Yes Bird….the word from Sassy Mashpee women who know more than you think. Joining Herrin’ & Roe, Weetamoo, Quahog Pie and Minnie Ah Hah. No lies…no secrets. Truth.
Our matriarchal society hasn’t changed. Even though we haven’t had a female tribal chairman, there are many who dare to challenge that assumption.
H & R called a special meeting to address the State of Emergency created by CK & his Cliff Walkers.
So, Herrin’ and Roe called a Special Meeting. Being Elders, they invited GenZ youth, Weetamoo and Quahog Pie. Of course, they asked Minnie Ah Hah to attend. Since she refuses to update her photo or tell her true age, H & R created the “Timeless” category for her. They met on the river to avoid the spies. The problem, the disfunction and inoperable tribal government.
Herrin’: “Alright, it’s quite a mess ova there with CK and his CW’s. We are at a complete standstill. No budget. We don’t have department heads. And the Chairman’s still runnin’ all over the country, posting salacious topics on social media and collecting almost $3k a week. All we get is his whining and personal grievances. ”
Quahog Pie: “Uncle who is CK and the CW’s?”
Herrin’: “Brian, the Child King and his minions are The Cliff Walkers.”
Weetamoo: “I thought the chairman was “PP” Peter Pan.”
Minnie Ah Hah, a stickler for decency and accountability, has given up on the Child King.
Roe: “No, he graduated to Child King as the chairman. His loyalists and BP will walk off a cliff for him. It’s really somethin’ to see.”
Minnie Ah Hah: “That is foolishness. Who follows a petulant child?”
Roe: ” Numbskulls.”
Minnie Ah Hah: “Must be so because we’ve been on the road to nowhere since he took over Operations.”
Quahog Pie thought TAT was “make believe.” But he’s very real and always present when there’s money involved, and not so mysteriously disappears.
Such a shame. Blaming it on the other officers, which is another violation the Constitution. The old timers would not stand for this. This is happening because we have no spiritual guidance.”
Herrin’: “Come on, we got BP! ”
Minnie Ah Hah: “BP?”
That would be “Big Perp.” Guy Cash. The man perpetrating a fraud as the Medicine Man.
Roe: “He’s perpetrating alright. Title only. And the man has no mirrors in his house.”
Quahog Pie: “So he’s a Vampire?”
Herrin’: “Worse than that. He can’t stand to look at himself cause the reflection is of the ancestors kickin’ his ass. Callin’ him “a fake and a fraud.”
Minnie Ah Hah: ” Language young man!”
Roe: ” A fake ana fraud.”
Minnie Ah Hah: “A fake and a fraud.”
Weetamoo is so worried about the Cliff Walkers and the Child King, she vowed to mobilize Tribal youth.
Weetamoo: “Well who did his naming ceremony?
Herrin’: “We’re not allowed to tell. But it wasn’t The Cliff Walkers.
Quahog Pie: “Do they really walk off Cliffs for The Child King uncle?”
Roe: ” Yaah.. right into the inferno of old smoldering seaweed, hot rocks, rotten clams and broken quahog shells…. not exactly a redeeming sweat lodge.”
Herrin’: “Awful. That’s their penance apparently.”
Weetamoo;” What’s penance uncle?”
Herrin’: Look it up girl. They’re quite a crew. The leader is TBL, Winnie, The Biggest Looser, LW Winnona, Lovely Winnona… ahem, MP David Weeden MagPie and the infamous TAT, Bobby, The Alleged Treasurer.”
Roe: “That TAT has staying power, I’ll say that.”
Minnie Ah Hah: “His reputation for skullduggery has rewarded him with more nick names than anyone in the Tribe.
Herrin’: “Yaaas Yas. The Floater, Repo Man, No GED for Me, Foreclosed Forever, and now The
TAT continues to prove that his audacity and mendacity is immeasurable. During work hours he’s chillin’. It’s certification for membership in the Cliff Walkers.
Alleged Treasurer. Who would have the nerve to take the job with that kind of past?
ALL: “TAT”
Quahog Pie: “Is he really the Treasurer? Cause when I ask people they just start laughing.
Roe: “Is CK the chairman? Course he is.”
Quahog Pie:” But I thought it was make-believe, you know?”
Herrin’: It’s no fantasy. It’s a nightmare. He slipped in just like Winnie did. CK violated the Constitution twice to gain political power. Now CK has made TAT the liaison to the Emergency Management Department. Revenge against Nelson Andrews’ success and service. TAT will begin his “Disappearing Act.” Watch the equipment….poof.”
Weetamoo: “This is awful. And what about the Pow Wow? Are we going to have it? Did the TAT man finds the money?”
Herrin’: “Yet another mystery in the hands of TAT.”
Why would that even come out of his mouth. A budget item for a deer farm? Oooooh CK!!!!
Quahog Pie: ” Uncle, we ask permission to leave. This whole thing is a lot for us. We want to go to the deer farm. ”
Roe; ” Go where you want, but there ain’t no deer farm. So stunneded. The most ridiculous idea ever made by CK. You kids go on home.
Minnie: Ah Hah: ” Well the ancestors apparently have spoken to The Child King. He’s taking down all his mirrors.”
Herrin’: “Too late for the Cliff Walkers though. Following this kid is like booking passage on the Titanic.
No refund no return.
Herrin’ & Roe: “SMDH”
(Translation: Shaking My Damn Head)
So, if it weren’t so sad it would be funny, but it’s not. Once again the Pow Wow is being undermined by the woefully inadequate treasurer and chairman. It’s so pathetic, we’ll give you the short version. So the Pow Wow Committee, led by Maddas, Victoria and other capable women, started their work on the
The Alleged Treasurer leaves his buddy Cedric’s federal court hearing years ago with that worried look on his face. The Pow Wow has haunted him since $30k came up missing on his watch in 2008. Deja vu baby. You betta give up the ghost.
project. First thing they did was ask Bobby (The Alleged Treasurer) for a budget. He said they had $43k. Well okay. With that in mind, they proceed to pull things together. And that’s quite a job. Dealing with vendors, drummers, dancers, head man & woman dancers, judges, arena directors, EMS, security, the clam bake, fireball, cash registers, advertising and on and on.
The Pow Wow is about two and a half weeks away and they needed answers and money to move forward. They emailed and texted The Alleged Treasurer got no response for days on end. He was ghosting them hard. When they finally cornered him, he confessed the $43K was missing….but get this. The committee raised and deposited an additional $17k and, WAIT FOR IT….that’s gone too!
We’re going to leave that right there; cause we all know what needs to happen.
COMMICAL NEW SPIN….. just to keep you updated. The
Download it and read along. See for yourself. It’s just the Constitution, what do they care?
Child King is circulating new deflecting talking points saying all the officers are responsible for Operations (the collapse of the Tribal government). Once again, he shirked responsibility, empowering himself with oversight of operations. He’s just incapable of doing any work or accepting responsibility. That pesky Resolution 33 did it. Another unconstitutional action. Violating the Constitution is an obsession with him. Maybe he should read it. It defines all the responsibilities of the officers. Operations is supposed to be the VC’s job. But CK wanted it and here we are.
It’s gettin’ hot in here.
Last night’s Tribal Council meeting gave us a front row seat to history and the evolution of the Child King’s
Brian Weeden could have been the pride of the Tribe. He chose instead to disappoint us over and over again.
fiefdom. The debate revealed who believed in the rule of law and who worshiped at the foot of the Child King. The center of the storm once again is CK’s dear friend Minnie Winnie. So, with Rita’s resignation, he hastily called a meeting some weeks ago. He installed his cohort with a Council vote that barely made a quorum. The Constitution be damned. The Constitution says that within a year of that election, the replacement shall be the next highest vote getter to the person being replaced (Rita). Otherwise, you have to have a special election.
As it turns out, Winnie Johnson Graham was not the next vote getter. Not even close. It was Natana who was elected to a seat. But there’s more….Winnie came in 4th behind Rita.
Here’s the vote count
Nelson 298
Mingo 285
Rita 270
Nitana 258
Roxanne 228
Winnona 192
Winnie 185
Pocknett checked the Council about using abstentions to avoid making tough votes. The membership should know where they stand on issues.
Let’s back up to Public Comment for a minute. David Pocknett reminded Council members that their habit of constantly abstaining on votes actually violates their oath of office in many ways. He emphasized that we elect them to take a position and vote. Evading responsibility is not part of the deal. And he’s right.
So the resolution to have a Special Election was on the table. Let’s be clear. The Constitution is sacrosanct. It is Tribal law. It is clear that the person placing second behind the candidate whose seat is in contention takes the seat, if the vacancy occurs within a year of the election. Well, as usual, the intent of the law was ignored. CK had to rebuild his voting block with the addition of Winnie,” The Biggest Loser.” And trust us. He’s making a lot of promises around that table.
We all know Winnie would not survive a Special Election. She was stomped when she ran for Vice Chair against Carlton Hendricks, Jr. in 2021 who beat her by 99 votes. In a Tribal election that’s a thrashing. Apparently that humiliation wasn’t enough which brings us to her run for Council where she came in 7th behind Lovely Winnona no less. Tribal members were done with The Biggest Loser.
WAMP FACT: The Biggest Loser was banned from attending the Elders Lunch & Learn and fired from
Winnie’s importance to CK’s power grab sunk to a new low when he restored “The Biggest Loser” to the Council. It reeks of desperation in light of the fact that he okayed her removal from various jobs and posts at the height of her disruptive and vulgar behavior.
working at the farm after a screeching sexually derogatory comments at male workers. Winnie sold the Tribe a broken-down Bobcat for $12K. And prior to that she was jailed for beating up her pregnant cousin. It’s a lot. But it’s on the record as truth.
During the Special Election debate, Hendricks argued the need to understand and protect the Constitution, the integrity of the Tribal political process, and responsibilities of elected Council members. Winnie was inappropriately allowed to deliver another one of her grievous rants: “We all know what you’re trying to do. You can’t stand me. You talk about integrity. You don’t have integrity. I have integrity. I have served as a volunteer for 30 years. My people know me as a loving person. They told me they want us to work together.” At Reel Wamps we were listening to her blather with her nasty tone of indignance. It made us laugh out loud and spill the popcorn. Ya, she actually said she has integrity. What she has is amnesia.
But more seriously the Chief brought reality to the discussion by pointing out Tribal traditions in selecting leaders and its relationship to what is law. He said, “I don’t care for some parts of our Constitution, but it is the law. The section about taking the second highest vote getter is the problem. So what do we do when the second highest vote getter is not available, do we go to the next one and the next one and the next one down the line? Our tradition has always been to vote for our representatives. Always. That’s why we should have a Special Election.” Apparently, some Council members had little interest in allowing the Tribe to vote. Anointing Winnie was the goal. Kind of a monarchy thing.
The last time this issue came up we ended up with Bobby Foster as the Treasurer because Brian wanted him there. Heretofore, that method had never been used before. They fought over the “within the calendar year” requirement (for the second highest vote getter). Missing that deadline requires a Special Election. Did it start from the day of the election or in January? Stupid. Obvious. The court refused to take it up. Whichever way it you choose to view it, Bobby missed the deadline. Anyway, ignoring the Constitution which mandates an election delivered Bobby as treasurer and you know the rest…now we’re about to get another doozie by ignoring Tribal law.
Roxanne said, “This should be settled in the court.” Of course, Lovely Winnona mimicked, “Ya send it to the court.” Not knowing past history, you’re bound to repeat it.
No one wanted to go down that rabbit hole again.
So, here’s how they voted on your right to vote on Rita’s replacement:
YES Chiefy, Carlo, Nelson, Mingo, Cassy,
NO: Roxanne, Winnona, David, Natana, Guy
An unusually snippy CK snapped at Rebeka, “What’s next?” We were howling. She told him to vote to break the tie. Like he didn’t know…… Incredulous, he snapped, ‘This is where it’s left up to me. I vote NO!”
So, Now The Child King has officially violated the Constitution, tradition and your right to vote.
Another thing to watch is the eventual appearance of the budget. Clearly, CK made some big promises to push Winnie over the line. Certain department heads are mighty short on cash. Keep an eye out.
Poor Guy, He lost respect and relevancy 15 years ago. His purpose in the Traditional Medicine Man role remains unknown.
Another WAMP FACT: Guy Cash is the only Medicine Man in the Wampanoag Nation to get paid. Under Cedric he raked in $75K a year. When the money ran out. He ghosted us. To refer to him as a Medicine Man is a dubious claim. The man does not preside over any ceremony because no one wants him to. The only time you see him is at Council meetings. He has the nerve to stay on. A man without respect or purpose.
THE GOOD NEWS
As the fall semester approaches for college students, we wanted to make sure that Mashpee Wampanoag parents needing resources for tuition and other costs check with the Rhode Island Indian Council. Most of our parents are well acquainted with RIIC, but for those who are not, they’re extremely helpful in providing assistance to Native families. Contact Colleen De Vincentis @ 401-781-1098
You know, our political history is a barometer of how things go south. It’s pretty remarkable. Here’s where the problem began. By the early 70’s, the White people started moving into Mashpee. They already stole and developed New Seabury, heretofore known as South Mashpee, and things started sliding. They never wanted to come around the rotary down Great Neck Road. But when they ventured in, they took over politically, outnumbered us and began erasing us culturally and politically. Those of us who say they don’t like politics apparently aren’t living because everything we do is political. Our relationship with the Creator is the only instance where there is no compromise.
Anyway they never knew what to do or think about us. Thier deference toward us was short lived. And the racism crept in as usual and never left. So here we are. And any respect for our people or our government has diminished beyond recognition, and we can attribute much of it to The Child King.
We have a Tribal Chairman, who is charged with felonies (sound familiar?) and rumored to be testifying
Popular Mashpee Selectman Steve Peters offers commitment by way of the time-honored handshake with Selectman Leo “Benny” Peters as Selectman Harrison Frye looks on. In our political culture, your word was (is) your bond. It is the only certainty anywhere in the world of politics.
against his cousin in July as part of his plea deal. Philly doesn’t deserve that, and we all know that if that’s the case it could be devastating. It’s so outrageous, and the way The Child King carried on when he was threatened with council removal was even more disgraceful. Anyone else would have had the decency to resign to spare us the humiliation. But just like that “other guy,” it’s all about him.
Another quick rewind about our past politics. In the mid ’30’s a Harvard sociologist was researching the governing dynamics of small towns in Massachusetts. Of course, “The Old Indian Towne of Mashpee” received prominence in the report for its remarkable sophistication and foresight. The sociologist said the “Tribal Council hashed out issue differences before the required Town Hall meeting and provided a united front.” They did it that way because state house legislators frequently showed up to spy during the town meetings. That’s called walking in two worlds. We used it for centuries as the primary survival mechanism. And one of our renowned leaders was Steve Peters who leveraged his relationships with Joe Kennedy, the Roosevelt administration and the statehouse power brokers to benefit his people. That’s how it’s supposed to work for tribal leaders who walk in both worlds.
A rare moment. The chairman in his office. Notice the clean desk. No one ever takes a picture with a desk so immaculate. (sigh…)
Unfortunately, we have none of that with Brian Weeden. The only thing you can count on is that he will be absent from even the most basic events and responsibilities. That is the easiest part of the job. He has no interest is visiting with members. The Walk of Honor for Mashpee High School graduates for one. An important milestone for Tribal families. The chairman was somewhere else and assigned no one to the ceremony. Now you will recall during his Peter Pan days on the Youth Council he kept extending the age limit, until he qualified to run for Council. We thought he was gunning for life membership. Everything is a steppingstone for his personal gain.
And once again, serious accusations of racism continue to bubble up at the Mashpee School. As a tribal chairman, and a school committee member, he does nothing. No investigation nothing. He chimed in via zoom for the horrible, videoed bullying of the young girl who went missing. That zoom appearance was on point. But he screwed that up too because he kept talking about himself. Saying ” I’m not hiding, I’m at NCAI.” Obviously, nothing about next steps and preventive measures came out of his mouth. He was hiding or somewhere he shouldn’t have been. Apparently CK ghosted the NCAI conference for days! Much more telling was that the chief of the host tribe for the NCAI conference had an invite only reception. All the players including Aquinnah and Pequot Chairs were there. The Child King was not invited.
So CK and his bestie Lovely Winona were partying down at NCAI while the Tribe burns. We still don’t understand why she was out there. Still in charge of Operations, Brian has failed miserably at running the government. He is oblivious to the need to hire and replace essential managers. How can you run something you don’t understand? So we haven’t had a Tribal Administrator since October 2023. But we never had one. Cuno, Brian’s partner in —–, was on paid vacation for 2 years managing nothing. We have a Comptroller, John Larson, who is Cuno’s boy, collecting $150k a year and can’t produce a budget or the audits needed to keep most of our grants going. If it weren’t for Nelson Andrews, cranking grants we would be on the side of the road with a tin cup. So, for all practical purposes, the comptroller position is vacant. Andrews resigned as Emergency Management Director accepting an important appointment as FEMA liaison to 10 (eastern) tribal nations. Nelson has set a high bar nationally and continues to bring credibility to our tribal brand. The scary thing is that Brian has assigned liaisons Lovely Winona and Bobby to take over Emergency Management, the most self-sufficient department in the Tribe. Can you imagine those two in charge of millions of dollars in
They’re jealousy of Nelson Andrews is so over the top they dispatched Ellen Frye Sharp to spew nonsense about reimbursements. How about finding that $60k that disappeared on your watch “Little Miss Do Not Hire.”
equipment? Boats, generators, trucks and lots of inventory. Ya… nightmarish! We’re still looking for the Pow Wow money Bobby was last seen with. Marita Scott quit to go on to bigger and better things shortly after she tried to fire an incompetent pal of the Child King’s. So, the HR post is vacant. The Housing Director position is vacant, but thankfully, Corine has done a serious heavy lift serving as Interim Director. Rita Pocknett’s departure, though a BIA position, was another blow because she is a well-liked tribal member who headed Indian Health Services. But more importantly, she was a council member who often voted against the Child King regime and CK gleefully expedited her replacement with you know who …ahem. Whatta ya expect? He has no plan, no agenda, he has never helped Tribal members, and has no regrets. It empowered his regime reinforced by his Lady in Waiting, Tribal Attorney Rebeka. The tribal attorney tile is dubious to say the least. She works for the Regime. To review her work ethic warrants a separate post. We will say one thing. When the Genting was paying the tab, she hired more outside counsel than Donald Trump. Again, what does she do for $20K a month? Write resolutions? Advise Brian? Once again it was about him not us.
So, we have 6 Department head vacancies, and The Child King continues to show his disinterest in doing his job..
More signs of government collapse is the ransom and hacking of the tribal internet/email system. So damned ridiculous. Lotta money wasted there when internal IT had it worked out. Brian’s pal Alex is suspected of having his sticky little hands all over this and paying the bill for his boutique law firm. The irony is that the zoom Council meeting calls had just been restored with heightened security. That was a good move toward transparency. But when Winnie’s meeting came up…The Iron Curtain came down. Tribal members could not access the Zoom meeting. Only the lawyers. Again, why all these lawyers? Well, they had a lot to hide. And a lot of misinformation was spewed.
The Tribe’s right to know is at stake and THE ELDERS HAVE MADE CLEAR THAT THEY FEEL THE TRIBE’S RIGHT TO VOTE IS IN JEPROADY. The Elders are hard to fool and for that reason Brian plans to try to move the 2025 election to May, in violation of the Constitution. Wellsa boy! Lookin’ for three extra months’ pay hu? That $35k should go to someone who will work for us.
THE GOOD NEWS!!!
US Senators Warren and Marky serve us and confirm our government-to-government relationship. CK needs to learn from his fellow officers and get to work so his vision extends beyond nonsensical “deer farm” budget requests.
We saved the best for last. Secretary Cassie Jackson and Vice Chairman Carlton Hendricks, Jr continue to do the work. They secured $1million federal appropriations for the Tribal homeless shelter. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Marky worked with Jackson and Hendricks to get it done. This is the second successful collaboration by the Secretary and Vice Chairman. The first was securing the $1.6 million to renovate the Parsonage.
Wednesdays Council meeting should be very interesting. If you can attend in person, you probably should.
Who knows when the Iron Curtain will come down again. Who knows.
