Paper runs series on Virginia tribal recognition

Recognition

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Virginian-Pilot published a three-part series on Virginia tribes and their quest for federal recognition.

The tribes were the first to greet the European settlers at Jamestown. They also signed a treaty in 1677 with the Queen of England and have maintained ties to the nation.

But the tribes remain unrecognized by the U.S. A bill that passed the House last week and is working its way through the Senate could finally change the situation.

“We were here first,” Kenneth Branham, the chief of the Monacan Nation, told the paper. “We should be holding meetings to decide whether to recognize the European races here – not the other way around. It just really galls you.”

The tribes are mainly concerned about federal funding and acquiring land. The bill ensures they can follow the land-into-trust process but contains some limits. It also bars the tribes from engaging in gaming under federal or state law.

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. S.1178 is the Senate version.

The full list of stories can be found on the Special Reports Archive on the Virginian-Pilot website.

Get the Story:
Virginia's Indian heirs cling to sliver of native soil (The Virginian-Pilot 6/10)
Red tape separates Indian tribes from federal cash (The Virginian-Pilot 6/10)
Tribes pay rent to Virginia for 3 centuries (The Virginian-Pilot 6/10)

Recognition Bill:
H.R.1385: Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2009