It’s a big day for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. Much sooner than expected, the Interior Department took 321 acres of Massachusetts land into trust for the tribe. Most of that acreage 
(170 of it) is in Mashpee but another 151 is in Taunton, where the tribe hopes to build a casino. “While some outside the Tribe will focus only on our quest to build a destination resort casino in Taunton in accordance with the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, for us this goes far beyond economic development. This is about controlling our own destiny and preserving our ancient culture,” said tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell.
True, but casino revenues would go a long way toward enabling a number of hoped-for projects, such as preserving historical sites in Mashpee and funding the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project. “We have occupied this land for the past 12,000 years,” said Cromwell.” But, over the past four centuries, 
much of our ancestral home was taken away from us. Our land-into-trust application did not seek to reclaim the entirety of our ancient homeland, which included the eastern part of Massachusetts from Gloucester Bay all the way to Narragansett. However, we now have a sovereign base from which we can work to sustain our cultural traditions, develop a thriving tribal economy, and serve the needs of our people as we see fit.”
This sudden turn of events throws a wrench into the casino-approval process in Massachusetts. Although Neil Bluhm has said that his proposed Brockton casino could withstand tribal competition, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will now probably throw its support to the Mashpee Wampanaogs, lest their 17% a year in gaming taxes be forfeit. In sum, an incalculable win for the tribe and probably a fatal setback for Bluhm.
