The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah are the legal caretakers of 500+ acres of land in Aquinnah, MA which is mostly undeveloped.

The entirety of Aquinnah and Noepe (Martha’s Vineyard island) is the traditional and unceded territory of Wampanoag people, and tribal families have not forgotten that. Wampanoag people are the first inhabitants of this island, and can trace our presence here more than 12,000 years back. Our stories and legends, passed down with each generation, add rich perspective to this place that we call home. Many Wampanoag people continue to participate in local fishing and agricultural economies–this way of life has nourished and sustained tribal families on Noepe for millenia, long before European contact.

In the 1700’s, the volume of Europeans on Noepe became such that they developed many permanent settlements across the island. With this came the introduction of deadly foreign disease and mass dislocation of Wampanoag people. By the 1800’s, just three Wampanoag communities remained: Aquinnah, Chappaquiddick, and Christiantown. Although the encroachment on Wampanoag territory on Noepe persists today, we have always been, and will remain connected to this land and to our community.