Six Virginia tribes are taking their efforts to the Senate after the House approved their federal recognition bill on Wednesday.

H.R.1385 recognizes the Chickahominy Tribe, the Chickahominy Tribe-Eastern Division, the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, the Rappahannock Tribe, the Monacan Nation, and the Nansemond Tribe. The bill includes provisions to address land-into-trust and to bar the tribes from engaging in gaming.

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Virginia) introduced S.1178 as the House passed its bill yesterday. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) is a co-sponsor.

"We're very hopeful, but we know there's a lot of work to be done," Wayne Adkins, an assistant chief of the Chickahominy Tribe, told The Washington Times.

The tribes, whose ancestors greeted the European settlers who founded Jamestown, don't want to seek recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs out of concerns that they will not be able to complete the process because state law barred people from identifying themselves as Indian. Some vital documents were destroyed or modified under the law.

Get the Story:
House OKs bill to recognize 6 Virginia tribes (The Washington Times 6/4)
Recognition for Virginia tribes passes in U.S. House< (The Richmond Times Dispatch 6/4)
Virginia's Indian tribes move closer to U.S. recognition (The Virginian-Pilot 6/4)
House passes bills to recognize seven tribes (AP 6/4)

Related Stories:
Lumbee, Virginia recognition bills on House agenda (6/3)
House committee advances two recognition bills (4/22)
House Resources markup on recognition bills (4/21)
Congress urged to recognize six Virginia tribes (3/19)
Audio: House hearing on federal recognition bills (3/18)
Witness list for hearing on recognition bills (3/17)
House Resources hearing on federal recognition bills (3/16)
Column: Virginia tribes deserve federal recognition (3/12)
Bill to recognize Virginia tribes introduced in House (3/10)