House and the Senate? Where is the legislation in the committee process in the House and Senate ( some bills have 3-4 committee references which is a killer). Is your amendment attached to a bunch of bills? When is it coming to the floor for a vote? Which reading is it on… Who’s trying to kill your bills? When is the conference committee if needed? Which council member or staff is tracking the progress of everything? And there are many more things to watch. When you don’t know…it’s a boon for the lobbyist who tell you, this will take longer than we thought.

Don’t worry about the activity report attached to the invoice if you don’t understand what the hell is going on.

By the way, getting on calls with senators is an old trick. That’s what lobbyists do.  They let you chat it up with a Senator or Rep but how long are you on the hook before you realize ain’t nothing happening? Another thing, they dumped the #3 rated congressional lobbying firm in the country with 120 lobbyists because they said they were not delivering.  Well, no one told the people what to do.  Course Genting was in charge.  They are in charge again…in DC.  Genting. In 12 years they never got our land in trust.  They got us nothing. Geting is not our friend. The $850m debt looms waiting to gobble up anything we would make on the lucrative sports betting unless things change.

If you don’t know what to ask, it sounds glorious.

But Councilman Carlton Hendrick, Jr.asked the question. “How long is this going to take?” He got no answer. They hired Hickey for another 6 months.

Some good news was the CDC is incorporated..again. The Tribe can get down to business.

Lotta movement on the Council agenda. That’s a good thing.