Nipmuc Nation facts for kids
| Type | state-recognized tribe, nonprofit organization |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Cultural, Ethnic Awareness (A23) |
| Headquarters | South Grafton, Massachusetts |
|
Official language
|
English |
|
Chairperson
|
Tenah Richardson |
The Nipmuc Nation is a group of Native American people from the Hassanamisco Nipmuc tribe. They are based in South Grafton, Massachusetts. The state of Massachusetts officially recognizes them as a tribe. This is known as being a state-recognized tribe.
The Nipmuc Nation has over 500 members. Many of them live near the Hassanamisco Reservation and the city of Worcester. The group also works to preserve its culture through a nonprofit organization called the Nipmuc Nation Tribal Council, Inc.
Contents
Government Recognition
In the United States, Native American tribes can be recognized by their state government or by the federal government. The Nipmuc Nation is recognized by the state of Massachusetts. However, they are not currently a federally recognized tribe.
Seeking Federal Recognition
In 2004, the Nipmuc Nation asked the U.S. government for federal recognition. The government's Bureau of Indian Affairs studied the tribe's history to make a decision. They looked at seven main requirements.
The government decided that the Nipmuc Nation did not meet all the requirements. The decision was based on a study of the tribe's history from the 1700s to today.
Why the Government Said No
The U.S. government's report gave several reasons for its decision. Here are some of the main points:
A Continuous Community
The government said the tribe needed to prove it has been a single, distinct community since historical times. The report found that from 1785 to the 1950s, there was a small community of Hassanamisco families in the area. However, it said that only a small number of the current Nipmuc Nation members are related to those families.
A Single Identity
The government also looked for proof that the Nipmuc Nation was seen as one single Native American group since 1900. The report stated that for many years, there was no official state-recognized Nipmuc group. A relationship with the state of Massachusetts was re-established in 1976 when the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs was created.
Political Authority
Another requirement was to show that the tribe's leaders had authority over their members throughout history. The government's report said there was not enough proof that the Nipmuc Nation's leadership acted as a single, independent government for its people over the years.
Historical Land and Laws
In the 1720s, a large piece of Hassanamisco land was sold. A smaller part, about 500 acres (2.0 km2), was divided among seven Hassanamisco families. This meant the land was owned by individual families, not by a single tribe.
Later, the Massachusetts Enfranchisement Act of 1869 changed the state's relationship with the tribe. This law treated the Hassanamisco people as individual citizens rather than as a tribal group. This temporarily ended the state's official relationship with them.
Today, a small piece of the original land, about 2.5 acres (10,000 m2), is still owned by descendants of one of the families. This land is known as the Hassanamisco Reservation.
See also
