Acknowledging our presence on Wôpanâak Lands

  • Our program is built on land belonging to the Wôpanâak People, what is now Cape Cod Massachusetts.

    The Wôpanâak, or Wampanoag as termed by settlers, are known as the People of the First Light.

    They have a continuous presence in this place dating back over 12,000 years. They are the historical and current caretakers of this land. 

  • The Wôpanâak have been acknowledged as a sovereign Tribal Nation prior to 1620 through Treaties of peace with other Nations and governments, and are the Tribal Nation that interacted with the Pilgrims, inspiring the extrapolated and largely false story of Thanksgiving that many of us know today.

    While many Tribal Nations and communities hold treaties with the American government, most Tribes in the northeast also first held treaties with European Nations (like England and France).

    For a more accurate accounting of first contact and the colonization of the Wômpanâak people, I recommend the book Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Wampanoag author Linda Coombs. 


    For an indigenous telling of the Thanksgiving story, I recommend the book Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story by Wampanoag author Danielle Greendeer.

  • Despite the dis-establishment of the Wampanoag reservation by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1870, the Wôpanâak remain in place and continue practicing their traditions and culture - often generously shared with the non-Tribal community.

    Of the 70 Wôpanâak  communities predating European contact, today there are 2 federally recognized and 3 Wôpanâak communities in what is now Massachusetts recognized by the State Commission on Indian Affairs. The closest Wôpanâak  community to our program - both by geography and by family -  is the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

    The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is a federally recognized sovereign nation based in Mashpee, MA and holds reservation lands totaling 375 acres across Mashpee and Taunton, MA - about 2.3% of their homelands, which span 25 square miles and cover what is now Cape Cod and eastern MA.

 We have been afforded the opportunity to work and support the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in a variety of community programs, educational initiatives, and cultural experiences and share with the community a great respect and sense of responsibility to protect this land and all of the relatives it sustains.

It is with great honor and acknowledgement of the People of the First Light that we partner with this community to offer nature-based education as a guest on Wôpanâak  homelands, and work to ensure access to outdoor educational programming for other Tribal families and learners.