Two Maryland tribes celebrate recognition of their identities

Friday, January 13, 2012  

It took nearly 400 years but the Piscataway Conoy Tribe and the Piscataway Indian Nation have finally been recognized by the state of Maryland.

The tribes followed a new state law that sets up a recognition process. But their struggle began hundreds of years ago, when their ancestors met the first European settlers.

"We will never be denied our identity in the state of Maryland again," Mervin Savoy, tribal chair of the Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Sub-Tribes, told The Gaithersburg Gazette.

Savoy said the tribe used documents from the Catholic Church to make its case. Tribal members converted in 1640 and the church kept detailed records,

Get the Story:
Piscataways granted long-sought state recognition (The Gaithersburg Gazette 1/13)
Md. Native American Tribe No Longer Extinct (WJZ-TV 1/11)

Related Stories:
Maryland governor recognizes two Piscataway tribal groups (1/10)
Maryland governor to recognize two tribes in executive order (1/9)