Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head

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Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah

Âhqunah Wôpanâak
Gay Head Cliffs, Aquinnah, Martha's Vineyard
Total population
901[1]
Regions with significant populations
United States ( Massachusetts)
Languages
English, Wampanoag
Religion
traditional tribal religion
Related ethnic groups
other Wampanoag people, Narragansett people

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) (Wampanoag: Âhqunah Wôpanâak^[2]) is a federally recognized tribe of Wampanoag people based in the town of Aquinnah on the southwest tip of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, United States.^[3] The tribe hosts an annual Cranberry Day celebration.^[4][5]

The tribe received official recognition in 1987, the same year that their land claim on Martha's Vineyard was settled by an act of Congress, with agreement by the state and the United States Department of Interior. The government took into trust on behalf of the tribe 485 acres of Tribal Lands purchased (160 acres private and approximately 325 acres common lands). In 2011 the state of Massachusetts passed a law allowing legalized gambling, and federally recognized Native American tribes began to develop proposals to develop casinos.

Faced with state opposition to a Class III facility on its land, in 2013 the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head proposed a Class II facility to be developed on its property. The state and town filed suit against it in federal district court, and the judge ruled in their favor. The tribe, together with the Department of Interior, appealed to the US Court of Appeals, First Circuit, defending its case in December 2016.