Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe facts for kids
| Named after | Seekonk, Massachusetts (named for a Narragansett sachem), Wampanoag people |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1997 |
| Founded at | Cranston, Rhode Island |
| Dissolved | April 18, 2018 |
| Type | nonprofit organization |
| Legal status | revoked entity (Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe–Wampanoag Nation) |
| Purpose | Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe–Wampanoag Nation: Ethnic/Immigrant Services (P84); Seaconke Wampanoag: A11: Arts, Culture and Humanities Single Organization Support |
| Headquarters | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Location | |
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Official language
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English |
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Revenue (2020)
|
$-2,105 |
| Expenses (2020) | $9.281 |
The Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe is one of several cultural heritage organizations of individuals who identify as descendants of the Wampanoag people in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Multiple nonprofit organizations were formed to represent the Seaconke Wampanonag.
The Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe is an unrecognized organization. This organization is neither a federally recognized tribe nor a state-recognized tribe.
Wilfred "Eagle Heart" Greene (1937–2016), an early leader of this group, identified as being a descendant of Ousamequin (Wampanoag, c. 1581–1661), more commonly known as Massasoit. The group "claims to consist of descendants of Massasoit's band." The group also identifies as being descendants of Annawan, a Wampanoag leader who died in 1676.
Lois "Lulu" Viera Chaffee (1941–2021) of Seekonk was also a founding member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe.
Contents
Name
Seaconke is spelled in many different ways and is the name of a town, Seekonk, Massachusetts, and the Seekonk River, near Providence, Rhode Island. The placename comes from the name of a 17th-century Narragansett sachem (leader). The Wampanoag are an Algonquian language-speaking Native American tribe in New England.
Nonprofit organizations
In 1997, the Seaconke Wampanoag organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Cranston, Rhode Island, Michael Markley was the secretary in 2020, and Robert Harris was treasurer in 2021. The group's assets were $36,836 in 2020.
In 1998, the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe–Wampanoag Nation organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Warwick, Rhode Island. Wilfred Green was the agent. In 1998, Wilfred W. Greene III was president, and Stasia Constantino served as director. The nonprofit status was revoked first in 2012 and again in 2018.
Land
In Greene v. Rhode Island (2003), Wilfred W. Greene sued Rhode Island and the towns of Cumberland and Woonsocket in U.S. District Court. He claimed 34-square miles of land near the Blackstone River; however, the case was dismissed.
In 2008, Patrick and Gail Conley donated a 6.7-acre lot in Cumberland, Rhode Island, to the organization, in the care of Wilfred Green.
Petition for federal recognition
Wilfred Green sent a letter of intent to petition for federal recognition as a Native American tribe on behalf of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe, then based in Greenwich, Rhode Island, in 1998. However, the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe never submitted a completed petition for federal recognition.
Proposed state-recognition
Rhode Island House Bill 7470, an act that "recognizes the Seaconke Wampanoag tribe as a Native American tribe was introduced on February 11, 2022. Since March 1, 2022, the bill has been" held for further study" by committee.
Activities
The Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe host an annual powwow in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. They have hosted their powwow since 2016.
See also
- List of unrecognized tribes in the United States
