Chappaquiddick

We are the Chappaquiddick Wampanoag Tribe. Our ancestors inhabited Chappaquiddick Island, Cape Pogue and Muskeget Island for thousands of years, well before the United States was formed and Massachusetts became a state. Between 1692 and 1870, our tribe filed numerous petitions to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the State of Massachusetts to address various issues and concerns regarding encroachment and land disputes. They also sent a petition to King George of Great Britain in 1772. In 1788, before the Federal Indian Non-intercourse Act (of 1790) was passed to provide protection for Indian people, Chappaquiddick Island was divided between the settlers and the Chappaquiddick Wampanoag. Our people received only one-fifth of the island, not the best soil, and were designated two reservations, the Cleared Lands Reservation on North Neck and the Woodlands Reservation. In 1828, the reservation land lots were assigned to tribal families at their request. With the passing of the Massachusetts Enfranchisement Act of 1869, the reservation lands were allotted to Chappaquiddick Wampanoag individuals and they were absorbed by the town of Edgartown.

Today, Chappaquiddick people live on Martha’s Vineyard Island, in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and throughout the United States. It is Important to remember that we are still here. We are current representations of our ancestors’ values and beliefs. We are working to keep alive the legacy of our Chappaquiddick ancestors while making our own contributions to our tribe and the larger global community. We deeply believe in the necessity to share our history with our youth, so they have the knowledge, tools and commitment to ensure we thrive in the future. We believe in the cycle of life. That coming together is the beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success. To act upon these beliefs, every year since 1995, the Chappaquiddick Tribe has convened for its annual gathering at the Chappaquiddick Indian Burial Ground to honor our ancestors and rich history.

1828.01.21.00_page1.jpg
Community
Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Chappaquiddick
Category
Geography, Land, & the Environment, Politics, Power, & Sovereignty
Summary
A request that Jeremiah Pease might be considered as a potential guardian of the Chappaquiddick
1827.06.09.00_page1.jpg
Community
Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Chappaquiddick
Category
Geography, Land, & the Environment, Culture & Society, Politics, Power, & Sovereignty, Arts & Abstract Ideas
Summary
A remonstrance of against the bill entitled "An Act for the Better Regulation, Instruction, and Government of the Indians and People of Color in the County of Duke's County"
1827.05.22.00_page1.jpg
Community
Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Chappaquiddick
Category
Geography, Land, & the Environment, Culture & Society, Politics, Power, & Sovereignty
Summary
A request for the appointment of Daniel Fellows, Jr. as guardian of the Chappaquiddick Indians
1826.05.25.00_page1.jpg
Community
Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Chappaquiddick
Category
Geography, Land, & the Environment, Culture & Society, Politics, Power, & Sovereignty
Summary
A request for the permanent division of their lands and appointment of guardians with full power to settle difficulties in the tribe
1824.01.14.00_page1.jpg
Community
Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Chappaquiddick
Category
Geography, Land, & the Environment, Culture & Society, Politics, Power, & Sovereignty
Summary
A request for the protection of the Tribe's wood resources and the removal and replacement of their guardian
1823.12.26.00_page1.jpg
Community
Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Chappaquiddick
Category
Geography, Land, & the Environment, Culture & Society, Politics, Power, & Sovereignty
Summary
A remonstrance against the petition of Valentine Pease and others
1823.05.27.00_page1.jpg
Community
Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Chappaquiddick
Category
Geography, Land, & the Environment, Culture & Society, Politics, Power, & Sovereignty
Summary
A request for a law requiring those proprietors adjacent to the Indian land to be resonsible for the maintainence of a dividing fence
1818.05.16.00_page1.jpg
Community
Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Chappaquiddick
Category
Work, Poverty, & Economy, Culture & Society, Politics, Power, & Sovereignty, Settlement, Migration, & Resettlement
Summary
A request from the Overseers of the Poor for funds to aid in the support of James Peters
1815.05.18.00_page1.jpg
Community
Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Chappaquiddick
Category
Geography, Land, & the Environment, Culture & Society, Politics, Power, & Sovereignty
Summary
A request for intercession on behalf of white proprietors due to encroachments by Chappaquiddick Indians
1810.05.24.00_page1.jpg
Community
Native Northeast Research Collaborative, Chappaquiddick
Category
Work, Poverty, & Economy, Geography, Land, & the Environment, Politics, Power, & Sovereignty, Settlement, Migration, & Resettlement
Summary
A request of the Chappaquiddick Indians concerning land disputes