Plymouth Wampanoag Tribe granted state recognition. ‘Thousands of years of existence.’

Healey: Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe in Plymouth recognized

The Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, headquartered in Plymouth, has been granted state recognition.

Gov. Maura Healey’s office called Tribal Chairwoman Melissa Ferretti on Friday.

The news overwhelmed her with joy, Ferretti said.

“The executive order acknowledges what we already knew. It reaffirms our thousands of years of existence here,” Ferretti said Monday.

Gov. Healey made a promise to deal with Indigenous issues, Ferretti said. “She honored that promise and commitment.”

Healey officially granted state recognition on Tuesday with Executive Order 637.

Herring Pond is a distinct, cohesive and autonomous tribal community that has existed in Massachusetts for centuries, according to a statement from Healey’s office.

“Our administration deeply appreciates our strong ties with the indigenous tribes across our state, and this Executive Order gives Herring Pond Wampanoag the recognition they deserve,” Healey said in the statement.

The state’s acknowledgement, said Ferretti, will allow Herring Pond to establish a formal and political relationship with state government, and will also enable Herring Pond to gain access to resources and opportunities essential for the welfare and prosperity of the tribe community. State recognition will lead to collaboration with state agencies in areas such as education, healthcare, conservation of natural resources, and economic development, said Ferretti.

“This isn’t about money, power or greed. It’s about the basic survival and inherent rights of our people,” said Ferretti.

Herring Pond’s tribal homelands range from Plymouth to Bourne and Sandwich in Barnstable County. There are about 200 active Herring Pond tribal citizens, said Ferretti.

The Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, headquartered in Plymouth, has been granted state recognition. Gov. Maura Healey’s office called Tribal Chairwoman Melissa Ferretti on Nov. 15, 2024. The news overwhelmed her with joy, Ferretti said. She was photographed on July 30, 2024 at the tribe’s meeting house in Plymouth.
Steps to achieve state recognition
Ferretti, along with Herring Pond’s Tribal Council, have been working toward state recognition since Ferretti became a member of the Council in 2016, she said.

“At that time we had very little resources available to the tribe. We were literally passing a hat around to collect money to sustain ourselves,” said Ferretti. “In the past, we were too proud to ask for money or for help. But that’s what motivated us to work towards formal state recognition.”

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Because Herring Pond wasn’t state recognized, the tribe has often been denied services from the state, and from other tribal service organizations that required tribes to have state or federal recognition.

But after conducting research, including interviewing tribe elders, and compiling documents into evidence binders to prove Herring Pond’s history, Ferretti and tribal citizens Kerina Silva, and Jamie Hoctor submitted a letter and petition to Healey’s office on May 20.

In the letter, the tribe asked Healey’s office to sign a proposed executive order that would formally acknowledge Herring Pond. In the letter, which Ferretti provided to the Times, the tribe said it has maintained a continuous presence with a government that predates the establishment of the American colonies, the state, and the U.S.

“We stand alone as the sole tribe with unceded lands in the towns of Plymouth and Bourne,” said Ferretti in the letter.

In the letter, Ferreti said that the tribe’s acknowledgement within the commonwealth is not just a procedural step. “It signifies a vital moment for the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe to receive equitable treatment and ensure the survival of our culture,” Ferretti wrote.

Did Herring Pond have support from Wampanoag Nation?
Herring Pond is the second tribe to be granted recognition by the state, said Ferretti. The Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band — native to Central Massachusetts, Northeastern Connecticut and parts of Rhode Island — was granted state recognition under Executive Order 126, issued by Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in 1976.

Herring Pond should have been included under that executive order, said Silva.

“I don’t know why that happened or what the terms of that order were,” said Silva. “But we took the steps to be a part of that order and we were successful. That’s a really good feeling.”

State acknowledgement won’t provide the same legal benefits or federal funding as federally recognized tribes like the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), said Ferretti. But it offers a pathway towards federal recognition, she said.

Mashpee Tribe Chairman Brian Weeden and the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais expressed their support for Healey’s decision.

“We’re thrilled for our cousins in the Herring Pond Tribe that the Commonwealth has officially recognized their ancestors’ perseverance in remaining on ancestral lands,” Weeden said in the statement from Healey’s office. “The benefits of a government-to-government relationship will extend to future generations of tribal citizens and the Herring Pond Tribe’s ability to sustain a healthy relationship with the land and the water.”

In a letter addressed to the Healey administration, provided to Ferretti, Andrews-Maltais noted that Herring Pond has been continuously recognized by other local, state and federally recognized tribes, as well as the surrounding community. Herring Pond was also documented as a historic tribe, she said in the letter.

Will other tribes also be recognized?
The possibilities for other tribes to be recognized by the state are there, said Ferretti.

“Hopefully this is the beginning of a real state recognition process that could bring legislation and pave the way for other legitimate tribes that are struggling,” said Ferretti. “We are setting a precedent for other tribes to get recognition if they fit the criteria.”

Ferretti said she would be open to collaborating with the state to establish a formal process for state recognition. For now, she’s just enjoying this moment.

“It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” she said. “It’s been a long road. A lot of ups and downs. But we never gave up. We’ve achieved this important mission — for us and the ancestors.”