The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will raise their nation’s flag for the first time ever Monday afternoon on newly designated tribal land.

MASHPEE – The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will raise their nation’s flag for the first time ever this afternoon on newly designated tribal land.

The U.S. Department of Interior officially designated Mashpee Wampanoag tribal lands as a reservation on Friday.

The declaration was published in the federal register less than two months after the Wampanoag transferred formal ownership of approximately 321 acres of tribal lands in Mashpee and Taunton to the federal government to be held in trust on behalf of the tribe.

The land in Taunton will be used for a casino resort.

The reservation proclamation is the final step in several federal processes for the tribe in re-establishing a sovereign land base for tribal self-government under federal law.

Today’s flag-raising will take place at 12 p.m. at the Wampanoag Community and Government Center in Mashpee.