Aquinnah, Martha's Vineyard

The Town of Aquinnah (formerly Gay Head) is unique in being the only Massachusetts community with a substantial Native American presence in the 20th century. The Indians of this area are possibly related to the mainland Wampanoag tribe, but they have a mythic story that describes their arrival on Martha's Vineyard by floating on an ice flow from the North.

Aquinnah’s most famous attraction is its towering multi-colored clay cliffs rising from the seashore at the edge of town. European settlers here learned from their Indian neighbors whaling skills and maintained a fishing fleet.
Although much of Aquinnah’s fishing and whaling was done in small boats, they also sailed with whalers from the Nantucket and New Bedford fleets. When the town was incorporated in 1870, it had already been named an Indian reservation and had established its maritime economy.

Aquinnah is bordered by Chilmark to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to its north, south and west.