Massachusetts Peace Action sends our love and Solidarity to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe with the loss of their beloved Chief Vernon “Silent Drum” Lopez, who died on April 3, 2023.
Chief Lopez was a 100 year old elder who has led the tribe for many years through many turbulent times. He was a veteran from World War Two who participated in the Normandy Invasion in France. He lived in Mashpee most of his life and watched the changes from small rural village to a a busy over developed commercial town. “Silent Drum” helped the tribe move toward federal recognition and attacks from the former President on their sovereignty.
We honor and respect this quiet and peaceful man and thank him for his leadership. We mourn with the Mashpee tribe for the loss of such an honorable neighbor in our common home of Massachusetts.
