Thanksgiving Indians get federal recognition

Massachusetts tribe who greeted plucky Pilgrims congratulated by governor

	Glenn Marshall, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, left, reacts to a phone call Thursday bringing news that the tribe, based on Cape Cod, Mass., won recognition as a sovereign American Indian nation. Tribal chief Vernon Lopez is seated at right.
Vincent Dewitt / AP

Video: Wonderful World

Transforming Newark's South 9th St.
July 3: In one block in Newark, N.J., affordable homes now stand in place of vacant lots, thanks to a group of entrepreneurs hoping to change a neighborhood and make a difference. NBC’s Ron Allen reports.

Woman thanks 911 operator who saved her life

Lego landmarks on display in Chicago

Sky over Big Apple turns orange

Baby delivered in car during storm

Your turn!

Inspirational athletes
In honor of the 2008 Olympics, we're celebrating the athletes in your own life who inspire greatness.

Giving

Newsweek: First lady reaches out to D.C.’s poor
Away from the cameras, Michelle Obama has made it a practice to almost every week visit some worthy non-profit.

Willie Garson touts adoptions in U.S.

Mich.-based charity shuts down

Obama lauds community nonprofits

Obama: All Americans should give back

Dina Manzo reaches out to kids with cancer

Breaking news alerts (about 1 per day)
Click here to sign up or text NEWS to MSNBC (67622).

Find more alerts at alerts.msnbc.com

updated 2:51 p.m. ET Feb. 16, 2007

MASHPEE, Mass. — The Massachusetts Indian tribe that shared a historic Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims has finally won official recognition from the federal government.

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, based on Cape Cod, has been trying for 32 years to win federal designation as a sovereign American Indian nation.

Their ancestors were at Plymouth long before the Pilgrims arrived and they shared that first Thanksgiving before war and disease almost destroyed them.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

The decision Thursday by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C., could help bring casino gambling to Massachusetts. The tribe, however, has agreed not to build a casino on Cape Cod or try to use the courts to take private land. Instead, it wants to build a casino outside its tribal lands, provided Massachusetts changes its laws to allow that.

"It was something that was thoroughly expected," tribe spokesman Scott Ferson told the Boston Globe, "but then in the moment, it carried great suspense."

Distinct community
The federal government acknowledged that the Mashpees had existed as a distinct community since the 1620s. Their ancestors befriended the Pilgrims 400 years ago and, according to tradition, participated in the first Thanksgiving, in 1621.

The tribe dominated the population and politics in Mashpee until the 1960s when development transformed the town and much of the rest of Cape Cod.

"For a tribe that greeted the Pilgrims when they landed on the shores of Massachusetts, this recognition is long overdue," Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the tribe to move Massachusetts forward."