Virginia Tribes Seek Recognition

The chiefs of the six Indian tribes in Virginia journeyed to Washington on Wednesday to ask Congress for federal recognition. This will the fifth time such legislation has been introduced in Congress. 

The tribes are bypassing the Bureau of Indian Affairs recognition process because state policies put into effect in the 1920s – all Indians were classified as “colored” in official documents, such as birth, death and marriage certificates -- make it impossible for the tribes to prove their continued existence for the past 100 years. Continued existence for at least a century is a required for recognition through the BIA.

Roughly 3,000 Indians make up the Chickahominy, Chickahominy Eastern Division, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Monacan and Nansemond tribes. Read more about it here.