The Wampanoag Tribal headquarters in Mashpee.
Some Mashpee Wampanoag tribal citizens are traveling from other states to receive their COVID-19 vaccines from the tribe.
Rob Maxim, of Washington, D.C., plans to get his first dose of the vaccine through the tribal health office on Tuesday, along with his fiance, who has asthma.
“For us to know that both of us are vaccinated is going to be a huge thing,” he said.
They probably couldn’t get vaccinated for several months if they stayed in Washington, he said.
He said the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s ability to offer the vaccine to its citizens and other members of their households is a testament to the tribe’s ability to work with the federal government and to the government’s interest in making sure Native Americans get vaccinated.