Wampanoag tribal elders, families with young children, town officials and others are calling for greater public participation to block efforts by the Wampanoag tribe to build a casino in Aquinnah.

Arnold Zack.

Alex Elvin

Arnold Zack.

Alex Elvin

A public meeting Saturday at the Aquinnah Old Town Hall hosted by the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal youth council drew about 35 people who spoke openly about their opposition to the tribe’s plans to convert an unfinished community center into a class II gambling facility.

The hourlong meeting touched on issues that included town-tribe relations, the need for greater public representation in tribal government, and the larger context of the local casino efforts, which began more than 20 years ago.

Aquinnah selectman and tribal member Juli Vanderhoop, who had organized the meeting through Facebook, email and other means, also called for an organized campaign with a list of concerns. “We can’t do it alone,” she said.

Many in attendance were longtime Aquinnah residents who expressed dismay over what they see as a loss of unity between the town and tribe over the years.

“It didn’t make any difference who and what you were,” said tribal member Kristina Hook. “If you weren’t accepted anywhere else on the Island, you could come to Gay Head.”

Jim Newman, Aquinnah selectman, addresses room full of tribal and community members.

Alex Elvin

Jim Newman, Aquinnah selectman, addresses room full of tribal and community members.

Alex Elvin

Public reaction to the casino plans, which resurfaced this month when the tribe announced its plans to begin converting the community center on Black Brook Road, have been overwhelmingly negative, with tribal members and others voicing their concerns. Frustration has focused partly on what many see as a lack of transparency in tribal government.

“We have a political setup where most of us can’t get the answers,” Ms. Hook said, adding that her own opposition has been subdued over the years. “I feel alone at tribal council meetings,” she said.

She said many who opposed gambling on the Island were afraid to speak out.

Only about 20 per cent of tribal members live on the Island, with the rest of the members on the Cape, in Boston and scattered around the world.

Former tribal chairwoman Beverly Wright has been urging members on and off the Island to vote in a referendum August 16, which could put a stop to the casino plans for at least a year. She and others on Saturday said they believe many off-Island members were not aware of the obstacles to developing a viable casino on the Vineyard. “They see it as an opportunity to get more money into our coffers, which may be true,” Ms. Wright said. “We look at it as, this is our home and it doesn’t fit with how we believe Aquinnah should be.” She pressed for a more organized effort and a clear list of concerns.

Some have blasted the casino plans for ignoring the realities of the Island’s seasonal economy and limited infrastructure.

Echoing others at the meeting, Arnold Zack said he would like to a return to the “wonderful relationship that Indians and non-Indians had.” But he also worried about the consequences of non-tribal members taking the lead in opposing a casino. “If we do something that’s Islandwide, it’s going to be viewed as anti-Indian,” he said.

“We’d like to help as we can, but I want to be careful of our doing something that could backfire very seriously.” Others at the meeting agreed.

Earlier in the day, casino plans were the primary topic of discussion at the annual meeting of the Aquinnah/Gay Head Community Association, a taxpayer group.

The casino issue has been increasingly fraught with politics and also legal issues, as the tribe faces off with the state of Massachusetts, the town and community association in federal court over whether it has the unfettered right to conduct a gambling operation as a sovereign nation.