Founded by Burne Stanley-Peters and her late husband Slow Turtle, the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness, Inc. (MCNAA) was incorporated as a private 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization in April 1989. Our mission is to develop and implement programs that serve the cultural and spiritual needs of Massachusetts Native Americans; to financially assist needy Native American residents with food, heating costs, and college related expenses; to increase public understanding, awareness, and appreciation about Native Americans; and to preserve the cultural, spiritual, and traditional ways of the Native American.

Our vision is that MCNAA will be the major organization in Massachusetts that supports the well-being of Native Americans who are striving to maintain pride in their culture. MCNAA will also be an organization that the public looks to for educational and cultural information about Native Americans.