Greg McKinney: Racism surfaces in Wampanoag casino debate

Thursday, May 17, 2012  

"As the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe engages in a process that will culminate in establishing a valuable economic development enterprise in Southeastern Massachusetts, we have kept our heads high. Our position as a federally recognized tribe poised to operate a gaming facility in our ancestral homeland is both hard fought and enviable. If we are successful, there are those who stand to lose. If we are not successful, others will profit.

Therefore we should not be surprised that attacks from both anonymous and named sources will attempt to discredit our efforts and our tribe. We should not be surprised that opposition would come in the form of those who may profit by creating impediments to the tribe.

Recently, this newspaper ran a guest opinion by self-proclaimed Connecticut ethno-historian James P. Lynch, who has made a career of writing opinions and offering testimony in opposition to Native American tribes, including the Mashpee Wampanoag.

For example, a U.S. District Court judge in a federal court in New York characterized Lynch’s research as “racist,” exposed it for a lack of scholarship, and reprimanded him for padding his curriculum vitae with a phantom Ph.D. in anthropology/history to support his so called expert testimony against the Unkechaug Tribe. Supermarket tycoon John Castsimatidis, who paid for Lynch’s testimony, lost his challenge to the Unkechaug Tribe’s sovereign rights. Lynch’s writings opposing our federal acknowledgement were similarly disregarded."

Get the Story:
Greg McKinney: In casino debate, evaluate the credibility of 'experts' (The Taunton Daily Gazette 5/17)

Another Opinion:
Joseph P. MacKenzie: Is Fall River taking a gamble on casinos? (South Coast Today 5/17)

Related Stories:
Rival sites offer views on Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe casino (5/15)