FEDERATION OF ABORIGINAL NATIONS OF THE AMERICAS
Brown University returns to the Pokanoket Tribe 225 ancestral acres
November 15, 2024
(This is an article that I wrote for Daily Kos)
As some of you may know, Brown University has transferred 225 acres it owned in Bristol, Rhode Island to the Pokanoket Tribe (of Rhode Island).
This transfer of land which occurred on November 15, 2024, is considered to be the biggest victory by Indigenous People in reclaiming some of their ancestral homelands.
It is important to understand that the Pokanoket Tribe have been living in their Tribal territories long before the Europeans arrived on the shores of Rhode Island. With the arrival of the Europeans and the seizing of their homeland, it is important to remember that the Tribe never gave up its sovereignty nor sought BIA recognition.
The Pokanoket Tribe, under the leadership of Sagamore William Winds of Thunder Guy, is one of the original founding Tribes that established The Federation of Aboriginal Nations of the Americas, known as FANA and is the first Member tribe to set into motion the reclaiming of some of their territory years ago.
Currently, under the leadership of his daughter, Sachem (Chief) Tracey “Dancing Star” Trezvant Guy, the reclaiming of lands between the Pokanoket Tribe and Brown University continued with legal assistance from one of FANA’s legal team’s member, Taino J. Palermo (Fire River) Esq.
Because this is such an important historical event, I feel that this event should be addressed by a FANA Tribal member who was involved with this moment in time. Therefore, I have included a link to a video by the Director of FANA, Principal Chief Raymond Two Hawks Watson, Esq, who was also involved and addressed this historical moment of the returning of ancestral land to the Pokanoket People, and how it sets the stage for other Indigenous tribes to seek the return of some of their homeland. He also addresses the confusion of sovereignty and how it is now interrupted and applied to tribes today.
The second link is to the Boston Globe’s article on the historic transfer of land.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YToQ4JgMtUE&t=397s