Dept. of Interior

The federal government has placed Mashpee Wampanoag tribal lands in trust as a reservation, paving the way for the Cape Cod tribe to begin construction of a casino in Taunton. The U.S. Department of Interior's designation was published in the federal register on Friday, less than two months after the Wampanoags transferred formal ownership of approximately 321 acres of lands in Mashpee and Taunton

American Indians attending a Tuesday hearing at the Mashpee Wampanoag community center on Cape Cod said they support the federal government's plan to make it easier for tribes to gain federal recognition. But the tribal representatives, from New Jersey, Virginia, Missouri, New England and elsewhere, urged the U...