A campaign to fly the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) flag outside of Island schools gained support from the up-Island regional school committee Monday.

The committee voted to move forward with plans to host the flag at both the West Tisbury and Chilmark schools, and agreed to look at logistics for purchasing and installing new poles. According to U.S. flag code, when two or more nation’s flags are displayed, they are to be flown from separate staffs at the same height.

West Tisbury principal Donna Lowell-Bettencourt was in favor of the idea.

Ray Ewing

West Tisbury principal Donna Lowell-Bettencourt was in favor of the idea.

Ray Ewing

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) flag is white and stamped with the tribal seal. It depicts the giant Moshup standing in front of the Gay Head Cliffs holding a whale in his left hand.

Brad Lopes, the education outreach coordinator for the Aquinnah Cultural Center who will start as the education manager for the tribe in November, explained that, historically, tribal citizens have not been represented in their own homelands. Flying the flag would be a significant way to give tribal students representation. 

“Just to see that symbol of our people hanging there would be so meaningful for our students, for our families and for our community…” Mr. Lopes said. “And ultimately, I think it benefits everyone… It provides another educational tool for learning about what it means to share space together with a tribal nation.”

Mr. Lopes said schools in Mashpee fly the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe flag, which was a powerful way to recognize tribal children and staff within the school community. He worked in the education department for the Mashpee tribe and said the flag made him feel a sense of belonging when walking through the school doors.

“Just that alone, that representation for our students and our families as well as recognizing us as a sovereign political entity, has been very powerful,” Mr. Lopes said.

He said a traditional ceremony accompanied the first raising of the Mashpee Wampanoag flag, where the tribe’s Chief, Medicine Man, tribal council and community sang a traditional honor song along with a Wampanoag drum group. 

“I will just say that we are very excited and hopeful that this can come to pass for us, and we feel that because the Wampanoag tribe is a sovereign nation within our school district, we’d like to be able to represent them by flying the flag at our schools,” said Donna Lowell-Bettencourt, principal of the West Tisbury School.