Parent Institution
Site Type
Supervisor Name(s)
Jacqueline Rider
David Weeden
Supervisor Title(s)
Tribal Archivist
Tribal Councilman, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer
Supervisor Email(s)
Department Address
483 Great Neck Rd. South
Mashpee, MA 02649
Mashpee, MA 02649
ADA Compliant
Yes
Parking
Yes
Site Description
On March 29, 2014, the Mashpee Wampanoag Community & Center (MWCGC) opened its doors. The MWCGC signified a new era for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. In addition to providing recreational space to its Tribal members, the MWCGC houses the various Tribal departmental offices that make possible the sustainable operation of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Nation. The Archives Room was, subsequently, reserved for MWTA use. This space was furnished with equipment (e.g. computers; photo lab) and the physical infrastructure (e.g. mechanized crank stacks; shelving; cabinets; tables/desks) was organized.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Archives (MWTA) Archives Room is located within the Mashpee Wampanoag Community & Government Center (MWCGC) on the 1st floor of the building. Upon visiting the MWCGC, visitors and other non-staff must sign-in to occupy any space within these Tribal quarters. Moreover, all office space doors are fitted with badge swipes thereby only designated staff can achieve entry. The Archives Room entrance is fitted with a badge swipe in addition to a passcode security system where only approved personnel can achieve entry into the space. The Archives Room has its own Heating, Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) system which produces the climate determined by the MWTA preservation best practices.
The Archives Room is furnished with workstations (housing desktop computers), researcher reading area, photo digital preservation lab, mechanized crank stacks which serve as the primary storage implement for the collections. All processed collections are housed in archival-grade boxes and/or folders in order to produce a more desirable micro-climate.
The MWT Archives Mission: to collect, preserve, and make accessible the material culture and historical record of the Wampanoag people in order to illuminate the long history of the Mashpee Wampanoag People, their rich indigenous culture, and the historical significance of their persistent survival in the face of centuries of contact and conquest.
As the Tribe’s repository, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Archives stands as a monument to the traditional knowledge systems and age-old institutions which have sustained the cultural memory of the Mashpee Wampanoag People. These Tribal Archives serve the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and its membership by stewarding the cultural and institutional legacy of its People for the generations yet unborn through the preservation and protection of primary and secondary source format-neutral documentation that illustrates the Tribe’s political, economic, cultural, and intellectual sovereignty.
MWTA collections contain a variety of materials including, but not limited to: books, personal papers, minutes of meetings, interviews, magazines, newspapers, journals, drawings, photographs, videotapes, audiotapes, microfiche, microfilm, maps, charts, ephemera (e.g. event programs, flyers, newspaper clippings, etc.), artistic works, three-dimensional objects and artifacts appropriate to the subject matter and many more.
The MWTA is comprised of 3 units: Manuscripts (MS-designations); Special Collections (e.g. Research Library; Maps; Photographic and Prints; Biographical Files; Subject Files; Ephemera Collection; etc.); and Records (e.g. Election Committee Records).
This field experience could be completed through a number of different projects:
1. Processing the oversize graphics and map collection: surveying the collection, developing a processing plan, physically arranging the materials, creating a finding aid, possible digitization of materials
2. Oral history interview and processing the personal papers of a tribal elder, now 94 years old: personally meet with and interview the collection creator/donor, surveying, appraising, and accessioning the materials, developing a processing plan, physically arranging the materials, creating a finding aid, possible digitization
3. Processing the photo collection: surveying the collection, developing a processing plan, physically processing the collection, creating a finding aid
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Archives (MWTA) Archives Room is located within the Mashpee Wampanoag Community & Government Center (MWCGC) on the 1st floor of the building. Upon visiting the MWCGC, visitors and other non-staff must sign-in to occupy any space within these Tribal quarters. Moreover, all office space doors are fitted with badge swipes thereby only designated staff can achieve entry. The Archives Room entrance is fitted with a badge swipe in addition to a passcode security system where only approved personnel can achieve entry into the space. The Archives Room has its own Heating, Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) system which produces the climate determined by the MWTA preservation best practices.
The Archives Room is furnished with workstations (housing desktop computers), researcher reading area, photo digital preservation lab, mechanized crank stacks which serve as the primary storage implement for the collections. All processed collections are housed in archival-grade boxes and/or folders in order to produce a more desirable micro-climate.
The MWT Archives Mission: to collect, preserve, and make accessible the material culture and historical record of the Wampanoag people in order to illuminate the long history of the Mashpee Wampanoag People, their rich indigenous culture, and the historical significance of their persistent survival in the face of centuries of contact and conquest.
As the Tribe’s repository, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Archives stands as a monument to the traditional knowledge systems and age-old institutions which have sustained the cultural memory of the Mashpee Wampanoag People. These Tribal Archives serve the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and its membership by stewarding the cultural and institutional legacy of its People for the generations yet unborn through the preservation and protection of primary and secondary source format-neutral documentation that illustrates the Tribe’s political, economic, cultural, and intellectual sovereignty.
MWTA collections contain a variety of materials including, but not limited to: books, personal papers, minutes of meetings, interviews, magazines, newspapers, journals, drawings, photographs, videotapes, audiotapes, microfiche, microfilm, maps, charts, ephemera (e.g. event programs, flyers, newspaper clippings, etc.), artistic works, three-dimensional objects and artifacts appropriate to the subject matter and many more.
The MWTA is comprised of 3 units: Manuscripts (MS-designations); Special Collections (e.g. Research Library; Maps; Photographic and Prints; Biographical Files; Subject Files; Ephemera Collection; etc.); and Records (e.g. Election Committee Records).
This field experience could be completed through a number of different projects:
1. Processing the oversize graphics and map collection: surveying the collection, developing a processing plan, physically arranging the materials, creating a finding aid, possible digitization of materials
2. Oral history interview and processing the personal papers of a tribal elder, now 94 years old: personally meet with and interview the collection creator/donor, surveying, appraising, and accessioning the materials, developing a processing plan, physically arranging the materials, creating a finding aid, possible digitization
3. Processing the photo collection: surveying the collection, developing a processing plan, physically processing the collection, creating a finding aid
Website URL
https://mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/