The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag is a cultural heritage group that claims descendancy from the Massachusett people , an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands .
17-469: While they identify as a Native American tribe , they are unrecognized , meaning they are neither a federally recognized tribe nor a state-recognized tribe . The Massachuset-Ponkapoag Tribal Council, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2002; however, GuideStar reports that their nonprofit status was revoked for failing to file 990 tax forms with the IRS for three consecutive years. As
34-857: A Harvard University alumna and director of administration at the Harvard School of Public Health , has delivered land acknowledgments for the university and other area institutions. As the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, the organization released an open letter in 2020 opposing the use of Native American sports mascots . Members participated in the Wessagussett Wetlands and Woodlands site's unveiling of public signage of local history in Weymouth, Massachusetts . The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag has publicly called on Boston University to rename its Myles Standish Hall to Wituwamat Memorial Hall after
51-401: A 1/4 degree minimum. A Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood does not establish membership in a tribe. Tribal membership is determined by tribal laws and may or may not require a CDIB or may require a separate tribal determination of ancestry or blood degree. The CDIB is controversial, from a racial politics perspective, and because non-federally recognized tribes are neither eligible for
68-530: A Neponset tribal member killed by colonists in 1623. Native American tribe In the United States, an American Indian tribe , Native American tribe , Alaska Native village , Indigenous tribe , or Tribal nation may be any current or historical tribe , band, or nation of Native Americans in the United States . Modern forms of these entities are often associated with land or territory of an Indian reservation . " Federally recognized Indian tribe "
85-495: A basis for tribal enrollment in most cases. Federally recognized tribes are "unique governmental entities and are not extensions of State or local governments." Some tribes, such as the United Houma Nation , do not have federal recognition, but are recognized at the state level using procedures defined by various states, without regard to federal recognition. Other organizations self-identify as Native American tribes for
102-532: A cultural awareness organization, their stated mission is "The Education of the Massachuset people in our history, customs and culture." Gilbert Solomon is the principal officer, based in Bridgewater, Massachusetts . Their agent is Massachusetts Registered Agent, LLC. The Ponkapoag Land Corporation is an active nonprofit organization, also founded in 2002 with Gilbert Solomon serving as agent. Its registered address
119-420: A language and culture. Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood A Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood or Certificate of Degree of Alaska Native Blood (both abbreviated CDIB) is an official U.S. document that certifies an individual possesses a specific fraction of Native American ancestry of a federally recognized Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo , village, or community. They are issued by
136-454: A variety of reasons; they may be a scattered tribe who no longer exist as an organized nation, or they have not completed the certification process established by the government entities in question, they may have lost their recognition through termination , or they may be a group of non-Native individuals seeking recognition as a tribe for other reasons. Some federally recognized tribes are confederacies of more than one tribe. Historically,
153-411: Is a legal term in United States law with a specific meaning. A Native American tribe recognized by the United States government possesses tribal sovereignty , a "domestic dependent, sovereign nation" status with the U.S. federal government that is similar to that of a state in some situations, and that of a nation in others, holding a government-to-government relationship with the federal government of
170-734: Is in Holliston, Massachusetts . The officers of the Massachuset-Ponkapoag Tribal Council, Inc., and Ponkapoag Land Corporation are as follows: Robin Harris became the director of the Massachusetts-Ponkapoag Tribal Council, Inc. in 2021. Jean Oliver Foster became director of the Ponkapoag Land Corporation in 2021. Elizabeth Solomon, a member and officer of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag and
187-645: The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act [43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.]. Such tribes, including Alaska Native village or regional corporations recognized as such, are known as "federally recognized tribes" and are eligible for special programs and services provided by the United States . The BIA, part of the US Department of the Interior, issues Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood , which tribes use as
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#1733086230631204-515: The Bureau of Indian Affairs after the applicant supplies a completed genealogy with supporting legal documents such as birth certificates, showing their descent, through one or both birth parents, from an enrolled Indian or an Indian listed in a base roll such as the Dawes Rolls . Blood degree cannot be obtained through adoptive parents. The blood degree on previously issued CDIBs or on the base rolls in
221-452: The English word tribe is a people organized with a non– state government, who typically claim descent from a common founder and who speaks the same language . In addition to their status as legal entities, tribes have political, social, and historical rights and responsibilities. The term also refers to communities of Native Americans who historically inhabit a particular landbase and share
238-650: The State of California formed rancherias and Nevada formed Indian Colonies . Multiethnic entities were formed by the U.S. federal government or by treaty with the U.S. government for the purpose of being assigned to reservations. For example, 19 tribes that existed in 1872 combined at that time to form the Colville Confederated Tribes, which is now the single federally recognized tribe, Colville Indian Reservation in Washington state . The international meaning of
255-430: The United States . Many terms used to describe Indigenous peoples of the United States are contested but have legal definitions that are not always understood by the general public. The term tribe is defined in the United States for some federal government purposes to include only tribes that are federally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and those Alaska Native tribes established pursuant to
272-505: The filer's ancestry are used to determine the filer's blood degree (unless they challenge them as inaccurate). Information collected for the filing is held confidential by privacy laws, except if the CDIB is related to assigned duties. A CDIB can show only the blood degree of one tribe or the total blood degree from all tribes in the filer's ancestry. Some tribes require a specific minimum degree of tribal ancestry for membership, which might require
289-510: The first type of certificate, while some federal benefits programs require a minimum total Indian blood degree so an individual might require the second type of certificate to qualify. For example, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians requires at least 1/16 degree of Eastern Cherokee blood for tribal membership, whereas the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Higher Education Grant for college expenses requires
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