WAMPANOAG NATION SINGERS & DANCERS

Wampanoag social songs and dance
Mashpee and Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The Wampanoag Nation Singers & Dancers herald from the Cape Cod, Aquinnah, and Herring Pond regions, and the members view their dancing as a means to teach others about the values, perspectives, and culture unique to “the people of the first light.” “All of our songs, all of our dances, have to do with what lives here, the environment. It’s what makes us who we are,” explains Jonathan Perry, Wampanoag tribal member, to describe how his culture is rooted in the seasons and landscapes of the northern Atlantic coast and its adjacent woodlands.

Throughout the year, the Wampanoag hold celebrations in tandem with the harvest cycle. The Wampanoags once lived across sixty different tribal villages in southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Wampanoags encountered the first European settlers at Plymouth in 1620, and after centuries of fighting for sovereignty, only five tribes remained by the early 1900s. In 1928, several Wampanoag communities organized themselves into the Wampanoag Federation and received federal recognition in 2007. Today the Mashpee Wampanoag has thousands of members who are dedicated to carrying the culture, including a robust language revitalization program. They also have an annual powwow that has been going strong for over 100 years and attracts visitors from all over the region.

Wearing traditional dress and beating a rhythm with handmade rattles and a water drum, the dancers will periodically pause to explain their movements. Consisting of educators, artisans, musicians, and dancers, each member is dedicated to sharing and teaching others about Wampanoag culture of the past and present. They have performed all over the U.S., including at Jacob’s Pillow, the Kennedy Center, and an appearance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Wampanoag Nation Dancers & Singers have also toured internationally, including Bermuda and throughout the UK.