“The People of the First Light” supply declarations to help block Revolution Wind

Tribe Says Wind Turbines Desecrate Sacred Sites and Ceremonial Sites Significant to the Tribe

LITTLE COMPTON, R.I. -- Citing desecration of spaces sacred to its culture by the construction of offshore wind turbines, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) is supporting the grassroots group Green Oceans’ federal lawsuit to stop the Revolution Wind project by submitting witness declarations.

“These turbines destroy our culturally sacred viewshed, destroy our traditional and historic fishing grounds, and threaten the continued existence of the North Atlantic right whale,” said William “Buddy” Vanderhoop, a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head.

“We are known as 'The People of the First Light,'” said Tribal Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais. “The unobstructed eastern view of the ocean from our ancestral lands from Nantucket, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard ('Noepe') and southeastern Massachusetts is inextricably intertwined with who we are as a people and our cosmology, and is essential to our spiritual beliefs and practices.”

“We are grateful to the Aquinnah Tribe for supporting this litigation by providing these powerful declarations,” said Dr. Lisa Quattrocki Knight, a co-founder of Green Oceans, which filed suit against several federal agencies to stop the project.

“We’ve said for two years these projects make no sense because they threaten endangered whales and other marine life, raise electric bills, and will not help combat climate change,” Dr. Knight said. “Now the Aquinnah are speaking out about the destruction these deeply flawed projects wreak on their sacred lands and waters.”

Andrews-Maltais’ declaration revealed that the Gay Head Cliffs, one of their Sacred Sites and a National Natural Landmark listed on the National Register, and the waters off those shores contain ancient submerged archeological resources and potential burial sites that are being destroyed by the construction of the project.

Vanderhoop’s declaration claimed that Revolution’s project is “destroying these historic, culturally sacred viewsheds,” and noted that the Wampanoag consider the North Atlantic right whale a “vital part of” the Tribe’s “history, customs and culture.”

Vanderhoop, a 38-year charter boat captain, and his family have lived on tribal lands that have been home to ancestors for 10,000 years. His business, Tomahawk Charters, offers fishing and whale watching in areas that include the Revolution Wind lease area.

“Revolution Wind’s surveying activity, pile driving, and construction have driven fish away,” Vanderhoop said. “This summer, ever since Revolution Wind started construction, was by far the worst year for catching fish of any size that I’ve ever experienced.”

“If I can’t fish, I’m out of business.”

Since February of 2023, the Aquinnah Tribe, along with other Tribes in the region have called for a moratorium on the permitting and construction of these giant industrial wind farms. And in the wake of the catastrophic blade failure disaster off the coast of Nantucket last July, the Aquinnah Tribe and Green Oceans have both renewed their calls for a moratorium on offshore wind developments.