TAUNTON – The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe held a grand opening this past weekend for its new First Light Welcome Center on tribal lands in Taunton.
Chairman Brian Weeden says the project was something everyone wanted, including the city, its residents and tribal citizens.
The welcome center serves as a place to learn about Mashpee Wampanoag history, connect with culture, and look towards the future of the reservation.
Weeden says the center is also the first step towards realizing the long-awaited First Light resort and entertainment project.
A long-running legal battle appeared to conclude last April, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from a group of Taunton residents who sued the federal government arguing that the Biden administration acted unlawfully by reaffirming the reservation status of the Mashpee Wampanoag.
They said the tribe was not officially recognized when the Indian Reorganization Act became law in 1934.
The plaintiffs originally took action after the tribe began building a casino in Taunton in 2016.
The Department of the Interior placed over 300 acres of land in Mashpee and Taunton into trust.
By Jim McCabe, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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