Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council Vice Chairman Jessie Baird testified in front of a U.S. Senate committee this week. Baird appeared at a hearing titled Examining Efforts to Maintain and Revitalize Native Languages for Future Generations.
The Wopanaak Language Reclamation Project, spearheaded by Baird, now has more than 15 certified language teachers and has produced a dictionary with more than twelve-thousand entries, according to her testimony. She also urged the federal government to maintain the tribe's land status, which is currently in question.