Wampanoag tribe claims wind farm would destroy tribal rituals

When the Pilgrims arrived in America, it was the Wampanoag who greeted them peacefully so the newcomers could escape religious persecution. Now the tribe is having to fight for their own religious freedoms.

The Wampanoag, also known as "The People of the First Light", have delayed the construction of America's first offshore wind farm, reports Associated Press. The Mashpee and Aquinnah Wampanoag practice sacred religious rituals which they say require an unblocked view of the horizon, in particular, the sunrise. The rituals are practiced at sites known only to the Wampanoag and include dancing and chanting. They take place in various locations around Nantucket Sound during the summer and winter solstice or on the occasion of the passing of an elder. Energy Management Inc. (EMI) a New England based energy company, plans to construct 130 turbines, each over 400 feet tall in Nantucket Sound through their subsidiary Cape Wind. The turbines would be visible to Wampanoag in Mashpee and on Martha's Vineyard, obstructing their view of the sunrise. The tribes claim the Nantucket Sound is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property. They feel this designation is needed to protect not only their view but also their ancestral burial ground on Horseshoe Shoal where the turbines would be built, reports AP. Supporters of the project say the tribes' claim is "baseless and was sprung late", only brought on by the project's most vocal opponents, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. In fact, the Wampanoags voiced their objections 5 years ago, along with environmentalists and from people whose summer homes on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket overlook the Sound, reports UPI. Mark Rodgers, a spokesman for Cape Wind told Associated Press, "I think this is clearly a tactic for delay, for delay's sake. I think it's fair to say, looking at the past eight years, that opponents to Cape Wind have tried every conceivable strategy to slow down or stop the project." The late Sen. Edward Kennedy, whose family home would be in view of the turbines, fought the billion dollar project that would have provided up to 75 per cent of Cape Cod's electricity, until his death and said, "it was a triumph of special interests over state interests." In a letter released November 5, Brona Smith, the state historic preservation officer, said Nantucket Sound, she believes, may qualify for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, reports UPI. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick disagrees with the decision. Governor Patrick said to UPI, "I respect the Wampanoags, but this decision is ridiculous. We are going to have to get serious about alternative energy installations where they make sense, and every environmental and regulatory review has concluded that Cape Wind makes sense.'' And the pressure is certainly on to make sure the project goes ahead. In a ClimateWire article in the New York Times, Bob Thresher, a wind power expert with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory said concerning turbine manufacturing, "If we don't get on the ball and do it, the Europeans are going to do it. They'll gain all the experience, and they get the privilege of selling us all their equipment. So sitting on our butts and doing nothing is just gonna cost us." U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his department will "hopefully" have a final decision on the project by the end of the year, reports Bloomberg. And in an interview with Bloomberg, Mark Rodgers said, “We would like nothing more than for Secretary Salazar or perhaps even President Obama himself to be able to announce Cape Wind’s approval at that climate change conference in Copenhagen in December. In a letter to the Cape Cod Times, Frank Haggerty of Mattapoisett said,

The news fails to help readers understand this complicated story of the North American Indians. The North American Indians have rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States. They have the right to ask for the divine blessing of the creator. How would we all feel if the news poked fun of a religion that thought God was really three divine people?

The Indians were the first people. They have a right to be heard. We need to remember the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their lands, and the relentless assault on their culture.