The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe will defend its gaming rights against a lawsuit filed by the state of Massachusetts, Chairman-elect Tobias Vanderhoop said.
The National Indian Gaming Commission and the Solicitor at the Interior Department have confirmed the tribe's rights under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Vanderhoop said the tribe is entitled to pursue a casino if its members choose to follow that path. "How our tribe decides to exercise those rights is up to membership. Whenever an existing right of our tribe is challenged, there can be only one appropriate response and that is to defend ourselves vigorously," Vanderhoop told The Cape Cod Times. The lawsuit was filed in state court, a venue that has been historically unfavorable to Indian interests. In 2004, the Massachusetts Supreme ruled that the tribe is subject to state law due to provisions in the Massachusetts Indian Land Claims Settlement Act. Turtle Talk has posted the complaint in the case, Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). Get the Story: