The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) (Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project – "Fun with words" https://www.wlrp.org/fun-with-words) is a federally recognized tribe of Wampanoag people based in the town of Aquinnah on the southwest tip of Martha's Vineyard (, the land amid the streams) in Massachusetts (), United States. Region 1: EPA New England. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
The tribe received official recognition in 1987, the same year that their land claim on Martha's Vineyard was settled by an act of Congress, with agreement by the state and the United States Department of Interior. The government took into trust on behalf of the tribe 485 acres of Tribal Lands purchased (160 acres private and approximately 325 acres common lands).
Government and area of residence The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head is governed by an elected eleven-member council. The administration as of September 2026 is as follows.
Chairman: Kevin DeVine Vice-chairman: Alvin Clark Jr. Treasurer: Durwood Vanderhoop Secretary: Tobias Vanderhoop Council: Linda Coombs Council: Camille Madison Council: Paul Jeffers-Mayhew
Council: Steven Craddock Council: Janette Vanderhoop Council: NaDaizja Bolling Council: Amira Madison Honorary Tribal Chief: F. Ryan Malonson Honorary Tribal Medicine Man: Jason Baird
The tribe's honorary tribal chief and the medicine man are hereditary positions held for life.
Placenames in area of residence The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head refers to its area of residence as Noepe. Local placenames are as follows: Kehtashimet (Lake Tashmoo in Vineyard Haven): Place of a great spring Kuppiauk (Area of Tisbury Great Pond): Heavily-wooded expanse of land Massapootoeauke (near Quansoo): Land of great blowing [whales] Msquepunauket (Squibnocket): At the place of the red cliff or bank Nashawahkamuk (Chilmark): Between the land (common land for hunting) Nunnepog: A pond (body of unsalted water); literally means "when there is water there" Sanchiacantacket (Sengekontacket): Place where the brook flows into the river Taakemmy (West Tisbury): Where he or she strikes it (corn processing place) Tchepiaquidenet (Chappaquiddick): Place of separate island Waskosim (North Road): New stone Winnetukqet (Edgartown Great Pond): Place of good river
Economic development The Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe operates a shellfish hatchery on Menemsha Pond, cultivating oysters. Tourism is also very important to the tribe. Aquinnah circle has been deemed a cultural and historical site by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is the first town-tribe partnership in the nation. The town of Aquinnah owns the publicly accessible land atop the cliffs, but the tribe has right of refusal for all lease agreements.
In 2011, the state of Massachusetts passed a law allowing legalized gambling, and federally recognized Native American tribes began to develop proposals to develop casinos.
Faced with state opposition to a Class III facility on its land, in 2013 the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head proposed a Class II facility to be developed on its property. The state and town filed suit against it in federal district court, and the judge ruled in their favor. The tribe, together with the Department of Interior, appealed to the US Court of Appeals, First Circuit, defending its case in December 2016.
Many tribal members own their own businesses, while others have had to move off island for employment.
History and origins
Wampanoag people have lived in the area of Aquinnah, Massachusetts, for millennia on the island of Noepe. Traditional Wampanoag legend states that Moshup, a giant, created Noepe. When walking across the mainland he grew tired, dragging his feet. The trench he created with his foot filled up with water, separating the island from the mainland. The first Wampanoag arrived on the island and discovered the island was inhabited by Moshup and his wife, Squant. Traditionally, they fished, grew crops, and hunted whales. Moshup provided the Wampanoag with food and general knowledge of the land, living side by side. Squant's moods controlled the presence of a great storm. The yearly custom among the Wampanoag was to hold a meeting to decide where they would plant. The Wampanoag women planted the "three sisters," corn, bean, and squash. Once the European settlers arrived, Moshup left the island. As he left, he threw a whale against the cliffs in anger which resulted in the eroded appearance seen today.
In 1611, Captain Edward Harlow arrived to Noepe and kidnapped a Wampanoag named Epenow, bringing him back to London. Epenow devised an escape plan, telling his captors of gold on the Island. A British expedition returned to Noepe in search of these riches - with Epenow leading the way. When the ship was close to the shore, Epenow dove into the water and swam to safety.
In 1641, Thomas Mayhew Sr. acquired the land from a sachem named Tawanquatuck. English people began settling in the region in large numbers by the 17th and 18th centuries. A year later, Puritan preacher Thomas Mayhew Jr. arrived. He aimed to convert the Wampanoags to Christianity. Hiacoome is believed to be the first Wampanoag to convert to Christianity in 1643, eventually helping Thomas Mayhew Jr convert more members of the tribe. Hiacoome eventually became ordained and the pastor of the Meeting House. Interactions between the Wampanoag and the English often led to violence, resulting in the abduction of Wampanoags, followed by tribal retaliation. Over time, the Wampanoag were dispossessed of the land, and disease epidemics decreased the Indigenous population by about half."History and Culture." Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
Some Wampanoags intermarried with English colonists and later European-American generations. As the Wampanoag had a matrilineal kinship system, they considered all children born to their women to be Wampanoag. Descent and inheritance passed through the women's lines.
Intermarriage between Black Americans and Native Americans was common in Massachusetts as early as the 17th century. A 1792 census of Wampanoag people at Gay Head showed that 28% of the tribe had African ancestry. While many Wampanoags with African ancestry tried to distinguish themselves from the Black population, this did not always succeed from the perspective of the white population. People of mixed Black and Wampanoag ancestry were generally accepted as Wampanoag by the tribe as long as they remained on Martha's Vinyard. Black Wampanoags who moved away from the community could have their Native identity questioned, including by Wampanoag people. Due to intermarriage over the centuries, there are no "full-blood" Gay Head Wampanoags, as all have mixed ancestry.
In the 19th century, most Wampanoag men worked in the whaling industry onboard ships. Some advanced in rank; for instance, Amos Hoskins became master of the Massasoit in 1851.
20th century In 1972, the Wampanoag people on the island formed the Wampanoag Tribal Council of Gay Head, Inc. for cultural preservation and political self-determination. They filed a land claim suit in 1974, seeking to gain title to 3,000 acres of lands lost to the state and town. In the nineteenth century, these bodies had not gained federal approval through the Senate for extinguishment of Wampanoag title, as required under the 1790 Non-Intercourse Act. The Wampanoag claimed part of the public lands in the Town of Gay Head (now Aquinnah). The suit was controversial, clouding title to other lands in the town.
The U.S. federal government formally recognized the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) on April 10, 1987. Under the Massachusetts Indian Land Claim Settlement Act of 1987, the federal government agreed to take into trust on behalf of the tribe approximately 485 acres of tribal lands purchased (160 acres private and approximately 325 acres common lands). The Town of Aquinnah contributed some land and the state of Massachusetts contributed up to $2,250,000 to a fund so that the Wampanoag could acquire land to be held for communal purposes. Common lands include the Gay Head Cliffs, Herring Creek, and Lobsterville. The private lands are in several parcels. Other land owned by the tribe includes parcels in Christiantown and Chappaquiddick, both on the island."Massachusetts Indian Land Claim Settlement Act of 1987, 25 U.S.C. § 1771, et seq." The settlement provides details as to responsibilities and jurisdiction.
Since that time, in 1988 U.S. Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, to establish a regulatory framework for gaming on Native American lands within the jurisdiction of federally recognized tribes. As required by law, the tribe soon submitted its proposed gaming ordinance to the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).
Clay mining has been protected by the tribal constitution since 1995, ensuring tribal members access to the clay cliffs.
In 1998, the town name of Gay Head was corrected by the state legislature to the Wampanoag name of Aquinnah, recognizing tribal significance.
21st century The tribe withdrew its earlier proposed gaming ordinance, submitting an amended form in May 2013. By letter dated August 23 2013, the Solicitor of the Department of Interior responded to an inquiry by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) and said that the Wampanoag were not prohibited by the terms of their 1987 Settlement Act from applying for approval of gaming on their lands, in accordance with state laws."Aquinnah Settlement Act Interpretation", Ofc of the Solicitor, 23 August 2013, Dept. of Interior
The tribe has pulled back from an earlier proposal to develop a Class III gaming casino on its land, to which the state had objected. The state said the tribe was limited to local zoning on its land based on the 1987 settlement agreement.
The state had been working to license privately developed casinos in three regions of the state. This plan included negotiating with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe for a casino to be developed in Taunton, Massachusetts, which the tribe had acquired. This project was challenged in federal district court by opponents in February 2016 based on language defining Indian tribes recognized by the government in the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. It has been appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, for exploration of the definitions.
The governor and other parties opposed approving a Class III casino to be developed by the Wampanoag tribe on the Vineyard. As of 2014, the Gay Head Wampanoag proposed to adapt an existing building for a Class II boutique casino. It was challenged in federal district court in a suit by the state, joined by the Town of Aquinnah."Aquinnah, community group seek to join state suit against tribe casino", MV Times, 16 July 2014, at Aquinnah/Gay Head Community Association website, accessed 29 December 2014
In June 2016 the U.S. District Court ruled against the tribe. Judge J. Dennis Saylor IV said that the tribe was subject to state and local regulation of gambling. In addition, he determined that the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) did not have "sufficient governmental control" over its reservation to manage a casino. "Mr. Rappaport explained that this referred to the tribe’s lack of police (they have only conservation rangers), ambulance service, firefighting staff, or any jurisdiction over the behavior of nontribe members on tribal property. Should anything go wrong at the casino, the Town of Aquinnah was neither willing nor able to assume those responsibilities."Bill Chaisson, "Wampanoag Tribe pushes casino case to the U.S. Court of Appeals", MV Times (Martha's Vineyard), 21 December 2016; accessed 19 January 2017
The federal government has sided with the tribe, keeping the issue alive. Saying there were "material errors" in the judge's decision, the tribe appealed the ruling to the U.S. Appeals Court, First Circuit in December 2016, with support of the US Department of Interior.