Nov. 24, 1998

Dear Person Concerned for Wampanoag and other Native People,

 The Mashpee Wampanoag, members of one of the last remaining Native American tribes in Massachusetts, are in danger of losing a final foothold on the sacred earth that has nurtured our people since the beginning of time.

We, the members of the Indian Spiritual and Cultural Training Council Homes for Seven Generation program, are writing you today to ask you to consider funding a project to preserve land for the Mashpee Wampanoag people and give much needed assistance to those who are presently in danger of becoming homeless.

Our ancestors in the Wampanoag Nation (whom we intend to honor with this project) once occupied what is now eastern Massachusetts, moving freely through the fields and forests, and gathering abundant harvests from soil and sea. We helped the Pilgrims survive those desperate early years.
Although increasing European occupation brought severe trials, we survived. Even as late as the 1960's, the Mashpee Tribe was reasonably secure in its corner of what had come be known as Cape Cod.

This changed in the early 1970;s when developers transformed the old township, opening the way for a flood of housing developments, golf courses, malls. Because of the fragility of our peninsula, this has brought environmental destruction. We have become a small minority on our native soil.

Today, of the town's approximately 15,000 acres of land, less than 100 acres is owned by the Tribe and by tribal members. Even this is threatened by sky rocketing property values, taxes and the threat of fore closures. Each month many tribal members struggle to meet their families basic needs and some fall short of just the few dollars necessary to hold onto their homes.

Homes for Seven Generations is undertaking a program to guarantee the minimum survival of our Tribe on our own land. Our committee includes tribal members and allies in the non-Native community.

Our goals are:

To work toward these objectives we propose a two-fold approach.

  1. Establishment of an emergency fund sufficient to prevent foreclosures and the loss of lands. We estimate that $50,000 would be sufficient to guarantee this objective.
  2. Organization of a long range program to increase home-ownership and land holdings for the common good of the entire Mashpee Wampanoag community. For this we intend to raise $170,000. This money will be used for a staff position, consultants as needed and to acquire some small parcels of land for tribal use as early as possible.

Our committee first formed to stop the foreclosure of the home of a recently widowed disabled Tribal member. We raised approximately $10,000 from non-profit agencies religious organizations and individuals in the course of a month; the home was saved.

Homes for Seven Generations has now been developed as a program of the Indian Spiritual and Cultural Training Counsel. The Spiritual and Cultural Counsel was incorporated in May of 1980 by John Peters (Supreme Medicine Man of the Wampanoag Nation), Karl Mills and Lewis Gurwitz. One of the primary purposes of this organization is to raise the socio-economic status of the Native American and acquire lands to further the group's purposes. current members include John Peters Jr., Anita Little, Robyn Dasiva and Ramona Peters.

We plan to consult with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council regarding the needs of the community and with the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohican Tribes regarding legal advice and other matters as appropriate.

Homes for Seven Generations will raise funds from the general public, matching funds from local businesses, foundations, church and civic groups. Currently we have received help from individuals totalling over $6,000. More is needed.

Caretakers of this fragile peninsula for thousands of years, the Mashpee Wampanoag people today need your assistance. We hope you feel that our program is promising and necessary and that you will invite us to submit a grant application for your further consideration.

Sincerely,