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Home » News » Local

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Virginia Indian tribes seek U.S. recognition

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'A matter of pride'

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  • David L. Perry of the Tuscarora Tribe performs in a tribal ceremony. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)
  • "We have never shied away from our responsibility to this country, and this country needs to live up to its responsibility to us - and put it on paper," said Chief Ken Adams of the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, based in King William County. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)
  • In the traditional dress of their tribes, men and women make their way into the Grand Entry during the Virginia Indian Nations seventh annual Spring Pow Wow at the Chickahominy Tribal Grounds in Providence Forge, Va. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)
  • From left, Ken Adams, chief of the Upper Mattaponi; Kenneth Branham, chief of the Monacan; Anne Richardson, chief of the Rappahannock; Barry Bass, chief of the Nansemond; Gene Adkins, chief of the Eastern Chickahominy; and Stephen Adkins, chief of the Chickahominy; are the chiefs of the six Indian tribes seeking federal recognition. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)
  • From left, Allison Adkins, 17, and Ashton Montez, 17, join Mildred Adkins, all from the Chickahominy Tribe from Charles City, Va., and others at a table as they get advice from Bacone College representative Cedric Sunray. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)
  • Kelly Adkins, an Eastern Cherokee, helps her 7-year-old daughter, Mikayla, a Chickahominy-Cherokee, as the two prepare for the Grand Entry. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)
  • Quinton Talbott, 15, of the Monacan Tribe takes part in the Grand Entry. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)
  • "It's something that I really would like to see happen as a sign of respect," said Lee Lovelace, a member of the Upper Mattaponi and a Virginia Tech student. "From that there will be opportunities ... but I think that the No. 1 thing is to recognize that we're here and a living, breathing race." (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)
  • Chief Adams shows where he went to school as a child, the two-room Sharon Indian School in King William County. Before the integration of Virginia schools in the 1960s, Sharon provided a primary and limited secondary education. It was one of the last Indian schools to operate in Virginia. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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By Gary Emerling

Wayne Adkins knows who he is, even if the federal government doesn't.

The soft-spoken assistant chief of Virginia's Chickahominy Indian Tribe can recount the history of his people — how the past 400 years have been filled with displacement and discrimination, how some say the state once tried to eradicate records of their existence and how all of this happened despite their efforts to help America's first settlers survive.

In May of 1607, Capt. John Smith landed at Jamestown. Six months later, he came to the Chickahominy hoping to trade corn.

"It was probably fortunate for him, because we were known for being great growers of corn anyway," Mr. Adkins said.

That history is a driving force behind the decade-long efforts of the Chickahominy and five other tribes to gain federal recognition through congressional legislation. The status would grant them access to millions of dollars in funding and grants that could increase educational opportunities and provide greater health benefits for tribal members.

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'A living, breathing race'

gallery photo

Virginia Indian tribes seek federal recognition as "a matter of pride."


But in a time of billion-dollar federal bailouts, many Virginia Indians say money isn't what their quest is about.

"It means that the struggles that we've gone through and the difficulties we've had over 400 years, it means something," said Chief Ken Adams of the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, based in King William County. "We have never shied away from our responsibility to this country, and this country needs to live up to its responsibility to us — and put it on paper."

'A matter of pride'

The effort of the Chickahominy, Chickahominy Eastern Division, Nansemond, Rappahannock and Upper Mattaponi tribes, along with the Monacan Indian Nation, has been led by Rep. James P. Moran and championed by other state leaders, including Sen. Jim Webb and Gov. Tim Kaine.

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