Casino Stalker | Litigation

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe raises flag as casino faces opposition

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

An artist's rendering of the First Light Resort and Casino in Taunton, Massachusetts. Image from Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

Another opponent is questioning whether the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts has ties to the site where it plans to build a casino.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs declared a reservation for the tribe that includes 151 acres in the city of Taunton. That's where the First Light Resort and Casino will be located.

But the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe claims Mashpee territory never included Taunton. “It was our land,” Chief Edward Page told The Boston Globe.

Taunton is about 47 miles from tribal headquarters in Mashpee, where the other 170 acres of the tribe's reservation is located. The tribe raised its flag at the site on Monday.

Get the Story:
Battle brewing over tribe’s planned Taunton casino (The Boston Globe 1/13)
Mashpee tribe members hoist flag to celebrate land victory (The Cape Cod Times 1/12)
Wampanoag Raise Flag on Reservation (CapeCod.Com 1/12)

Federal Register Notices:
Proclaiming Certain Lands as Reservation for the Mashpee Wampanoag (January 8, 2016)
Land Acquisitions; Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (September 25, 2015)
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Fee-to-Trust Transfer of Property and Subsequent Development of a Resort/Hotel and Ancillary Facilities in the City of Taunton, MA and Tribal Government Facilities in the Town of Mashpee, MA by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (September 5, 2014)
Land Acquisitions: Appeals of Land Acquisition Decisions (November 13, 2013)

Relevant Documents:
Chairman Cedric Cromwell Announcement | Mashpee Wampanoag Trbe Press Release | Bureau of Indian Affairs Press Release | Assistant Secretary Kevin Washburn Letter to Chairman Cedric Cromwell | Record of Decision | Attachment I - Legal Descriptions | Attachment II - Maps | Attachment III - Mitigation Monitoring and Enforcement Plan | Attachment IV - Response to Comments on the Final Environmental Impact Statement

DOI Solicitor Opinion:
M-37029: The Meaning of "Under Federal Jurisdiction" for Purposes of the Indian Reorganization Act (March 12, 2014)