Aquinnah

The last great North American glacier retreated north 10,000 years ago, and in its wake, there was Martha's Vineyard. The western portion of the Island is marked by boulders, sand and clay deposits from the glacier. But nothing is more dramatic than the colorful cliffs of clay at Aquinnah (Gay Head).

The cliffs are open for public viewing, from a high point near the Gay Head Lighthouse. From this vantage point, there is water on three sides, and Noman's Land can be seen to the south and the Elizabeth Islands (both part of Dukes County, but mostly unoccupied) are on the opposite horizon.

The view from here of the cliffs and the lighthouse is breathtaking. Equally impressive, though, is to follow a boardwalk down to the ocean, where there is a public swimming beach and a view of the cliffs from below.

The cliffs looked sculpted in red, yellow, white and gray clay, with occasional striations of black. Until recent years, visitors could climb on them. Now, the cliffs are protected as a historical site; climbing or prying out any of the precious clay – which is slowly being eroded by the wind and water – is forbidden.

Beaches: Lobsterville Beach, located on the calm north shore beach. Parking is very limited. West Basin, at the end of Lobsterville Beach. Parking is, again, very limited. Moshup Beach, a Martha's Vineyard Land Bank property. Expect to pay a hefty day rate to park.

The cliffs and the beach below, as well as the hills and land around Gay Head, are the property of the Wampanoag Tribe, the largest collection of Native Americans in Massachusetts. There are more than 900 members listed on tribal rolls; 300 of those live on Martha's Vineyard, and about 150 in Aquinnah. Those who live here are thought by some to be related to the mainland Wampanoag tribe, but the natives themselves have a mythical story that describes their arrival on Martha's Vineyard floating on an ice flow from the far North. They have tribal headquarters on an Aquinnah hilltop, and recently acquired an historical Wampanoag family homestead for use as a cultural center.

The traditional beliefs of the Aquinnah Wampanoag say the giant Moshup created Noepe, their word for Martha's Vineyard. It translates as "amid the waters," a reference to the two distinct tidal currents offshore. Moshup, the beliefs say, taught his people how to fish and to catch whales.

After the English settlement at Great Harbor (Edgartown) in 1642, Thomas Mayhew Sr. named himself governor of the Island, and his son, Thomas Jr., became a missionary to the Wampanoags, converting them to Christianity. Diseases wiped out large numbers of the population, but native communities survived at Aquinnah, Christiantown and Chappaquiddick, with Aquinnah the most populous and organized.

Aquinnah, Massachusetts on the island of Martha's Vineyard

In 1987 the Wampanoag tribal council was recognized by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs as an official tribal government. It functions today as a popularly elected representative government, working on economic and community development. The Wampanoag trust lands encompass 485 acres – 160 acres privately held and 325 acres common lands; the commonly-held real estate includes the Gay Head cliffs, Herring Creek and Lobsterville.

The lighthouse that helps add the distinctive drama to Gay Head cliffs was opened in 1799, to help guide the heavy maritime traffic passing through the Vineyard Sound. The passage between the Gay Head cliffs and the Elizabeth Islands was treacherous because of the long underwater obstruction called Devil's Bridge that extends out from Gay Head. The initial lighthouse keeper, Ebenezer Skiff, was the first white man to live in the town of Gay Head. Later, Native Americans took over the lighthouse duties, including Charles Vanderhoop, who became one of the light's most popular keepers. Historians estimate that Vanderhoop probably took one-third of a million visitors to the top of Gay Head Light between 1910 and 1933. The lighthouse, which is overseen by the Martha's Vineyard Museum, is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from one hour before sunset to a half hour after sunset, from the summer solstice to the fall equinox. Other annual events that bring visitors to Aquinnah include a car rally and Cranberry Day, held by the Wampanoags to celebrate the local harvest in October. One note of caution: parking is notoriously difficult at the cliffs and beach. Be prepared to drop guests and continue around the loop. Martha's Vineyard Transit System buses serve Aquinnah and connect it to the Island's other towns.