Post by Okwes on Jun 3, 2007 15:30:24 GMT -5
Virginia Tribes Continue Long Fight for Sovereignty
by Catherine Komp
American Indians in Virginia are using the spotlight on the 400th
anniversary of Jamestown to highlight their fight for federal recognition
and
acknowledgement of their status as nations.
__http://newstandardnhttp://newstandahttp://newstahttp&itemid=itemi_
(http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=4314_)
(_http://newstandardnhttp://newstandahttp://newstahttp&itemid=item_
(http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=4314) )
Richmond, Va.; Feb. 14 - The Virginia state government plans to spend
millions of dollars on educational and cultural events marking this year's
400th
anniversary of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the
Americas. The state will host Queen Elizabeth II and a replica of Godspeed,
the
English ship that carried some of the first colonizers, will retrace routes
taken
in 1607 on the James River.
For Virginia's indigenous tribes, however, the 18-month-long event is not a
celebration of Jamestown's founding, but an opportunity to draw attention to
historic and present-day struggles.
"What we're celebrating in 2007 is the survival of our people, and our
traditions and culture after 400 years of almost constant hostile
occupation,"
Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson told The NewStandard.
The ancestors of Richardson and other Native Americans living in Virginia
were among the first to encounter English colonizers and the disease,
oppression
and racism that followed. But despite long and documented histories in
Virginia, not one tribe in the state is recognized as sovereign by the
federal
government.
Without the federal status granted to 561 Indian nations across the country,
Virginia tribes say that the US government continues to deny their existence
and place in history.
"Our tribes have suffered a lot of discrimination throughout the past,
particularly by the state of Virginia," said Chickahominy Second Assistant
Chief
Wayne Adkins. "Many of our people were ashamed to even admit that they were
Indians. They tried to keep it hidden. And so to be able to finally stand up
and
say, 'Yeah we're Indians and we've been recognized by the federal government'
… It would just bring a lot of pride to people, particularly the elderly who
experienced a lot of the discrimination.exp
Federal recognition offers more-tangible benefits as well, including
establishment of a government-to-establishment of a
government-to-<WBR>government r
Along with this limited sovereignty, federally recognized tribes have legal
authority to exercise control over their internal affairs, including forming
their own government, putting land into trust status and regulating the use
of
tribal property. Federally recognized tribes also become eligible for
services
and benefits that could be used to support housing, education and healthcare
programs. Additionally, the status would help tribes repatriate ancestral
remains and artifacts now held by museums and educational institutions.
"The true meaning of [federal recognition]"The true meaning of [federal
that all the sacrifices of our ancestors before us have not been in vain,
and to
know and have the security that future generations of tribal people in
Virginia will be recognized for who they are. That we weren't just a group
of
people that claimed Indian heritage, and nobody really believed it, and the
government wouldn't validate it, so therefore we really didn't exist."
Burden of Proof
Around the turn of the eighteenth century, English colonists ordered the
Rappahannock tribe to leave their reservation and go to their winter hunting
ground between the Rapphannock and Mattaponi Rivers in eastern Virginia.
Today,
the tribe's 300 members still live on about 150 acres of that ancestral
land.
The Rappahannocks' quest for recognition began in 1921 when then-Chief
George
Nelson appealed to the US Congress to acknowledge the tribe. Nearly nine
decades later, the Rappahannock tribe, along with the Chickahominy, Eastern
Chickahominy, Monacan, Nansemond, Upper Mattaponi, Pamunkey and Mattaponi,
continue to spend time and money trying to prove their historical and
cultural
identity to the US government.
For Kenneth Branham, chief of the Monacan Nation, the task of America's
"first peoples" having to prove their identity to the US government using
fragmented histories is not only a headache but an injustice.
"If I was a Virginian, I'd be embarrassed with the situation," Branham told
TNS. "We want the world to know this country was based on freedom of
religion, [on] human rights, but yet here's a group of people in this
country that
are not recognized and we were here thousands of years before the Europeans.
We
should have to recognize the European people, not the other way around."
Tribal leaders say they would also welcome the "dollars and cents" benefits
that accompany federal recognition. Currently, unrecognized tribes must use
member dues and private donations to buy back ancestral land and to fund
education programs. Richardson, Branham and Adkins emphasized that funding
is
especially needed to help care for elders who have little of their own.
Several of Virginia's tribes have 300 or fewer members, and funding could
also be used to preserve tribes' heritage and customs. Richardson says there
is
an "imminent threat" that the Rappahannock tribe will not survive if its
language and culture are not preserved.
"Our tribal dances, our stories, our songs - all of those things are very
important components," Richardson said. "They're right at the core of who
you
are as a tribal person, and if those things are lost what happens to our
people?"
From her experiences working with other tribes across the country,
Richardson
says she knows that federal recognition is no panacea. If recognized as a
sovereign nation, she anticipates, the tribe would struggle with federal
agencies ignoring or trying to influence its decisions.
"But at least we'll be sitting at the table," Richardson said. "At least
other tribes will recognize us for who we are, and we won't feel that we're
somehow less than everybody else because we don't have this status. It will
no
longer be a humiliation for our people that we have not been recognized for
who
we really are."
A Broken System
Virginia tribes join hundreds of others across the country in the long and
complicated process of seeking federal recognition. Since 1978, when the US
Bureau of Indian Affairs began a formal procedure for obtaining federal
recognition, the agency has granted the status to only 15 tribes out of the
314 that
applied. Another 23 were denied; the rest are pending.
"There are tribes that put in an application in 1978-79 that are just now
being looked at," said Gary Garrison, a spokesperson for the BIA.
Part of the reason for the backlog, said Garrison, is the small staff -
three teams of three to review petitions that can be thousands of pages long
and
include complex archeological, anthropological and genealogical
documentation.
Tribes must meet seven mandatory criteria, including proving their
continuous existence as a tribe since 1900 and their existence as a distinct
community
"from historical times to the present."
Gathering all of this information is costly, time-consuming and could add
years to the BIA's already-cumbersome process.
Faced with those options, Virginia's tribes decided to pursue federal
recognition through the US Congress. Bolstered by the Virginia General
Assembly,
which passed a near-unanimous resolution in 1999 urging their federal
counterparts to grant recognition to all eight state-recognized tribes, the
tribal
leaders thought the process would be straightforward.
Eight years later, they are still vying for recognition.
"It's wearing us down," said Adkins. "We're all tired." The struggle comes
on
top of full-time jobs, families and preserving tribal culture and heritage,
Adkins told TNS.
Though tribes have succeeded in subsequent years to get more bills
introduced
and to testify at congressional hearings, a handful of Virginia lawmakers
have stymied the legislation.
Representative Virgil Goode (R-Virginia) has expressed opposition to
empowering tribes to govern themselves, telling the Roanoke Times last year,
"I
don't want sovereignty that elevates them above the state." Representative
Frank
Wolf (R-Virginia)Wolf (R-Virginia)<WBR>, an outspoken critic of gambling i
want to support a federal recognition bill unless it expressly forbids
tribes
from opening casinos.
Assistant Chief Adkins and Chief Branham say the issue comes down to fear of
granting governing control to tribes and a poor understanding of tribal
sovereignty. As Baptists, Adkins said, they have no interest in gaming.
Since
their word is not enough, the tribes say opponents' concerns should be
allayed
by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which prevents tribes from
opening
casinos without state approval.
The most recent federal bill to extend recognition to the Rapphannocks,
introduced in early January by Representative Jo Ann Davis
(R-Virginia)introduced
a provision that prohibits Indian gaming on lands taken in trust.
Representative Jim Moran (D-Virginia) also plans to reintroduce a bill
covering all six
tribes seeking recognition through legislation.
The Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes decided to pursue federal recognition
through the BIA. Those tribes are the only two that continue to hold
state-recognized reservations, secured through historic treaties with the
King of England
and the Virginia General Assembly during the 17th Century.
Chiefs Richardson and Branham said they will participate in Jamestown 2007
festivities, but they may appear with protest signs in hand if lawmakers
fail
to move on a new recognition bill.
"We're not happy going into 2007 and not being federally recognized,"
Branham
said last month, before heading to Charlottesville to meet with the other
seven chiefs. "To me, living in the state of Virginia, it's a shame and a
disgrace that we're not federally recognized. We should have been many, many
years
ago."
by Catherine Komp
American Indians in Virginia are using the spotlight on the 400th
anniversary of Jamestown to highlight their fight for federal recognition
and
acknowledgement of their status as nations.
__http://newstandardnhttp://newstandahttp://newstahttp&itemid=itemi_
(http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=4314_)
(_http://newstandardnhttp://newstandahttp://newstahttp&itemid=item_
(http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=4314) )
Richmond, Va.; Feb. 14 - The Virginia state government plans to spend
millions of dollars on educational and cultural events marking this year's
400th
anniversary of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the
Americas. The state will host Queen Elizabeth II and a replica of Godspeed,
the
English ship that carried some of the first colonizers, will retrace routes
taken
in 1607 on the James River.
For Virginia's indigenous tribes, however, the 18-month-long event is not a
celebration of Jamestown's founding, but an opportunity to draw attention to
historic and present-day struggles.
"What we're celebrating in 2007 is the survival of our people, and our
traditions and culture after 400 years of almost constant hostile
occupation,"
Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson told The NewStandard.
The ancestors of Richardson and other Native Americans living in Virginia
were among the first to encounter English colonizers and the disease,
oppression
and racism that followed. But despite long and documented histories in
Virginia, not one tribe in the state is recognized as sovereign by the
federal
government.
Without the federal status granted to 561 Indian nations across the country,
Virginia tribes say that the US government continues to deny their existence
and place in history.
"Our tribes have suffered a lot of discrimination throughout the past,
particularly by the state of Virginia," said Chickahominy Second Assistant
Chief
Wayne Adkins. "Many of our people were ashamed to even admit that they were
Indians. They tried to keep it hidden. And so to be able to finally stand up
and
say, 'Yeah we're Indians and we've been recognized by the federal government'
… It would just bring a lot of pride to people, particularly the elderly who
experienced a lot of the discrimination.exp
Federal recognition offers more-tangible benefits as well, including
establishment of a government-to-establishment of a
government-to-<WBR>government r
Along with this limited sovereignty, federally recognized tribes have legal
authority to exercise control over their internal affairs, including forming
their own government, putting land into trust status and regulating the use
of
tribal property. Federally recognized tribes also become eligible for
services
and benefits that could be used to support housing, education and healthcare
programs. Additionally, the status would help tribes repatriate ancestral
remains and artifacts now held by museums and educational institutions.
"The true meaning of [federal recognition]"The true meaning of [federal
that all the sacrifices of our ancestors before us have not been in vain,
and to
know and have the security that future generations of tribal people in
Virginia will be recognized for who they are. That we weren't just a group
of
people that claimed Indian heritage, and nobody really believed it, and the
government wouldn't validate it, so therefore we really didn't exist."
Burden of Proof
Around the turn of the eighteenth century, English colonists ordered the
Rappahannock tribe to leave their reservation and go to their winter hunting
ground between the Rapphannock and Mattaponi Rivers in eastern Virginia.
Today,
the tribe's 300 members still live on about 150 acres of that ancestral
land.
The Rappahannocks' quest for recognition began in 1921 when then-Chief
George
Nelson appealed to the US Congress to acknowledge the tribe. Nearly nine
decades later, the Rappahannock tribe, along with the Chickahominy, Eastern
Chickahominy, Monacan, Nansemond, Upper Mattaponi, Pamunkey and Mattaponi,
continue to spend time and money trying to prove their historical and
cultural
identity to the US government.
For Kenneth Branham, chief of the Monacan Nation, the task of America's
"first peoples" having to prove their identity to the US government using
fragmented histories is not only a headache but an injustice.
"If I was a Virginian, I'd be embarrassed with the situation," Branham told
TNS. "We want the world to know this country was based on freedom of
religion, [on] human rights, but yet here's a group of people in this
country that
are not recognized and we were here thousands of years before the Europeans.
We
should have to recognize the European people, not the other way around."
Tribal leaders say they would also welcome the "dollars and cents" benefits
that accompany federal recognition. Currently, unrecognized tribes must use
member dues and private donations to buy back ancestral land and to fund
education programs. Richardson, Branham and Adkins emphasized that funding
is
especially needed to help care for elders who have little of their own.
Several of Virginia's tribes have 300 or fewer members, and funding could
also be used to preserve tribes' heritage and customs. Richardson says there
is
an "imminent threat" that the Rappahannock tribe will not survive if its
language and culture are not preserved.
"Our tribal dances, our stories, our songs - all of those things are very
important components," Richardson said. "They're right at the core of who
you
are as a tribal person, and if those things are lost what happens to our
people?"
From her experiences working with other tribes across the country,
Richardson
says she knows that federal recognition is no panacea. If recognized as a
sovereign nation, she anticipates, the tribe would struggle with federal
agencies ignoring or trying to influence its decisions.
"But at least we'll be sitting at the table," Richardson said. "At least
other tribes will recognize us for who we are, and we won't feel that we're
somehow less than everybody else because we don't have this status. It will
no
longer be a humiliation for our people that we have not been recognized for
who
we really are."
A Broken System
Virginia tribes join hundreds of others across the country in the long and
complicated process of seeking federal recognition. Since 1978, when the US
Bureau of Indian Affairs began a formal procedure for obtaining federal
recognition, the agency has granted the status to only 15 tribes out of the
314 that
applied. Another 23 were denied; the rest are pending.
"There are tribes that put in an application in 1978-79 that are just now
being looked at," said Gary Garrison, a spokesperson for the BIA.
Part of the reason for the backlog, said Garrison, is the small staff -
three teams of three to review petitions that can be thousands of pages long
and
include complex archeological, anthropological and genealogical
documentation.
Tribes must meet seven mandatory criteria, including proving their
continuous existence as a tribe since 1900 and their existence as a distinct
community
"from historical times to the present."
Gathering all of this information is costly, time-consuming and could add
years to the BIA's already-cumbersome process.
Faced with those options, Virginia's tribes decided to pursue federal
recognition through the US Congress. Bolstered by the Virginia General
Assembly,
which passed a near-unanimous resolution in 1999 urging their federal
counterparts to grant recognition to all eight state-recognized tribes, the
tribal
leaders thought the process would be straightforward.
Eight years later, they are still vying for recognition.
"It's wearing us down," said Adkins. "We're all tired." The struggle comes
on
top of full-time jobs, families and preserving tribal culture and heritage,
Adkins told TNS.
Though tribes have succeeded in subsequent years to get more bills
introduced
and to testify at congressional hearings, a handful of Virginia lawmakers
have stymied the legislation.
Representative Virgil Goode (R-Virginia) has expressed opposition to
empowering tribes to govern themselves, telling the Roanoke Times last year,
"I
don't want sovereignty that elevates them above the state." Representative
Frank
Wolf (R-Virginia)Wolf (R-Virginia)<WBR>, an outspoken critic of gambling i
want to support a federal recognition bill unless it expressly forbids
tribes
from opening casinos.
Assistant Chief Adkins and Chief Branham say the issue comes down to fear of
granting governing control to tribes and a poor understanding of tribal
sovereignty. As Baptists, Adkins said, they have no interest in gaming.
Since
their word is not enough, the tribes say opponents' concerns should be
allayed
by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which prevents tribes from
opening
casinos without state approval.
The most recent federal bill to extend recognition to the Rapphannocks,
introduced in early January by Representative Jo Ann Davis
(R-Virginia)introduced
a provision that prohibits Indian gaming on lands taken in trust.
Representative Jim Moran (D-Virginia) also plans to reintroduce a bill
covering all six
tribes seeking recognition through legislation.
The Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes decided to pursue federal recognition
through the BIA. Those tribes are the only two that continue to hold
state-recognized reservations, secured through historic treaties with the
King of England
and the Virginia General Assembly during the 17th Century.
Chiefs Richardson and Branham said they will participate in Jamestown 2007
festivities, but they may appear with protest signs in hand if lawmakers
fail
to move on a new recognition bill.
"We're not happy going into 2007 and not being federally recognized,"
Branham
said last month, before heading to Charlottesville to meet with the other
seven chiefs. "To me, living in the state of Virginia, it's a shame and a
disgrace that we're not federally recognized. We should have been many, many
years
ago."