text:
Wampanoag people
|Total population
|Regions with significant populations
|Bristol County, Massachusetts, Dukes County, Massachusetts, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Mashpee, Massachusetts and Nantucket, Massachusetts
|English, historically Wampanoag
|Wampanoag Spirituality, Christianity
|Related ethnic groups
|other Algonquian peoples
The Wampanoag /ˈwɑːmpənɔːɡ/, also called Massasoit[1] and also rendered Wôpanâak, is a Native American tribe. Many Wampanoag people today are enrolled in two federally recognized tribes, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, or four state-recognized tribes recognized by Massachusetts.
In the beginning of the 17th century, at the time of first contact with the English, the Wampanoag lived in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as within a territory that encompassed current day Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Their population numbered in the thousands due to the richness of the environment and their cultivation of corn, beans and squash. Three thousand Wampanoag lived on Martha's Vineyard alone.
From 1615 to 1619 the Wampanoag suffered an epidemic, long suspected to be smallpox, but recent research alternatively theorizes that it was leptospirosis, a bacterial infection also known as Weil's syndrome or 7-day fever. It caused a high fatality rate and nearly destroyed the society. Researchers suggest that the losses from the epidemic were so large that English colonists were more easily able to found their settlements in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in later years.[2] More than 50 years later, King Philip's War (1675–1676) against the English colonists resulted in the deaths of 40 percent of the tribe. Most of the male survivors were sold into slavery in the West Indies. Many women and children were enslaved in New England.
While the tribe largely disappeared from historical records from the late 18th century, its people persisted. Survivors remained in their traditional areas and continued many aspects of their culture, while absorbing other people by marriage and adapting to changing economic and cultural needs in the larger society. Although the last native speakers of Massachusett language, Wôpanâak, died more than 100 years ago, since 1993 Wampanoag people have been working on a language revival project that is producing new native speakers. The project is also working on curriculum and teacher development.
- 1 Name
- 2 Groups of Wampanoag
- 3 Culture
- 4 Language and revival
- 5 History
- 6 Current status
- 7 Notable Pocasset
- 8 Demographics
- 9 Notable Wampanoag people
- 10 Representation in other media
- 11 See also
- 12 Notes
- 13 References
- 14 External links
Wampanoag means "Easterners" or literally "People of the Dawn."[3] The word Wapanoos was first seen on Adriaen Block's 1614 map and was the earliest European representation of Wampanoag territory. Other interpretations include "Wapenock," "Massasoit" and exonym "Philip's Indians".
In 1616, John Smith erroneously referred to the entire Wampanoag confederacy as the Pakanoket. Pokanoket was used in the earliest colonial records and reports. The Pokanoket tribal seat was located near present-day Bristol, Rhode Island.
Groups of Wampanoag
|Area inhabited
|Gay Head or Aquinnah
|western point of Martha's Vineyard
|Chappaquiddick Island
|Nantucket Island
|Cape Cod
|Cape Cod
|eastern Massachusetts, on Plymouth Bay
|eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island (RI) near present-day Bristol, RI
|present day north Fall River,Massachusetts
|Herring Pond
|Plymouth & Cape Cod
|and approximately 50 more groups
Traditionally Wampanoag people have been semi-sedentary, with seasonal movements between fixed sites in present-day southern New England, although men often traveled far north and south along the Eastern seaboard for seasonal fishing expeditions, and sometimes stayed in those distant locations for weeks and months at a time.[4] The women cultivated varieties of the "three sisters," corn (maize), beans and squash as the staples of their diet, supplemented by fish and game caught by the men. Each community had authority over a well-defined territory from which the people derived their livelihood through a seasonal round of fishing, planting, harvesting, and hunting. Because southern New England was thickly populated, hunting grounds had strictly defined boundaries.
The Wampanoag, like many indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, have a matrilineal system, in which women controlled property (in this case, the home and its belongings, as well as some rights to plots within communal land), and hereditary status was passed through the maternal line. They were also matrifocal: when a young couple married, they lived with the woman's family. Women elders could approve selection of chiefs or sachems, although men had most of the political roles for relations with other bands and tribes, as well as warfare. Women with claims to specific plots of land used for farming or hunting passed those claims to their female descendants, regardless of their marital status.[5]
The work of making a living was organized on a family level. Families gathered together in spring to fish, in early winter to hunt, and in the summer they separated to cultivate individual planting fields. Boys were schooled in the way of the woods, where a man's skill at hunting and ability to survive under all conditions were vital to his family's well-being. Women were trained from their earliest years to work diligently in the fields and around the family wetu, a round or oval house that was designed to be easily dismantled and moved in just a few hours. They also learned to gather and process natural fruits and nuts and other produce from the habitat.
The production of food among the Wampanoag was similar to that of many Native American societies. Food habits were divided along gendered lines. Men and women had specific tasks. Native women played an active role in many of the stages of food production. Since the Wampanoag relied primarily on goods garnered from this kind of work, women had important socio-political, economic, and spiritual roles in their communities.[6] Wampanoag men were mainly responsible for hunting and fishing, while women took care of farming and the gathering of wild fruits, nuts, berries, shellfish, etc.[7] Women were responsible for up to seventy-five percent of all food production in Wampanoag societies.[8]
The Wampanoag were organized into a confederation, where a head sachem, or political leader, presided over a number of other sachems. The English often referred to the sachem as "king," a title that misled more than it clarified, since the position of a sachem differed in many ways from that of a king. Sachems were bound to consult not only their own councilors within their tribe but also any of the "petty sachems," or people of influence, in the region.[9] They were also responsible for arranging trade privileges as well as protecting their allies in exchange for material tribute.[10] Both women and men could hold the position of sachem, and women were sometimes chosen over close male relatives.[11] Two Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Wampanoag female sachems, Wunnatuckquannumou and Askamaboo, presided despite the competition of male contenders, including near relatives, for their power. These women gained power because their matrilineal clans held control over large plots of land and they had accrued enough status and power—not because they were the widows of former sachems.
Pre-marital sexual experimentation was accepted, although once couples opted to marry, the Wampanoag expected fidelity within unions. Roger Williams (1603–1683), stated that "single fornication they count no sin, but after Marriage, (which they solemnize by consent of Parents and publique approbation...) then they count it heinous for either of them to be false."[12] In addition, polygamy was practiced among the Wampanoag, although monogamy was the norm. Although status was constituted within a matrilineal, matrifocal society, some elite men could take several wives for political or social reasons. Multiple wives were also a path to and symbol of wealth because women were the producers and distributors of corn and other food products. As within most Native American societies, marriage and conjugal unions were not as important as ties of clan and kinship. Marriages could be and were dissolved relatively easily, but family and clan relations were of extreme and lasting importance, constituting the ties that bound individuals to one another and their tribal territories as a whole.[13]
Language and revival
The Wampanoag originally spoke a dialect of the Massachusett-Wampanoag language, which belongs to the Algonquian language family. The first Bible published in the colonies was a translation into Wampanoag by the missionary John Eliot in 1663. He created an orthography, which he taught the Wampanoag. Many became literate, using Wampanoag for letters, deeds and other historic documents.[14]
The rapid decline of speakers of the Wampanoag language began after the American Revolution. The historians Neal Salisbury and Colin G. Calloway note that at this time, New England Native American communities suffered from huge gender imbalances due to premature male deaths, especially due to warfare and maritime activity. Many Wampanoag women were forced to marry outside their linguistic groups, making it extremely difficult for them to maintain the various Wampanoag dialects.[15]
Since 1993 the Wampanoag have been working on a language revival led by the Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) Language Reclamation Project, a collaboration of several tribes and bands led by co-founder and director Jessie Little Doe Baird. A few children have become the first speakers of Wôpanâak in more than 100 years.[14] The project is training adult teachers to reach more children and to develop a curriculum for a Wôpanâak-based school. Baird has compiled a 10,000-word dictionary from university collections of colonial documents in Wôpanâak, as well as writing a grammar, collections of stories, and other books.[14]
European incursions
In 1524, King Francis I of France commissioned Giovanni Da Verrazzano to lead an expedition to the "New World". Verrazzano likely reached present-day North Carolina one point south of present-day Cape Fear. He first traveled south but turned north for fear of encountering the Spanish, who had established outposts in present-day Florida. When Verrazzano reached the site of the present Newport Harbor, he attempted to contact the Wampanoag Indians to initiate trade.
Tisquantum (or Squanto)
One of the earlier contacts between the Wampanoag and Europeans dates from the 16th century, when merchant vessels and fishing boats traveled along the coast of present-day New England. Captains of merchant vessels captured Native Americans and sold them as slaves in order to increase their earnings. For example, Captain Thomas Hunt captured several Wampanoag after enticing them aboard his vessel in 1614. He later sold them in Spain as slaves. A Patuxet named Tisquantum (or Squanto), was bought by Spanish monks who attempted to convert him. Eventually he was set free.
Despite his prior experiences, Tisquantum boarded an English ship again to accompany an expedition to Newfoundland as an interpreter. From Newfoundland, he made his way back to his homeland in 1619, only to discover that the entire Patuxet tribe – and with them, his family – had fallen victim to an epidemic.[16]
In 1620, religious refugees from England known popularly as the Pilgrims arrived in present-day Plymouth. Tisquantum and other Wampanoag taught the non-native newly arrived Pilgrims how to cultivate varieties of corn, squash and beans (the Three Sisters); catch fish, and collect seafood.
Squanto lived with the colonists and acted as a middleman between the Pilgrims and Massasoit, the Wampanoag sachem. For the Wampanoag, the ten years before the arrival of the Pilgrims was the worst time in their history. They were attacked from the north by Mi'kmaq warriors who took over the coast after their victory over the Penobscot in the Tarrantine War (1607–1615). At the same time, the Pequot came from the west, and occupied portions of eastern Connecticut.
Additionally, between 1616 and 1619, the Wampanoag suffered from an epidemic or series of epidemics, since 2010 thought to be from leptospirosis, or 7-day fever. The groups most devastated by the illness were those who had traded heavily with the French or were allied with those who did, leading to speculation that the disease was a "virgin soil" epidemic to which Europeans had some immunity but for which they were able to act as carriers. Alfred Crosby, a medical historian, has suggested that among the Massachusett and mainland Pokanoket, the decline in population was as high as ninety percent.[17]
The disease caused a complete restructuring of Wampanoag political systems, with many sachems gathering together previously strong villages to form new alliances. For example, the Pokanoket sachem Massasoit and ten followers representing the remainder of the band were forced to submit to the Narragansett – their inland rivals – and agreed to give up valuable territory at the head of Narragansett Bay. The Narragansett, an isolated island group, had little contact with early European traders and were not nearly so devastated by the epidemic as were the Wampanoag. As a result, their power in the region increased greatly in the mid-seventeenth century. With their demands that the weakened Wampanoag pay them tribute, Massasoit looked to the English to help his people fight the oppression by the Narragansett.
In March 1621 Massasoit visited Plymouth, accompanied by Squanto. He signed an alliance which gave the English permission to take about 12,000 acres (49 km2) of land for Plymouth Plantation. Historians believe it is doubtful that Massasoit understood the differences between land ownership in the European sense, compared with the native people's communal manner of using the land. At the time, this was not particularly significant, because so many of Massasoit's people had died that their traditional lands were significantly depopulated.
Since the late 20th century, the event celebrated as the first Thanksgiving has been debated in the United States. Many Native Americans argue against the romanticized story of the Wampanoag celebrating together with the colonists. Some claim that colonial documents make no mention of such an event, but there are two known primary accounts of the 1621 event.[18] Others say that the first "thanksgiving" occurred two decades later and shortly after the Pequot War in 1637. During a period of renewed activism for Indian rights, in 1970, several Native American organizations declared Thanksgiving the "National Day of Mourning."
The Narragansett were suspicious of the alliance between the Wampanoag and the English, and feared that the two would unite to attack them. Before they could wage war on the English, the Narragansett were attacked by the Pequot. The good relationship between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims lasted, and when Massasoit became gravely ill in the winter of 1623, he was nursed back to health by the English. In the meantime, Plymouth Colony continued to grow, and a number of English Puritans settled on Massachusetts Bay. In 1632 the Narragansett ended their wars with the Pequot and the Mohawk and turned against the Wampanoag again. They attacked Massasoit's village, Sowam, but with help from the English, the Wampanoag drove the Narragansett back. [16]
Colonial expansion
After 1630, the members of Plymouth Colony found themselves becoming a minority, due to the growing number of Puritans arriving and settling near present-day Boston. Barely tolerant of other Christian denominations and viewing the native peoples largely as savages and heathens, the Puritans were soldiers and traders who had little interest in friendship or cooperation with the Indians. Under this new leadership, the English expanded westward into the Connecticut River Valley. In 1637 they destroyed the powerful Pequot Confederation. In 1643 the Mohegan defeated the Narragansett in a war; with support from the English, they became the dominant tribe in southern New England.[16]
Between 1640 and 1675, new waves of settlers arrived and continued to force the native peoples westward. While the Pilgrims had normally paid for land, or had at least asked for permission, most Puritans simply took land for themselves. In 1665 the Indians of southern New England were in the way of the English, who had no desire to learn to survive in the wilderness. Catching fish and the trading of commodities had replaced the colonists' trading of furs and wampum from previous years. The population of the native peoples continued to decline, due to recurring epidemics in 1633, 1635, 1654, 1661 and 1667, likely due to new infectious illnesses, such as smallpox, brought by the colonists.[16]
Conversion to Christianity
After 1650, John Eliot and other Puritan missionaries proposed a humane solution to the Indian "problem": converting native peoples to Christianity. The converted Indians were resettled in fourteen "praying towns." The system of organization into sedentary townships was especially important because it demanded the renunciation of native practices such as migratory hunting patterns and their adoption of a more traditionally English way of life. By settling them into established towns, Eliot and his colleagues hoped that under the tutelage of Christian ministers, Native Americans would adopt English – or "civilized" – practices such as monogamous marriage, agriculture, patriarchal households, and jurisprudence.[19]
The motivations of New England Native American societies to convert to Christianity were numerous and varied. The high levels of epidemics among the Native Americans after the arrival of the Europeans contributed. In addition to bringing about a dramatic restructuring of political hierarchies, the massive death toll caused a certain level of disillusionment with traditional practices in Native American societies. It has been suggested that the survivors experienced a type of spiritual crisis because their medical and religious leaders could not prevent the epidemic.[20]
In addition, by the latter half of the seventeenth century, alcoholism had become rampant among men in some southern New England ethnic groups, as Native Americans were alcohol-intolerant biologically; this inspired many to turn for help to Christianity and Christian discipline systems. Christianity became a refuge for women from male drunkenness. With its insistence upon temperance and systems of earthly and heavenly retribution for drunkenness, Christianity held great appeal to natives attempting to fight alcoholism, especially to those women whose close male relatives were affected.
The level of conversion to not only Christianity but also English cultural and societal norms – conversions demanded of the Native Americans – depended on the town and region. In most of Eliot's mainland "praying towns," converts were expected to follow English laws, manners, and gender roles in addition to adopting the material trappings of English life. Eliot and other ministers relied on praise and rewards for those who conformed, rather than punishing those who did not.[21]
The Christian Indian settlements of Martha's Vineyard were noted for a great deal of sharing and mixing between Wampanoag and English ways of life. Wampanoag converts often continued their traditional practices in dress, hairstyle, and governance. The Martha's Vineyard converts were not required to attend church and they often maintained traditional cultural practices such as mourning rituals.[22] The Christian Indian settlements on Martha's Vineyard were more a mixture of Wampanoag and English Puritan cultures than limited to Puritan values.
Other than religious conversion, Eliot's "praying Indians" did not undergo a high degree of cultural assimilation, especially in the area of law and justice systems. In pre-colonial societies, the sachem and his or her council were responsible for administering justice among their people. But during the 17th and 18th centuries, converts increasingly turned to Christian religious authorities for help in resolving their legal quarrels. Christian ministers and missionaries supplanted traditional leaders as the legal authorities among Christian Indians.
The conversion of Wampanoag women to Christianity led to unintended results. As discussed, many Wampanoag women were attracted to Christianity because it offered a chance to free themselves and especially their male relatives from alcohol abuse. But, Christianity altered the gender power structure as well. Ministers such as John Eliot tried to encourage their Wampanoag converts to adopt a patriarchal structure, both inside and outside the home. As with many of the Native American societies, the Wampanoag had a matrilineal system, which gave women control of property and in which hereditary leadership passed through the maternal line. Wampanoag women – especially Wampanoag wives – were, in the majority of cases on the Vineyard, the spiritual leaders of their households.[23] Additionally, they were also more likely to convert than Indian males. Experience Mayhew, a Puritan minister, observed that there were "a greater number of their women appearing pious than of the men among them." This tendency towards female conversion created a problem for missionaries intent on establishing traditional patriarchal family and societal structures among the Native Americans: in order to convert the men, the Puritans often had to place power in the hands of the women. In general, English ministers agreed that it was preferable for women to subvert the patriarchal model and assume a dominant spiritual role than it was for their husbands to remain unconverted. Experience Mayhew asked, "[How] can those Wives answer it unto God who do not Use their utmost Endeavors to Perswade and oblige their husbands to maintain Prayer in their families [?]"[24] In some cases, Wampanoag women converts accepted changed gender roles under English custom, while others practiced their traditional roles of shared power as Christians. However, the Wampanoag were not Christian before they were forced to be before and during war.
Metacom (King Philip)
Even Massasoit took on English customs. Before his death in 1661, he asked the legislators in Plymouth to give both of his sons English names. Wamsutta, the older son, was given the name Alexander, and his younger brother, Metacom, was named Philip. After his father's death, Alexander became the sachem of the Wampanoag. The English were not happy about this, because they felt he was too self-confident, and so they invited him to Plymouth to talk. On the way home Wamsutta became seriously ill and died. The Wampanoag were told he died of fever, but many Indians thought he had been poisoned. The following year Metacom became sachem of the Wampanoag. He was later named "King Philip" by the English.[26]
To all appearances, Philip was not a radical sachem, but under his rule the relationship between the Wampanoag and the colonists changed dramatically. Philip understood that the English would eventually take over everything, not only native land, but also their culture, their way of life and their religion. Philip decided to impede the further expansion of English settlements. For the Wampanoag alone, this was impossible, because at that time their tribe numbered less than 1,000. Philip began to visit other tribes, to talk them into his plan. This too was a nearly hopeless undertaking, because at that time the number of colonists in southern New England was more than double that of the Indians – 35,000 colonists in the face of 15,000 natives. In 1671 Philip was called to Taunton, where he listened to the accusations of the English and signed an agreement that required the Wampanoag to give up their firearms. To be on the safe side however, he did not take part in the subsequent dinner, and the weapons were not delivered later either.[26]
The seizures of land by the English continued, and little by little, Philip gained the Nipmuck, Pocomtuc and Narragansett as allies. The beginning of the uprising was first scheduled for the spring of 1676. In March 1675 the body of John Sassamon was found.[27] Sassamon was a Christian Indian raised in one of John Eliot's "praying towns," Natick, and educated at Harvard College. Sassamon had served as a scribe, interpreter and counselor to Metacom and the Wampanoags. However, a week before his death, Sassamon reported to Plymouth governor Josiah Winslow that Metacom was planning a war against the English. It is unclear whether Sassamon was telling the truth or lying in an attempt to win back English trust and respect. When Sassamon was found dead under the ice of Assawompsett Pond a week later, three Wampanoag warriors were accused of his murder by a Christian Indian and then taken captive. After a trial by a jury of twelve Englishmen and six Christian Indians, the Wampanoag men were hanged in June 1675. This execution, combined with the rumors that the English wanted to capture Philip, was enough to start a war. When Philip called together a council of war on Mount Hope, most Wampanoags wanted to follow him, with the exception of the Nauset on Cape Cod and the small groups on the offshore islands. Further allies were the Nipmucks, Pocomtucs and some Pennacooks and Eastern Abenakis from farther north. The Narragansett remained neutral at the beginning of the war.[28]
King Philip's War
On July 20, 1675 some young Wampanoags trekked to Swansea, killed some cattle, and scared the white settlers. The next day King Philip's War broke out, and the Wampanoag attacked a number of white settlements, burning them to the ground. The unexpected attacks caused great panic among the English. The united tribes in southern New England attacked 52 of 90 English settlements, and partially burned them down.[26]
At the outbreak of the war, many pro-English Native Americans offered to fight with the English against King Philip and his allies, serving as warriors, scouts, advisers and spies. Mistrust and hostility eventually caused the English to discontinue Native American assistance, even though they were invaluable in the war. The English resented the Christian Indians "turning against them", ignoring their own part in the tensions. The Massachusetts government moved many Christian Indians to Deer Island in Boston Harbor, in part to protect the "praying Indians" from English vigilantes, but also as a precautionary measure to prevent rebellion and sedition from them.[29] Mary Rowlandson's The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, an account of her months of captivity by the Wampanoag during King Philip's War, expresses English prejudice against the Christian Native Americans. She complains of their cruelties towards "fellow" Christians, singling Christian converts out for fierce verbal attacks.[30]
From Massachusetts, the war spread to other parts of New England. Some tribes from Maine – the Kennebec, Pigwacket (Pequawkets) and Arosaguntacook – joined in the war against the English. The Narragansett of Rhode Island gave up their neutrality after the colonists attacked one of their fortified villages. In that battle, which became known as the "Great Swamp Massacre," the Narragansett lost more than 600 people and 20 sachems. Their leader, Canonchet, was able to flee and led a large group of Narragansett warriors west to join King Philip's warriors.[26]
In the spring of 1676, following a winter of hunger and deprivation, the tide turned against Philip. The English troops set out on a relentless chase after him, and his best ally – Sachem Canonchet of the Narragansett – was taken captive and executed by a firing squad. Canonchet's corpse was quartered, and his head was sent to Hartford, Connecticut, to be put on public display. [26]
During the summer months, Philip escaped from his pursuers and went to a hideout on Mount Hope. In August, after Indian scouts discovered the hideout, the English attacked, killing or taking captive 173 Wampanoag. Philip barely escaped capture, but among the prisoners were his wife and their nine-year-old son. Taken onto a ship at Plymouth, they were sold as slaves in the West Indies. On August 12, 1676, English troops surrounded Philip's camp, and soon shot and killed him. They cut off his head, displaying it for twenty years on a pike in Plymouth.[26]
Consequences of the war
With the death of Philip and most of their leaders, the Wampanoags were nearly exterminated; only about 400 survived the war. The Narragansett and Nipmuck suffered similar rates of losses, and many small tribes in southern New England were, for all intents and purposes, finished. In addition, many Wampanoag were sold into slavery. Male captives were generally sold to slave traders and transported to the West Indies, Bermuda, Virginia, or the Iberian Peninsula. The colonists used the women and children as slaves in New England. Of those Indians not sold into slavery, the colony forced them to move into Natick, Wamesit, Punkapoag, and Hassanamesit, four of the original fourteen praying towns. These were the only ones to be resettled after the war.[31] Overall, approximately five thousand Native Americans (forty percent of their population) and twenty-five hundred English colonists (five percent) were killed in King Philip's War. By this time, the English population had increased so much that, while significant, the losses were less important for their overall society.[32]
18th to 20th century
The exception to relocation was the coastal islands' Wampanoag groups, who had stayed neutral through the war. The colonists forced the Wampanoag of the mainland to resettle with the Saconnet (Sekonnet), or with the Nauset into the praying towns in Barnstable County. Mashpee is the largest reservation set aside in Massachusetts, and is located on Cape Cod. In 1660, the colonists allotted the Indians about 50 square miles (130 km2) there, and beginning in 1665 they had self-government, adopting an English-style court of law and trials. The area was integrated into the district of Mashpee in 1763.
In the 1740s, during King George's War, John Gorham was in command of Gorham's Independent Company of Rangers. Initially, the company was made up of primarily Wampanoag men, and was stationed in Nova Scotia.[33] Several of those who had remained neutral or were loyal to the English during the conflict migrated to Nova Scotia, beginning in the 1750's, and established a community on and around what is now Cape Sable Island.[4]
In 1788 after the American Revolutionary War, the state revoked the Wampanoag ability to self-govern, considering it a failure. It appointed a supervisory committee consisting of five European-American members, with no Wampanoag. In 1834, the state returned a certain degree of self-government to the First Nations People, and although the First Nations People were far from autonomous, they continued in this manner. To support assimilation, in 1842 the state violated the Nonintercourse Act when it illegally allocated plots from 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of their communal 13,000 acres (53 km2), to be distributed in 60-acre (240,000 m2) parcels to each household for subsistence farming, although New England communities were adopting other types of economies. The state passed laws to try to control white encroachment on the reservation; some stole wood from its forests. A large region, once rich in wood, fish and game, it was considered highly desirable by the whites. With competition between whites and the Wampanoag, conflicts were more frequent than for more isolated Indian settlements elsewhere in the state.
Wampanoag on Martha's Vineyard
On Martha's Vineyard in the 18th and 19th centuries, there were three reservations – Chappaquiddick, Christiantown and Gay Head. The Chappaquiddick Reservation was part of a small island of the same name and was located on the eastern point of that island. As the result of the sale of land in 1789, the Indians lost valuable areas, and the remaining land was distributed among the Indian residents in 1810. In 1823 the laws were changed, in order to hinder those trying to get rid of the Indians and to implement a visible beginning of a civic organization. Around 1849, they owned 692 acres (2.80 km2) of infertile land, and many of the residents moved to nearby Edgartown, so that they could practice a trade and obtain some civil rights.[34]
Christiantown was originally a "praying town" on the northwest side of Martha's Vineyard, northwest of Tisbury. In 1849 the reservation still consisted of 390 acres (1.6 km2), of which all but 10 were distributed among the residents. The land, kept under community ownership, yielded very few crops and the tribe members left it to get paying jobs in the cities. Wampanoag oral history tells that Christiantown was wiped out in 1888 by a smallpox epidemic.[34]
The third reservation on Martha's Vineyard was constructed in 1711 by the New England Company (founded in 1649) to Christianize the Indians. They bought land for the Gay Head Indians who had lived there since before 1642. There was considerable dispute about how the land should be cultivated, as the colony had leased the better sections to the whites at low interest. The original goal of creating an undisturbed center for missionary work was quickly forgotten. The state finally created a reservation on a peninsula on the western point of Martha's Vineyard and named it Gay Head. This region was connected to the main island by an isthmus; it enabled the isolation desired by the Wampanoag. In 1849 they had 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) there, of which 500 acres were distributed among the tribe members. The rest was communal property. In contrast to the other reservation groups, the tribe had no guardian or headman. When they needed advice on legal questions, they asked the guardian of the Chappaquiddick Reservation, but other matters they handled themselves. The band used usufruct title members had no legal claim to their land and allowed the tribal members free rein over their choice of land, as well as over cultivation and building, in order to make their ownership clear. They did not allow whites to settle on their land. They made strict laws regulating membership in the tribe. As a result, they were able to strengthen the groups' ties to each other, and they did not lose their tribal identity until long after the other groups had lost theirs.[34]
The Wampanoag on Nantucket Island were almost completely destroyed by an unknown plague in 1763; the last Nantucket died in 1855.[34]
Current status
Slightly more than 2,000 Wampanoag are counted as enrolled members of the nation today (many have ancestry including other tribes and races), and many live near the reservation (Watuppa Wampanoag Reservation) on Martha's Vineyard, in Dukes County. It is located in the town of Aquinnah (formerly known as Gay Head), at the extreme western part of the island. It has a land area of 1.952 square kilometres (482 acres), and a 2000 census resident population of 91 persons.
Several bands of the Wampanoag have organized governments: Aquinnah of Gay Head, Herring Pond, Mashpee, Pocasset,Pokonoket and Seekonk. Only the Aquinnah and Mashpee bands have gained federal recognition, although the other bands are recognized by the state of Massachusetts and have also applied for federal recognition as tribes.
Some genealogy experts testified that the tribes did not demonstrate the required continuity since historic times. For instance, in his testimony to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the historian Francis Hutchins said that the Mashpee "were not an Indian tribe in the years 1666, 1680, 1763, 1790, 1834, 1870, and 1970, or at anytime between 1666 and 1970 (Day 36, 130–140). In his opinion, an Indian tribe was "an entity composed of persons of American Indian descent, which entity possesses distinct political, legal, cultural attributes, which attributes have descended directly from aboriginal precursors." (Day 36, 124). Without accounting for cultural change, adaptation, and the effects of non-Indian society, Hutchins argued the Mashpee were not an Indian tribe historically because they adopted Christianity and non-Indian forms of dress and appearance, and chose to remain in Massachusetts as "second-class" citizens rather than emigrating westward (note: to Indian Territory) to "resume tribal existence." Hutchins also noted that they intermarried with non-Indians to create a "non-white," or "colored," community (Day 36, 130–140). Hutchins appeared to require unchanged culture, including maintenance of a traditional religion and essentially total social autonomy from non-Indian society."[35]
Wampanoag federally recognized tribes
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)
The Aquinnah ("land under the hill"[36][37]) Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, Massachusetts are the only Wampanoag tribe to have a formal land-in-trust reservation, which is located on Martha's Vineyard. Their reservation consists of 485 acres (1.96 km2) and is located on the outermost southwest part of the island. Aquinnah Wampanoag descendants formed the "Wampanoag Tribal Council of Gay Head, Inc." in 1972 for the stuff ofself-determination and receiving federal recognition. Its members received government recognition in 1987 from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The tribe has 1,121 registered members.[38]
Native Aquinnahers have a separate history; their myth has them arriving on an ice floe from the far North, and they sided with the white settlers in King Philip's War. They performed whaling from small boats,[39] and the character Tashtego from the Great American Novel Moby-Dick is a harpooner from Aquinnah.[40]
Gladys Widdiss, an Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal historian and potter, served as the President of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head from 1978 to 1987.[41] The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head won federal recognition from the United States government during her tenure.[41] Under Widdis, the Aquinnah Wampanoag also acquired the Herring Creek, the Gay Head Cliffs, and the cranberry bogs surrounding Gay Head (now called Aquinnah) during her presidency.[41]
The Aquinnah Wampanoag are led by tribal council chair Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, who was elected to the post in November 2007.[42] In 2010, Andrews-Maltais put forward plans for the development of an Aquinnah reservation casino, which was met with opposition by state and local officials.[43] Current Chairperson is Tobias Vanderhoop.
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
This section is outdated.(February 2013)
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe consists of more than 1,400 enrolled members[44] who must meet defined membership requirements including lineage, community involvement and reside within 20 miles of Mashpee.[45] Since 1924 they have held an annual powwow at the beginning of July in Mashpee. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council was established in 1972 under the leadership of its first president, Russell "Fast Turtle" Peters. In 1974 the Council petitioned the Bureau of Indian Affairs for recognition. In 1976 the tribe sued the Town of Mashpee for the return of ancestral homelands. The case was lost but the tribe continued to pursue federal recognition for three decades.
In 2000 the Mashpee Wampanoag Council was headed by chairman Glenn Marshall. Marshall led the group until 2007 when it was disclosed that he had a prior conviction for rape, had lied about having a military record and was under investigation associated for improprieties associated with the tribe's casino lobbying efforts.[46] Marshall was succeeded by tribal council vice- chair Shawn Hendricks. He held the position until Marshall pleaded guilty in 2009 to federal charges of embezzling, wire fraud, mail fraud, tax evasion and election finance law violations. He steered tens of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to politicians through the tribe's hired lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was convicted of numerous charges in a much larger scheme.[47][48] Following the arrests of Abramoff and Marshall, the newly recognized Mashpee Tribe led by new chair Shawn Hendricks, continued to work with Abramoff lobbyist colleague Kevin A. Ring pursuing their Indian gaming-related interests.[49] Ring was subsequently convicted on corruption charges linked to his work for the Mashpee band. Tribal elders who had sought access to the tribal council records detailing the council's involvement in this scandal via a complaint filed in Barnstable Municipal Court were shunned by the council and banned them from the tribe for seven years.[50]
In 2009 the tribe elected council member Cedric Cromwell to the position of council chair and president. Cromwell ran a campaign based on reforms and distancing himself from the previous chairmen, even though he had served as a councilor for the prior six years during which the Marshall and Abramoff scandals took place - including voting for the shunning of tribe members who tried to investigate.[51] A challenge to Cromwell's election by defeated candidates following allegations of tampering with voting and enrollment records was filed with the Tribal Court, and Cromwell's administration has been hampered by a series of protest by Elders over casino-related finances.[52][53]
The Mashpee Wampanoag tribal offices are located in Mashpee on Cape Cod. After decades of legal disputes, the Mashpee Wampanoag obtained provisional recognition as an Indian tribe from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in April 2006, and official Federal recognition in February 2007.[54] Tribal members own some land, as well as land held in common by Wampanoag descendants at both Chapaquddick and Christiantown. Descendants have also purchased land in Middleborough, Massachusetts upon which the tribe under Glenn A. Marshall's leadership had lobbied to build a casino. The tribe has moved its plans to Taunton, Massachusetts but their territorial rights have been challenged by the Pocasset Wampanoag.[55]
But Indian gaming operations are regulated by the National Indian Gaming Commission established by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. It contains a general prohibition against gaming on lands acquired into trust after October 17, 1988.[56] The tribe's attempts to gain approvals have been met with legal and government approval challenges.[57]
The Wampanoag Tribe's current plan has agreement for financing by the Malaysian Genting Group and has the political support of Massachusetts Senator John Kerry,[58] Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and former Massachusetts Congressman Bill Delahunt, who is working as a lobbyist to represent the casino project.[59] Both Kerry[60] and Delahunt[61] received campaign contributions from the Wampanoag Tribe in transactions authorized by Glenn Marshall as part of the Abramoff lobbying scandal.
In November 2011, the Massachusetts legislature passed a law to license up to three sites for gaming resort casinos and one for a slot machine parlor.[62] The Wampanoag are given a "headstart" to develop plans for a casino in southeastern part of the state.[63]
Wampanoag state-recognized tribes
Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe
The Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, headed by tribal council chair Kevin Harding, is not federally recognized. HIstorically one of the "praying towns" set up in the colonial era by The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, they are involved in the Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project.[64] In 1924 they helped organize the annual powwow at the beginning of July, which is now hosted in Mashpee. The first few pow wows in over 200 years were held at the Herring Pond Wampanoag Meetinghouse before expanding and moving to Mashpee. The Mashpee Wampanoag and Herring Pond both petitioned at the same time to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for recognition.[65] They maintain offices in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. The Herring Pond Tribe claims as traditional lands a territory which ranges from the Plymouth (Plimouth Colony) areas to the upper parts of Cape Cod (Bourne, Sandwich and Plymouth).[66]
Namasket (or Nemasket) Wampanoag Band
The Namasket (or Nemasket) Wampanoag Band was organized in 2000. It holds meetings in the Wattupa Reservation State Park in Fall River, Massachusetts. Led by council chair Albert Henry Corliss, it is not a federally recognized tribe.[67] The Namasket Band resided in villages around the Taunton River near modern-day Middleborough, Massachusetts. Its ancestors included Squanto of the Patuxet tribe. Today, remaining Namasket lines are most closely related to the current-day Pocasset Band of Fall River.[68]
Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe (Pokonoket)
The Pocasset Wampanoag band has held reservation lands in Fall River, Massachusetts since colonial times. They are the descendants and heirs of the original native Indians described in a deed from Benjamin Church dated November 1, 1709. Their government is one of the few remaining American Indian governments organized under a traditional clan-based system.[69] They manage a 201.2 acre reservation in Fall River[70] recognized under international law via the 1713 Treaty of Portsmouth[71] and the 1725 Treaty of Boston.[3][72] These treaties were entered into after the Queen Anne's War, following raids such as those at Deerfield and Haverhill.
In 1869 the commonwealth of Massachusetts passed the "enfranchisement act".[73] This act would dissolve reservation status for lands held by the tribes, replacing it with fee-simple property allocated to individual Indians upon application of any member of that tribe to the judge of probate in the county that the lands were located.[74] The Pocasset resisted the enfranchisement act and prior attempts to slice up the reserve.[75] In the late 20th century, they resisted an attempt to have their lands put into federal trust,[76] managing to keep their beloved reservation lands intact.[77] The Nation has members living throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.[78] T
The Pocasset are formally recognized as a tribe by the U.S. Federal Government.[79] They are one of six major Indian tribes recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts[80] They applied for federal recognition in 1995[81]
Notable Pocasset
- Corbitant, sachem or sagamore of the Pocassets,
- Weetamoo, his daughter and successor, the lady sachem or sagamore of the Pocasset. She was the wife of Wamsutta, a brother to King Phillip or Metacom and son of Massasoit, and who died in the King Philip's War.
- Woonekanuske, daughter of Corbitant and wife of Metacom. The whites cut off Weetamoo's head and displayed it on a pike in Taunton, MA. Her sister Woonekanuske and son were sold into slavery and transported to the Bermuda.
- Leroy C. Perry, chief of the Wampanoag.[82]
Also other Wampanoag groups
- Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe
- Royal House of the Pokanoket Tribe
- Chappaquiddick Wampanoag Tribe
- Cape Sable Island Wampanoag
|mainland 3,600; islands 3,000
|James Mooney
|mainland 2,000 (after the epidemics); islands 3,000
|mainland (after King Philip's War)
|general estimate
|Wampanoag (total)
|US Census
|US Census
Notable Wampanoag people
Historical leaders include
- Crispus Attucks, first man killed in Revolutionary War.
- Massasoit, the sachem who first met the English
- Massasoit's oldest son Wamsutta (known by the English as King Alexander), who died under mysterious circumstances after visiting with English colonial administrators in Plymouth
- Massasoit's second son Metacom or Metacomet (King Philip), who initiated the war against the English known as King Philip's War (1675–1676) in retaliation for the death of his brother at the hands of the English
- Corbitant, 17th-century sachem of the Pocasset
- Sachem Weetamoo of the Pocasset, a woman who supported Metacom and drowned crossing the Taunton River while fleeing the English
- Sachem Awashonks of the Sakonnet, a woman who at first fought the English but changed sides
- Annawan, a war leader.
Other notable figures:
- Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, the first student at the Indian College at Harvard College
- Amos Haskins, 19th-century whaling captain
- Sonny Dove, professional basketball player, New York City Basketball Hall of Fame
- Cedric Cromwell, Elected Tribal Council Chairman, 2009
- Epenow, a Nauset taken captive by English explorers in the 17th century, he was taken to England, where he learned the language. He convinced the English to return to North America, where he escaped and rejoined his people.
- Russell "Fast Turtle" Peters
- Blind Joe Amos
- Vernon "Silent Drum" Lopez
- John "Slow Turtle" Peters, supreme medicine man
- Jessie Little Doe Baird, linguist, co-founder and director of the Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) Language Reclamation Project, which has been the first to revive a Native American language after all the speakers had died.[14] In 2010 she was selected as a MacArthur Fellow.
- Joan Tavares Avant, author and historian.
- Linda Coombs, author and historian.
- Adrian Haynes, chief of the Wampanoag People
- Paula Peters, journalist and educator
Representation in other media
- Tashtego was a fictional Wampanoag harpooneer from Gay Head in Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick.
- Wampanoag history from 1621 to King Philip's War is depicted in the first part of We Shall Remain, a 2009 documentary.
See also
- Federally recognized tribes
- State recognized tribes in the United States
- The City of Columbus was a shipwreck where a group of Wampanoag risked their lives to save passengers
- Crispus Attucks
- Cuttyhunk
- Old Indian Meeting House, 1684 church
- List of early settlers of Rhode Island
- ↑ Szasz, Margaret Connell (2007-07-07). Indian Education in the American Colonies, 1607-1783). University of Nebraska Press. p. 107. ISBN 9780803259669.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ doi:[//dx.doi.org/10.3201%2Fedi1602.090276 10.3201/edi1602.090276 Marr JS, Cathey JT. "New hypothesis for cause of an epidemic among Native Americans, New England, 1616–1619"], Emerging Infectious Disease, Centers for Disease Control, 2010 Feb
- ↑ "Wampanoag." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Based on the Random House Dictionary, Random House, Inc. 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Oral history
- ↑ Plane, Anne Marie. Colonial Intimacies: Indian Marriage in Early New England. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press), 2000: 20, 61.
- ↑ Handbook of North American Indians.
- ↑ See Bragdon, Kathleen, "Gender as a Social Category in Native Southern New England," Ethnohistory 43:4, 1996, pg. 576, and Plane, Colonial Intimacies, pg. 20.
- ↑ Plane, Colonial Intimacies, pg. 20.
- ↑ Plane, Colonial Intimacies, p. 23.
- ↑ Salisbury, Neal. Introduction, Mary Rowlandson, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. Boston, MA: Bedford Books, 1997, p. 11.
- ↑ (1978) "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island, early period," Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 15. (Bruce G. Trigger, ed.). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, pp. 171f
- ↑ Williams, Roger. Narrangansett Women. (Originally published 1643, cited from Woloch, N., ed., Early American Women: A Documentary History, 1600–1900 (New York: McGraw-Hill), 1997, p. 8).
- ↑ Plane, Colonial Intimacies, pp. 5, 8, 22–23.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Jeffrey Mifflin, "Saving a Language: A rare book in MIT's archives helps linguists revive a long-unused Native American language", Technology Review, May/June 2008, accessed November 18, 2011
- ↑ Salisbury, Neal and Colin G. Calloway, eds. Reinterpreting New England Indians and the Colonial Experience, Vol. 71 of Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts. (Boston, MA: University of Virginia Press), 1993, pp. 278–9.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Die Welt der Indianer.
- ↑ Salisbury, Neal. Manitou and Providence, (Oxford University Press), 1982, p. 105.
- ↑ http://www.pilgrimhallmuseum.org/pdf/TG_What_Happened_in_1621.pdf
- ↑ Plane, Colonial Intimacies, pp. 47–8.
- ↑ Salisbury, Manitou and Providence, p. 106.
- ↑ Plane, Colonial Intimacies, p. 48.
- ↑ Ronda, James P. "Generations of Faith: The Christian Indians of Martha's Vineyard", William and Mary Quarterly 38, 1981, p. 378.
- ↑ Experience Mayhew stated that "it seems to be a Truth with respect to our Indians, so far as my knowledge of them extend, that there have been, and are a greater number of their Women appearing pious than of the men among them" in his text "Indian Converts" (quoted from James Ronda, "Generations of Faith," pp. 384–88).
- ↑ Experience Mayhew, sermon, "Family Religion Excited and Assisted," 1714–28, quoted from Plane, Colonial Intimacies, p. 114).
- ↑ Bourne, p. 4
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 Wampanoag History
- ↑ For a much more detailed examination of John Sassamon, his murder, and its effects on King Philip's War, see Jill Lepore's The Name of War.
- ↑ Salisbury, Introduction to Mary Rowlandson, p. 21.
- ↑ Salisbury, Introduction to Mary Rowlandson, p. 23.
- ↑ See Mary Rowlandson, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, pgs. 75 and 98.
- ↑ Salisbury, Introduction to Mary Rowlandson, p. 37.
- ↑ Salisbury, Introduction to Mary Rowlandson, p. 1.
- ↑ The William Pote Journal, p. 75
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 Handbook of North American Indians. Chapter: Indians of Southern New England and Long Island, late period, pp. 178ff; The Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe webpage; Mashpee Wampanoag Nation webpage; Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah webpage
- ↑ "Testimony of Historian Francis Hutchins", Mashpee Wampanoag Final Determination, 2007.
- ↑ Boston Globe, May 15, 1997
- ↑ "Wampanoag" Cradleboard Teaching Project. Retrieved: 14 August 2012.
- ↑ Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal membership committee.
- ↑ "Aquinnah (previously knows as Gay Head)" Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. Retrieved: 14 August 2012.
- ↑ Melville, H., "Moby-Dick", chapter 27. The Folio Society 2009. A Limited Edition with 281 illustrations by Rockwell Kent.
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Méras., Phyllis (2012-06-15). "Gladys Widdiss Dies at 97, Was Widely Respected Tribal Elder". Vineyard Guardian. Retrieved 2012-07-02.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Cheryl Andrews-Maltais elected Wampanoag chairman, Martha's Vineyard Times, November 21, 2007.
- ↑ "Aquinnah pitch island casino plan", Cape Cod Times, June 9, 2010.
- ↑ Final Determination for Federal Acknowledgment Report, Bureau for Indian Affairs, February 15, 2007.
- ↑ Mashpee Wampanoag Enrollment Ordinance, Bureau of Indian Affairs, filed 2007.
- ↑ "WampaGate – Glenn Marshall: There is still much to tell", Cape Cod Times, August 26, 2007.
- ↑ "Former Wampanoag leader sentenced", Boston Globe, May 8, 2009.
- ↑ "Marshall Timeline", Cape Cod Times, August 25, 2007
- ↑ Cape tribe feels heat from lobbyist scandal, Cape Cod Times, September 11, 2008.
- ↑ Fed letter demands 8 pages of tribe's letters to Abramoff, others, Cape Cod Today, October 9, 2007.
- ↑ "Cedric Cromwell elected chairman", Cape Cod Times, February 2, 2009.
- ↑ Mashpee Wampanoag elders gather outside tribal headquarters yesterday, seeking information about the tribe's finances since Chairman Cedric Cromwell took over, Cape Cod Times, September 24, 2009.
- ↑ Nellie Hicks Ramos v. Patricia Keliinui, 2009 Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Election Committee Chair, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Court, January 17, 2012.
- ↑ "Mashpee Wampanoag win federal recognition". Boston Globe. 2007-02-15. Retrieved 2007-12-11.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Pocasset Mashpee Wampanoags at odds over which tribe should get casino license for Taunton, Enterprise Press, April 18, 2012.
- ↑ National Indian Gaming Commission, "Indian Land Options"
- ↑ "City ends deal to sell land for Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe casino", Indian Gaming, January 19, 2011.
- ↑ WPRI News, "Sen. Kerry to support tribe land trust", September 8, 2010.
- ↑ "Former Congressman Bill Delahunt to Represent the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe", Indian Country News, March 12, 2011.
- ↑ CampaignMoney.com, "Wampanoag federal campaign contributions" 2006.
- ↑ "Former MA Congressman to Lobby for Tribal Casino", Casino Suite News, March 11, 2011.
- ↑ Associated Press, "Massachusetts: Casino Bill Passes in Both Houses", New York Times, November 15, 2011
- ↑ Mark Arsenault, "Developers start to jockey for casino sites/Early groundwork laid in Springfield, Palmer", Boston Globe,November 18, 2011
- ↑ Notice of Inventory Completion, Federal Register, 15 March 2011.
- ↑ US Census 2008 list of organizations.
- ↑ Herring Pond Wampanoag Band official website.
- ↑ Corliss v. Levesque, US District Court, October 13, 2004.
- ↑ The Nemasket/Plimoth Path, by Maurice Robbins, Massachusetts Archaeological Society.
- ↑ Pocasset Wampanoag Constitution
- ↑ Bk.5,pages 488-489,No.Dist.; Bk2, p. 140-141, F. R. Cop. Rec. Deed of Benjamin Church
- ↑ http://kstrom.net/isk/maps/maritimes1693.html
- ↑ Treaty Black's Law Dictionary
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ an act to enfranchise the indians 1869
- ↑ MA House Files 1861 special report to the Governor and Council, of the Commonwealth, in the cases of Zurviah Gould Mitchell and John Hector
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ St. 1869, Ch. 463
- ↑ Pocasset Wampanoag v. City of Fall River, Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board, June 14, 2007.
- ↑ CDC Race Code List, Center for Disease Control National Center for Health Statistics.
- ↑ Bill S.1707, Massachusetts Legislature, January 2011.
- ↑ Petition for Federal Acknowledgment of Existence as an Indian Tribe, Federal Register, April 6, 1995.
- ↑ Speck, Frank G., 1928, "Territorial Subdivisions and boundaries of the Wampanoag, Massachusett and Nauset Indians" : 72. Indian notes and Monographs No.444, New York: Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation EXH. 99.
- Wampanoag-Aquinnah Trust Land, Massachusetts United States Census Bureau
- Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project
- Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah webpage
- Cape Cod Times TRIBES RECONNECT: Part I, Worlds rejoined
- *Cape Cod Times TRIBES RECONNECT: Part II, 'We missed you'
- Pocasset Wampanoag official website
- *Cape Cod Times Spade tooth discovery offers another clue to bloodline
- Cape Cod Times Finding a link that was never really lost
- Cape Cod Times Roots emerge in native dance
- Roots Web RECONNECTION FESTIVAL 2002
- The Royal Gazette Learning a valuable lesson
In print
- Bragdon, Kathleen. Gender as a Social Category in Native Southern New England. (American Society for Ethnohistory, Ethnohistory 43:4). 1996.
- Moondancer and Strong Woman. A Cultural History of the Native Peoples of Southern New England: Voices from Past and Present. (Boulder, CO: Bauu Press), 2007.
- Plane, Anne Marie. Colonial Intimacies: Indian Marriage in Early New England. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press), 2000.
- Salisbury, Neal. Introduction to The Sovereignty and Goodness of God by Mary Rowlandson. (Boston, MA: Bedford Books), 1997.
- Salisbury, Neal and Colin G. Calloway, eds. Reinterpreting New England Indians and the Colonial Experience. Vol. 71 of Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts. (Boston, MA: University of Virginia Press), 1993.
- Waters, Kate, and Kendall, Russ. Tapenum's Day – A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times. (New York, Scholastic), 1996. ISBN 0-590-20237-5
- Williams, Roger. "Narrangansett Women." (1643).
- Lepore, Jill. The Name of War. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf), 1998.
- Rowlandson, Mary. The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. (Boston, MA: Bedford Books), 1997.
- Salisbury, Neal. Introduction to The Sovereignty and Goodness of God by Mary Rowlandson. (Boston, MA: Bedford Books), 1997.
- Salisbury, Neal. Manitou and Providence. (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 1982.
- Silverman, David. Faith and Boundaries: Colonists, Christianity, and Community Among the Wampanoag Indians of Martha's Vineyard, 1600–1871. (New York: Cambridge University Press), 2007. ISBN 0-521-70695-5.
- Leach, Douglas Edward. Flintlock and Tomahawk. (Norton: The Norton Library ISBN 978-0-393-00340-6), 1958.
Conversion and Christianity:
- Mayhew, Experience. "Family Religion Excited and Assisted." (1714–1728).
- Mayhew, Experience. "Indian Converts." (1727). (U. Mass. P. edition ISBN 1-55849-661-0), 2008. Indian Converts Collection
- Ronda, James P. Generations of Faith: The Christian Indians of Martha's Vineyard. (William and Mary Quarterly 38), 1981.
- Salisbury, Neal. Manitou and Providence. (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 1982.
External links
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wampanoag.
- Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe webpage
- Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah webpage
- Pocasset Nation Of The Wampanoag Federation Home Page
- The Council of Seven/Royal House of Pokanoket/Pokanoket Tribe/Wampanoag Nation
- Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe website
- Plimoth Plantation webpage
- Wampanoag History
- Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project
- Chappaquiddick Wampanoag
- CapeCodOnline's Wampanoag landing page
- Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe
- Cape Cod Online: Worlds Rejoined.
- We Still Live Here – Âs Nutayuneân site for Independent Lens on PBS
- Use mdy dates from April 2012
- Pages using deprecated image syntax
- Articles using Template:Infobox ethnic group with deprecated parameters
- Pages with broken file links
- Wikipedia articles in need of updating from February 2013
- All Wikipedia articles in need of updating
- Wampanoag tribe
- Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands
- Algonquian peoples
- Native American history of Massachusetts
- Native American history of Rhode Island
- Native American tribes in Massachusetts
- Native American tribes in Rhode Island
- Martha's Vineyard
- Nantucket, Massachusetts
- Plymouth Colony
- Algonquian ethnonyms


text:
stainless steel rat said:Several tips:
(1) you can go back. But don't play with the same pit boss if you can remember him/her. If you were read the trespass notice, and you signed an acknowledgement of such or they did it in front of a camera with audio, then stay away. But yours doesn't seem to fit that so I wouldn't worry and would go back if the game is playable next year.
(2) do _not_ camp out at a table. Keep sessions under an hour per pit. That keeps you under the radar.
(3) avoid playing across shift changes. This is because the two pit bosses discuss the "transition" and if you are playing when they change, they will discuss your play briefly and you don't want that kind of attention at all, if avoidable.
There are enough good games in Vegas that you don't have to become a "tombstone" (pit name for a player that sits at a table for hours). The longer you play, the more data you give the pit and the eye. And the more noticable you become. If you don't get noticed, they will have no reason to do a skills check and discover you are counting...
ihate17 said:[QUOTE=stainless steel rat]I've only heard that term used as "tombstone".
As far as backoffs go, unless you are playing at black and beyond, and spreading like a madman with zero cover, backoffs in vegas ought to be pretty rare.
I agree with this statement if it concerns most places on the strip but he did not say where he was playing.
Many casinos downtown have a quick hook and calling out checks play for a green chip sounds like the Western, the sweaty Spaniard (El Cortez) or a couple of other places where the money is sweated.
I would guess it was downtown but people get tossed from Barbary (barbaric) Coast all the time and other Coast casinos very easily.
learningtocount said:Penetration is irrelavant if you have seen 4 5's come off on a single deal than you should be a money favorite of 1 or 2 percent for the next round! you should disregard all the cards that they cut of unless you happen to see one, because they are just as likely to be in the undealt pack as they are to be in the muck. If you really wan't to play it safe when they cut of a lot of cards you can start the count at negative 1. In fact for every deck beyond one you should start your count minus 1. if you had three decks minus 2. Six decks minus 5 to start and so on. On single deck I will usually make my move on the second deal out I have seen a lot of cards on the first deal and it is fresh in my memory if i think the next round is favorable I might go from red to green chips!!!!
i_dream_of_Jaynie3367 said:Alrighty then! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! I'm not even going to bother to debate you on that one.
learningtocount said:I was just curious to see how many players have been barred from at least one casino for playing blackjack?
Judging by the response that this posting has gotten I think that at least I few of you have been barred from at least one casino.
How many of you players have never been barred but fear getting barred in the future?
First of all being barred from playing blackjack is not nearly as bad as you see being purtrade in the movies and on television. They won't take you in the backroom and beat you up and if they did couldn't you take them to court and sue them? Or possible have the people that beat you up charged with assualt and get them thrown in jail?
learningtocount said:Did you take some of the chips off of the table like I suggested or are you going to do that now? Have you ever thought of sueing the casino that did this to you?
learningtocount said:I was 86 from boomtown playing blackjack and I was only up like $40 from my orginal buy-in of $300. That day i think I played perfectly the other days I lost $300 playing good but not perfect stragedy. Do you think that standing on 16 vs a 10 gives an impersion that you are a really stupid player?
ihate17 said:Standing or hitting on 16 vs 10 is in itself a pretty borderline decision. Some pits and surviellance type believe it is not your hitting or standing that might lead them to think you are a counter but your mixing of the two since most players either just do one or the other. A counter will stay in a positive count and hit in the negative though. If the casino also offers surrender it becomes more complicated.
Hitting on 16 will give the pit the impression that you do know what you are doing. Staying will give them the impression that you are not that good.
ihate17 said:Standing or hitting on 16 vs 10 is in itself a pretty borderline decision. Some pits and surviellance type believe it is not your hitting or standing that might lead them to think you are a counter but your mixing of the two since most players either just do one or the other. A counter will stay in a positive count and hit in the negative though. If the casino also offers surrender it becomes more complicated.
Hitting on 16 will give the pit the impression that you do know what you are doing. Staying will give them the impression that you are not that good.
Getting backed off at Boomtown is not hard to do. Getting backed off while losing or not winning a significant amount is also not rare. Your bet spread is the most common thing that will attract attention unless you just look and act like a counter at the table. Once you have received their attention, if you played long enough, they figured it out and it has nothing to do with winning or losing.
stainless steel rat said:I would add that standing on 16 is actually a good plan all around. You will be wrong in negative counts, but you have small bets out. you will be right in + counts, when you have a big bet out. So you are consistent. The well-known "counter's basic strategy" has as the correct play as it is adjusted for a TC of +2 rather than approximately zero.
learningtocount said:It is the correct play to hit 16 vs a 10 it improves your chances by an average of 3% but hitting against 7,8,9,or Ace improves your chances of winning by a lot more. I think that the average player who has not read any books or done any real analysis would think that you gain by hitting against a 10 than a 7,8, or 9 because on those cards there are more oppurtunities for me to draw.
learningtocount said:However the game restricts what you can double on to 10-11 only. What is your evaluation of this game? This is the most common rule that I have come across on the single deck game.
learningtocount said:I have never seen anybody get thrown off a shoe game and I have been working as a dealer for 4 months now. However I have seen people that have been backed down from a single deck game. I myself have been backed down from a single deck game twice but never from a shoe. I think that when you have an edge on a shoe that it is so slight that casino might want to take the risk because they are banking on you every once in a while making a mistake. Plus the times when the casino has the edge on the shoe for the majority of the time but only a very small edge.
learningtocount said:I saw a player on the shoe game spread his bets from the table minimum of $5 to the table maximum of $200 lose the table minimum and win the table maximum and not be backed down on the shoe game. He was usually playing with $25 chips though. Personally I don't have the attention span to count down the shoe game and I don't know if he was counting or not. The single deck game offers an advantage for counters if they lose their count they can get a new deck really quickly. Where as a shoe can take 20 minutes to play out.
Ray said:
By the way...16 v 10 is the worst hand in BJ and you will lose approx'ly 73-75% of the time, hit or stand.
learningtocount said:I read in books that pit boss don't give women credit for being good blackjack players. I think that is a bunch of crap because I see women play and there are some decent players. Since there are very few people who play advantage blackjack I don't see a whole lot of women counters out there but I believe that they could count just as well as the men.
Knox said:On a $5-$10 table, when the count gets high just slip a green under a few reds. It will look like you are betting the same amount to the casually observing pit boss. I also like pocketing the green chips when I am doing well. I don't think they have never noticed me doing that.
learningtocount said:I wonder if casino give you heat when you insure a bad hand and win the insurance bet. Seeing as it is not normal behavior. If you have a blackjack and the right count to insure a very rare event than I think they over look that insurance bet because so many people take even money it is a normal thing for them. I think passing on insurance when it is not a big bet might be a smart idea. I think that profitable insurance on your big bets is the way to go because I see that people like to protect their big bets.
NYB said:I play a very comp friendly style and in small casinos pocketing green chips will piss off the pit crew no end.They may not see you do it but they'll know they are out of action and start hawking the table.If the majority of action on the table is red,you'd be surprised how much attention they pay to their sacred green chips.
stainless steel rat said:Insurance and splitting 10's are the two biggest give-aways there are. You have to "prepare" the dealer/pit for an insurance. For example taking even money on a 21 when you have a small bet out, which won't hurt your EV much but will set the stage for "this guy is a sucker"... If you play insurance by the count, trouble will follow unless you are just betting nickles and not spreading...
Nickels_n_Bullets said:SSR:
That leads to quite a few interesting scenarios wherein a non-counter can get tapped on the shoulder, simply because the shoe or playing time was advantageous, but the player doesn't profit, or doesn't catch a break. I might argue that the Casino uninvites a player simply because the shoe is good "after further review"... irrespective of name/face of such player. And quite frankly, if your review upstairs is true, then unless the WHOLE table is CLOSED, the ejection does appear arbitrary and capricious. Why single out one player when the whole table has been advantageous? Must be sumthin missin here unwritten.
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subset: commoncrawl


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The NASBE State School Health Policy Database is a comprehensive set of laws and policies from 50 states on more than 40 school health topics. Originally begun in 1998, and maintained with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the policy database is designed to supplement information contained in CDC's School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS).
The database contains brief descriptions of laws, legal codes, rules, regulations, administrative orders, mandates, standards, resolutions, and other written means of exercising authority. While authoritative binding policies are the primary focus of the database, it also includes guidance documents and other non-binding materials that provide a more detailed picture of a state's school health policies and activities. Most of the collected laws and policies govern the education system, but health department, transportation, and social services policies are also included as appropriate. Hyperlinks to the full written policies are provided whenever possible.
This database is intended to facilitate the sharing of school health improvement strategies and policy language across states. It is also designed to help state, district, and school practitioners access their state's school health policies in one convenient location. A third purpose is to assist researchers and policy evaluators with tracking changes in policies across the nation.
NASBE is continually updating the database with new and revised laws and policies. To help us keep this information as current and accurate as possible, users are strongly encouraged to contact us with any corrections or updates.
This database does not contain case law, legal opinions, or data on the implementation of state laws or policies. For a selected list of other state-level information databases, click the Other Databases tab. Unfortunately, there does not yet exist a comparable policy database covering the nation's local school districts. Users looking for local-level information should visit the websites of their state education agency or state school boards association.
The policies contained in the database are organized into six broad categories:
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Staff
• Health Promoting Environment
• Student Services
• Accommodation
• Coordination/Implementation
Database contents can be accessed three ways:
One of the most frequent questions from users is, "Which states have exemplary policies on a given topic?" To provide some guidance, the NASBE Center for Safe and Healthy Schools has highlighted selected policies that other states might want to consider using as models. These may be viewed by clicking the Staff Picks tab.
"Staff Picks" offer policy concepts, strategies, and phrases that policy developers might consider adapting, but always keep in mind that each state's education governance structure, needs, circumstances, and policy traditions are different. Some states have few state-level policies; others have many. Some policies are general; others are very detailed. Effective policymaking is not accomplished through a "one type fits all" approach. Every policy needs to be custom tailored to fit its unique context.
The term "policy" is generic and can refer to many types of policy tools used by authoritative governing bodies such as state legislatures and state boards of education to effect change. For example, state boards can choose to adopt regulations that have the force of law, can merely express advisory guidance, or can influence local practice through funding incentives. Institutions and traditions that are unique to a given place -"this is how we do things around here"- greatly influence the type of policy instrument used.
"Laws" or "statutes" are adopted by state legislatures and compiled into "codes." Subdivisions might be known as "titles", "chapters", and "sections." Laws take precedence over every other type of policy and are subject to the full weight of state enforcement via the criminal or civil justice systems.
"Rules", "regulations", "administrative orders", "certification requirements", "licensure requirements", and similar terms usually refer to policies that are adopted by state boards or state department heads under authority granted by the state legislature. They often carry the force of law within the education system.
In the education system, "standards" refer to academic concepts and skills that students should know and be able to do. "Curriculum frameworks" outline general instructional concepts rather than specific lesson plans. In some states standards and frameworks are mandatory and are treated like regulations, but in most states they are recommendations intended to guide the content of local academic programs. The selection of a particular curriculum that consists of specific lessons for students is nearly always left up to a local school district, school, or individual teacher.
"Resolutions", "position statements", "non-regulatory guidance", "guidelines", "legal advisories", "interagency agreements", "bylaws," and "procedures" are advisory in nature, express opinions, or provide clarification on implementing policies and programs. They can originate from state legislatures, state boards of education, state education administrators, or others in positions of authority.
The Urban Institute provides a useful online Policy Jargon Decoder, a glossary of terms commonly used in policy debates. Similarly, the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) offers a Glossary of Education Terms and Acronyms.
It is a challenge to directly compare policies among states because state education systems are far from uniform. Whether a given policy is most appropriate at the state, regional, tribal, school district, or school level depends heavily on jurisdictional traditions, governance structures, and political contexts as well as the particular topic. For example, 34 states currently mandate HIV prevention education. However, a state that does not explicitly mandate HIV education might have a strong tradition of "local control" and does not mandate any kind of instruction. Such a state might in fact be doing all it can to encourage effective instruction through the use of model policies, curriculum guidance, staff development programs, and other voluntary incentives. Lack of a policy does not mean lack of attention.
Directly comparing states can also be a challenge because the same terms can mean different things and carry different degrees of authority from one state to another. Even within a state, terms like "rule," "regulation," and "administrator order" might be used inconsistently or interchangeably.
NASBE hopes that this resource will be effectively used as intended. We stand ready to help states adopt, expand, and improve their school health policies.
Adapted from Chapter B: The Art of Policymaking of NASBE's Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: A School Health Policy Guide.
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Star Trek is without argument the most influential and recognizable science-fiction television series ever produced. The cultural significance of the Star Trek franchise cannot be overstated, not just for its presence as a standard bearer for TV sci-fi, but for its work in introducing scientific concepts to mass audiences and advancing the notions of tolerance and equality within popular culture.
If you're looking for a single, epiphanous moment to signify the importance of Star Trek to both television and society at large, this is it: The first scripted interracial kiss in American TV history happened on Star Trek, in the episode "Plato's Stepchildren" between Captain Kirk and Lt. Uhura. That the Star Trek franchise also inspired almost every modern mobile gadget, from the smartphone to the tablet computer, is simply icing on the cake.
Yet, for all its well-earned accolades, Star Trek has been scandalously overlooked by major television awards. In fact, in the nearly 50 years that Star Trek has been on the air, with six television series and over 700 episodes to its credit, only once has any Star Trek show won a non-technical Emmy award.
WHAT IS THE ONLY MAJOR EMMY AWARD THE STAR TREK FRANCHISE EVER WON?Get the answer.
Full Bio
Jay Garmon has a vast and terrifying knowledge of all things obscure, obtuse, and irrelevant. One day, he hopes to write science fiction, but for now he'll settle for something stranger — amusing and abusing IT pros. Read his full profile. You can also follow him on his personal blog.


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Energy efficiency and the technology to control it are becoming more and more popular. One homebuilder, Nexus EnergyHomes in Stevensville, Md., is giving away iPads to the new owners of their Net Zero homes, which produce as much energy as they use. The builder so far has sold seven homes in its North Pointe development in Frederick, Md.
The iPads—just iPad 2s for now—aren't gimmicky enticements. They're intended to help homeowners monitor their homes' energy use and control security and home automation systems, thanks to the Nexus' soon-to-be-released NexusVision energy management and automation system.
"What we're giving people is the ability to communicate with their homes," says Mike Murphy, president of Nexus' construction division. "They'll receive alerts if there are spikes of power being used. You can start the irrigation system or the oven on your way home. If someone rings a doorbell, you'll see a video of the person at the door."
The NexusVision system consists of Alarm.com's emPower home automation platform and interface, provided by subcontractor Vintage Security in Chantilly, Va., an eGauge energy monitor with current transformers (CTs) that measure energy usage at the electrical panel, and Eragy's myEragy Pro energy monitoring software.
The NexusVision system will show separate interfaces for Eragy's energy monitoring and Alarm.com's emPower systems, the latter of which comes standard in the homes with climate control, lighting control, video (one day/night camera included) and security (including remote locking and unlocking). The emPower system uses wireless products that conform to the Z-Wave wireless mesh network technology.
The eGauge sensors won't measure every circuit, but Murphy says Nexus has broken the home up into strategic circuits, such as kitchen outlets, appliances, master bedroom and living room, so homeowners can easily tell what is using the most energy and react to that via the emPower interface. The myEragy Pro software will display graphs showing energy usage in kilowatt hours (kWh) or dollars, presented by hour, day, week, month or year. Homeowners can even get up-to-the-minute updates from the eGauge devices.
The myEragy software also monitors production from the home's solar PV (photovoltaic) panels and contains a utility rate database for choosing the best utility rate plans and running upcoming smart-grid programs such as Time of Use pricing from utilities. Email or text alerts on utility rate information and energy usage can be sent to homeowners by Eragy's software.
Technology Meets Green
The energy management and home automation control is just one aspect of these high-tech green homes. Nexus EnergyHomes use GeoSolar, with geothermal heat pumps that pull heat from below ground and solar photovoltaic panels that produce electricity. The homes' super-insulated shells are made from SIPs (structural insulated panels). Inside, buyers will find bamboo floors, paints that emit low VOCs (volatile organic compounds that can aggravate respiratory conditions), recycled carpeting and energy-efficient LED lighting. An electric vehicle charger via a 240-volt, Level 2 charger: is: available as an option. Outdoors feature rainwater harvesting and stormwater management to reduce water use for landscaping.
The houses, which are built to meet NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) Emerald certification for energy-efficient construction, don't require outside air-conditioning units. Filtered air circulates through these pressurized homes every 45 minutes, using total recovery ventilators (TRVs) that ventilate, exchange heat like a heat recovery ventilator (HRV), and control humidity.
In addition, all household electrical equipment and appliances are Energy Star-rated. The entire electrical system is tied to the electrical or utility grid for net metering, in which unused power from the solar systems is "sold" back to the utility for an energy credit.
Home automation and energy management are key components of: Nexus' green and Net Zero homes. The NexusVision technology could help the homeowners maintain "net zero," so as they bring more gadgets and devices into their homes, they can better see and maintain their energy usage—while enabling the geothermal and solar systems to continue to produce all of the homes' energy needs. "I think people are looking for technology. iPhones and iPads are proof that people will embrace this kind of technology," Murphy says. "It's a stable platform and people can feel comfortable with it."
The myEragy Pro software also allows builders, service providers and others to monitor the energy use of the homes, which could give Nexus EnergyHomes valuable data on energy-usage patterns of its home buyers and help the company plan for the future.
The high-tech energy-efficiency niche Nexus EnergyHomes is carving out for itself may be the next step for homebuilders, who are already embracing green building, renewable energy sources and energy-efficiency designs.
As for those iPads? "A home can be for more than eating dinner, watching TV and going to bed," says Nexus' Murphy. "Now people can communicate with their homes in a way they never could: before."


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For those of you who have taken a child-led approach to weaning, I'm wondering at what age your child self-weaned? DS is only 10 months and I plan to nurse into toddlerhood so I have awhile before this will be an issue but I'm just wondering. I've read that the natural age of weaning can be anywhere from 2-4 years, which is a pretty wide range. Do most children fall closer to the 2 year end of the spectrum or the 4 year end?
My DS LOVES nursing and is very attached to it, and ideally I'd like to follow his lead and nurse until he outgrows the need, but I really don't see myself nursing a 4 year old, and probably not even a 3 year old. Do you think there is a reasonable chance that he will outgrow the need before he turns 3 or am I going to need to do some gentle mother-led weaning if I want it to happen by then? I don't really want to take it away from him before he's ready
I realize every child is different, etc. but I'm wondering what your experiences have been. Thanks in advance!


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This topic comes up all the time on the SEO Chat forums. In fact, we offer an entire subforum on local search techniques, and you can find also find a variety of threads in other parts of the forum that deal with issues for essentially locally-based websites.
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between promoting a website for a local business and doing the same thing for a national firm or brand involves link building. As noted in this recent thread, when you're starting a new local-based business, figuring out where to get your links from can be a challenge. The good news is that link building may be less important at the local level than other promotional opportunities.
Your first step, according to long-time SEO Chat forum member jsteele823, should be a visit to Google Maps. If you look on the left hand side, you'll see a line that says "Put your business on Google Maps," with a link. Click the link, and you'll be taken to a Google Places page which you will be able to use to add your business. This screen will include a text box in which you can enter your phone number to see if Google Maps already has some information about your business. Do it; you'd be surprised at what Google collects. You'll be able to claim your business, fill out your listing, and correct any errors that may have accumulated.
By the way, Yahoo and Bing also boast their own versions of Google Places. You'll want to create or claim your business listing on their sites as well.
From there, your best bet is to go with local opportunities for link building. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce; you might be able to get a good link from their website. Next, you might look into websites that do a certain kind of local geo-targeting, but on a national level. By this, I mean websites such as Yelp, which let customers review local businesses. You may also want to look at setting up a Facebook page and/or a Twitter feed; explaining how to do that and run it properly would take up another article or three, so I won't get into that here.
Some of what you need to do will depend on the kind of business you run. Try looking for community outreach opportunities and asking politely for leads and links. Is your ice cream parlor providing refreshments for a children's charity event? Ask for a link on the web page for the event. Did your computer firm install new computers at the local elementary school? Some schools run their own blogs; you might get a link from a post reporting on the event. Sometimes, if you want to promote your company online, you need to go offline first. Networking is networking, regardless of where you do it.
Sometimes you need to get a little creative, be patient, and stay focused on your real goal – which isn't to rank in Google as much as it is to get customers. You should remember, therefore, that your website is a means to that end. Let me give you an example.
I live in a gated community where the residents are mostly 55+ years old. Joe, one of the residents, runs his own computer services business catering to that age group. He started a computer club here in the community. Whenever his club meets, he lists his email address as the contact for more information – and the address contains the name of his company's website. Without even linking to his site, then, he's telling his target market where they can find him online. Potential customers can research the services he offers, read testimonials from satisfied customers, and so on.
These club meetings, by the way, aren't just a group of people meeting; Joe puts together a good presentation on topics likely to interest his target market. One previous presentation covered digital cameras; this week, he's doing a presentation on Windows 8. Anyone curious enough to go to these presentations is probably a good candidate for Joe's services. Yes, putting it all together is a fair bit of work, and he isn't even getting a live link out of it, necessarily – but he IS reaching his target market and getting customers. He's getting his website in front of the right demographic for his business – and he isn't even using Google to do it. Now that's going local!


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Scotch bonnets (or 'ridged bonnets') Semicassis granulata or Phalium granulatum are a medium-sized species of sea snail found in the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic from North Carolina to Uruguay. They are predators, foraging on sandy stretches of the ocean floor for echinoderms such as sand dollars, sea biscuits, and other sea urchins (Caution: 'Oxford comma')SCOTCH BONNET FACTS
- It takes approximately six years for a Scotch bonnet to mature
- The shells grows 2 – 4 ins long (5 – 10 cm), showing distinct growth stages
- Scotch bonnets live on sand, usually in fairly shallow water (but see below)
- The more a Scotch bonnet eats the more elaborate its shell, the glossier its sheen & the brighter its colours (research suggests this doesn't work for humans)
- Divers frequently find Scotch bonnets at depths of 50 – 150 feet (15 to 46 m). Specimens have been found in depths up to 308 ft (94 m)
- Shipwrecks provide a good habitat for this species
- Crabs are its main predators, crushing the shell to get at the occupant. Since the snails' main defence mechanism is to withdraw into their shells, they urgently need to evolve a new tactic
- The empty shell of this sea species is often used by hermit crabs
- In 1965 the state of North Carolina made the Scotch bonnet its official state shell, in honor of the Scottish settlers who founded the state
The ridge on my shell, below, may be somewhat unusual. I haven't found any images showing such a very distinct dorsal growth, though many show a sort of fault line there. STOP PRESS shell expert Colin Redfern explains: "The dorsal ridge on your shell is a varix, indicating a previous position of the outer lip during the growth process. Varices on Scotch Bonnets are usually thicker (as in the image above)."
CASSIS RUFA (Cypraecassis rufa)
There are many different sorts of Phalium worldwide. By way of comparison, here is another type, Cassis Rufa, from the Pacific (commonly, east Africa to New Guinea). It's colloquially known as a Bullmouth, Red Mouth or Grinning Mouth Helmet – and also as a 'Cameo Shell', because it is often used for making cameos (see eBay for examples)


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Gun workers rally
HARTFORD, CT - 03.14.2013 - FIREARMS PUBLIC HEARING - More than 500 Colt Manufacturing Co. employees, contractors, suppliers and vendors traveled from West Hartford to the Legislative Office Building in a caravan of ten buses to rally in opposition to the governor's proposed assault weapons ban. Gun supporters and opponents attended the public hearing of Senate Bill 506 which would require a background check for any firearm transaction. HARTFORD COURANT DIGITAL PHOTO BY PATRICK RAYCRAFT | email@example.com ORG XMIT: B582782348Z.1 Name:hc-
Patrick Raycraft, Hartford Courant
Copyright © 2018, Sun Sentinel


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Catfights among women on "Love & Hip Hop," "Basketball Wives" and "The Real Housewives" franchises are not unusual. In fact, fans of the shows expect harsh language and the knock-down, drag-out fights that are featured.
But "R&B Divas," TV One's newest reality series, looks to change that dynamic.
The show follows the lives of singers Faith Evans, Nicci Gilbert-Daniels, Monifah Carter, Syleena Johnson and Keke Wyatt as they join forces to record "R&B Divas," an Evans album that features all the ladies and also pays homage to inspirations such as Whitney Houston.
"We all know that life has drama," said Evans, who is also the widow of rap legend Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace. "But what we wanted to showcase was that the drama doesn't always have to be resolved in violence or fighting, that there can be some inspiring (going on) as well through reaching resolutions."
Gilbert-Daniels, whose voice was among those in the 1990s trio Brownstone, said she approached Evans about pitching a reality television project and the two devised the show's concept after lamenting the state of programming that constantly "glamorizes the buffoonery."
"I've never jumped across a table to get my point across," Gilbert-Daniels said, referencing the altercations that are regularly seen on other popular reality shows. "There was definitely a void in programming and in a real representation of women we know."
Evans and Gilbert-Daniels are executive producers of "R&B Divas," which airs Mondays at 10 p.m. EDT. It delves into Carter's challenges with her daughter and others regarding Carter's homosexuality; Johnson's financial struggles and Wyatt's battles with past abuse and her resulting insecurities. One episode also shows the women's tribute performance at the 2012 Essence Music Festival to Houston, Etta James and others.
"I've had nothing but good feedback," Evans said when asked about reaction to the show. "I'm happy that fans are receiving it in the spirit that we wanted."
The show has definitely struck a chord with fans: It was the most-watched original premiere in TV One's eight-year history when it debuted last month.
Still, not all of the feedback has been positive, Gilbert-Daniels said.
"I get a little of that `You're bossy, mean, controlling and have an Oprah complex,' but that's the price you pay when you open up your life for all to see," she said.
Creative tension between Gilbert-Daniels and the album's producer reared its head in a couple of episodes after she appeared disconnected during a spontaneous writing collaboration with Johnson and Carter.
"Everybody had a clear understanding going in that I'm a bit disenchanted with the music industry and have not pursued a career in music so that I can create other opportunities in my life. I've been focused on the behind the scenes," Gilbert-Daniels, who is launching a full-figured clothing line, explained. "Still, I have always been very excited and supportive and 100 percent on board for this project."
The Whitney E. Houston Academy in East Orange, N.J., will receive some of the proceeds from sales of the CD, which is scheduled to be released Tuesday. The first single, "Tears of Joy," by Evans, is already heating up the airwaves.
Gilbert-Daniels noted that although there's some conflict on the show, there's also resolution.
"That's the most important aspect of the show," she said. "Everything is rooted in love and we work to resolve our problems in the most amicable and peaceful of ways. That's what I hope resonates loudest with the fans."
Evans and Gilbert-Daniels said there's no talk yet of a Season 2, but they're hopeful.
"God's been tapping me on my shoulder saying that it will be a done deal," Gilbert-Daniels said confidently.


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New on his blog today Maarten Balliauw has a post talking about running Azure diagnostics from inside of PHP (using the Windows Azure Diagnostics API).
When working with PHP on Windows Azure, chances are you may want to have a look at what's going on: log files, crash dumps, performance counters, … All this is valuable information when investigating application issues or doing performance tuning. Windows Azure is slightly different in diagnostics from a regular web application. [...] On Windows Azure, you may scale beyond that and have a hard time looking into what is happening in your application if you would have to use the above approach. A solution for this? Meet the Diagnostics Monitor.
He includes a sample configuration and an example of the output of his sample script when it's run against that configuration. You can find this script here and the Windows Azure SDK here.


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House Democrats released email correspondence between Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton during her time as secretary of state, NBC News reported.
The email exchange, which was released on Wednesday, took place in January 2009. Clinton asked the former secretary of state about restrictions in using a Blackberry, and Powell responded with how he used a land line to get around State Department rules.
"I didn't have a Blackberry," Powell said in the email. "What I did was have a personal computer that was hooked up to a private phone line (sounds ancient). So I could communicate with a wide range of friends directly without it going through the State Department servers. I even used it to do business with some foreign leaders and some of the senior folks in the Department on their personal email accounts. I did the same thing on the road in hotels."