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March And Rally Seek Preservation Of Tribe's Reservation

mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov

A Massachusetts tribe is protesting a recent federal government decision that could lead to the loss of its sovereign reservation.

The Mashpee Wampanoag staged a walk through the tribe's ancestral homeland on Cape Cod Saturday before holding a rally on the tribe's powwow grounds.

The Cape Cod Times reports the U.S. Department of the Interior ruled last month that it could not hold land in trust for the tribe, effectively reversing a 2015 decision placing 300 acres into trust for an initial reservation.

The Mashpee Wampanoag, a federally-recognized tribe, is challenging the decision in court.

Tribal Council Chairman Cedric Cromwell said during the protest that he doesn't want to see a return to the "dark ages of extermination for Indian tribes."

© 2018 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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