A Bermudian Gombey troupe participated in the Mashpee Wampanoag Pow Wow in East Falmouth on Saturday.Joined by Nevis Filice, head of the St David’s Islanders and Native Community, they were invited to join the Cape Cod Native American tribe considered long-lost family.In a story headlined ‘In the steps of long-lost kin’, Ms Filice is featured in an interview with Boston Globe correspondent Dan Adams.Mr Adams wrote: “Among the dozens of dancers in traditional regalia, wheeling and stomping to the pounding drumbeat, a group wearing neon-coloured masks and towering peacock feather headdresses stood out.“These Gombey Dancers from Bermuda were in East Falmouth on Saturday to reconnect with the Mashpee Wampanoag, a Cape Cod Native American tribe that the Bermudians consider long-lost family.”Said Ms Filice: “Our ancestors were brought to Bermuda as slaves in the 1600s and we’ve been trying to find each other ever since.“It’s been almost like finding a missing piece of your history. When I first set foot in Mashpee, I felt like I’d been here before, like I belonged here, like it was a part of me.‘When I see the elders smile because they like the way that I dance, that’s what I enjoy the most,” she said.The groups reconnected in 2000 and began a series of cultural exchanges.The annual, weekend-long celebration in East Falmouth marked the celebration of the Mashpee Wampanoag native culture in its 93rd year.Despite the sweltering heat, the event drew hundreds to witness drum and dance competitions.Ms Felice added: “The East Coast tribe has been teaching us the culture we lost. Now we wear the regalia, we’re learning the songs and dances.“Part of our community’s mission is to teach Bermudians our whole story.“Traditional dances were the only pieces of the Wampanoag culture to survive centuries of slavery and cultural repression in Bermuda. And even those traditions were drastically altered as they mixed with the cultures of other slaves.“But the Bermudian group is beginning to reclaim its heritage.”The story is featured on the Boston Globe’s Metro website at www.bostonglobe.com.