In a rather less-than-punctual display of multicultural awareness, the US government may soon officially recognize the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe after only 340 years of persecution at the hands of white folk, INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY reports.
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Back in 1623, the Mashpee Wampanoag’s ancestors shared the feast we now commemorate every year at Thanksgiving with English settlers. But not long after the two groups amicably dined together, the English began a systematic push to deprive the Native Americans of their land. The two groups fought viciously at times, most notably during the bloody conflict in the 1670s known as King Philip’s War.
The Mashpee Wampanoags are still fighting American-imposed restrictions on their lives, according to ICT; recently, wildlife officers handcuffed the tribe’s chief and forced him from the waters where he was clamming.
