Historical Documents

The instructions for the Virginia Colony in 1606 were:

when you are on the coast of Virginia, you shall do your best endeavor to find out a safe port in the entrance of some navigable river . . . the second instruction was you must in no case suffer any of the native people of the country to inhabit between you and the sea coast . . . in all your passages you must have great care not to offend the naturals [natives] . . . your discoverers that pass over land with hired guides . . . never trust the country people with the carriage of your weapons . . . above all things, do not advertise the killing of any of your men, that the country people may know it; if they perceive that they are but common men, and that with the loss of many of theirs they diminish any part of yours, they will make many adventures upon you.

The first Virginia Charter (April 10, 1606) states:

And that they shall or lawfullie may establishe and cawse to be made a coine, to passe currant there betwene the people of those severall Colonies for the more ease of trafiique and bargaining betweene and amongest them and the natives there, of such mettall and in such manner and forme as the same severall Counsells there shall limitt and appointe.

The second Virginia Charter (May 23, 1609) lacks language to signify natives or Indians.

The Third Virginia Charter (March 12, 1612) mentions uninhabited lands.

An Ordinance and Constitution of the Virginia Company in England (July 24, 1621) number four states set forth the establish of a government not recognizing the natives

Peace Treaty Between The Assateague and Pocomoke Indians and Charles Calvert, Governor of Maryland 1722 were articles of peace and amity concluded and agreed upon between the Right Honorable Charles Absolute Lord and Proprietor of this province of Maryland and Knosulm and Wassaunge Chiefs of the Assateague and Pocomoke Indians on behalf of themselves and the Indians under their subjections this 22nd day of October 1722 . . . firmation where of the Honorable Charles Calvert, Esq. Governor in Chief in behalf of his said Lordship and the said Knosulm and Wassounge on behalf of themselves and the Indians under their subjection have signed here to in presence of his Lordships Council and of several of the Great Men of the Indians the day and year above written and the Great Seal of this province is hereunto affixed.

The Treaty between Virginia and the Indians, 1677 is another historical document that identifies the Virginia Indians. Bottom of Form

http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwedo/k12/vhr/documents.htmBottom of Form

Federal Acknowledgement Process

The process to attain Federal Recognition by American Indians is the Federal Acknowledgement Process. It has been audited and found to be not effective. Can it be fixed?

The Senate on Indians Affairs Committee after their business meeting will hold an OVERSIGHT HEARING on Recommendations for Improving the Federal Acknowledgment Process. Thursday, April 24, 20089:00 AMSD - 562

I will publish the results of that meeting when they are made available.

Almost One Year

In May 2008 it will be one year since HR 1294 passed the House and has seen no action since. The bill was voted on in the Senate. It now lies in the Senate for Indians Affairs Committee. The ball is in its court.

Briefly, H.R. 1294 would provide federal recognition to six Indian tribes in the state ofVirginia—the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, the Eastern Division of the ChickahominyIndian Tribe, the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, the Rappahannock Tribe, Inc., the MonacanIndian Nation, and the Nansemond Indian Tribe. CBO estimates that implementingH.R. 1294 would cost $40 million over the 2008-2012 period, assuming the appropriationof the necessary funds. Enacting H.R. 1294 would have no effect on direct spending orrevenues. H.R. 1294 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in theUnfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no direct costs on state,local, or tribal governments.

Va Tribes Federal Recognition on U Tube

Virginia Indian Tribes Seeking Federal Recognition video can be viewed on U tube located on the left bar.

Other videos about Virginia Indians may be viewed from this list if you are interested.

American Indian Profile

Why is it so important for the Virginia Indian Tribes to gain federal sovereignty? Why it is the first Indians the new world explorers came in contact with have never received recognition when in 1998 the BIA statistics list 556 federally-recognized American Indian Tribes?

The profile of the American Indian looks something like this. Almost one percent of the U. S. population is American Indians according the 1999 Census Bureau.

There are 314 Indian reservations located with the United States. They range in size from smallest, Rancheria in California just under 2 acres while the largest is Navajo, which is about 16 million acres in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. Some Tribes are without land bases, such as the Ponca of Nebraska and the Lytton Rancheria in California. Twenty-two percent of the American Indian population lives on reservations and trust lands.

The smallest Tribe, the Augustine Band of Mission Indians in California, have a population of one. The largest Tribe is the Cherokee in North Carolina, their population is about 308,000.

Thirty-nine percent of the American Indian population is under the age of 20 (Twenty-nine percent for total U.S. population). Eight percent of the American Indian population is over 60 years old (seventeen percent for total U.S. population).

American Indians tend to have larger families than the average, because about 80% live in extended-family households.

Thirty-four percent of American Indians over age 25 never graduate from high school. Nine percent of American Indians have a bachelor's degree or higher (3% have graduate or professional degrees). The unemployment rate among American Indians is 14% (6% for total U.S. population). One-third of the American Indian households live below the poverty level (Census Bureau, 1995).

In 1996, 67% of the Tribes had no gaming operations. Of the Tribes that did have gaming, 10 of them earned more than 50% of the gaming income (GAO, A Profile of the Indian Gaming Industry, May 1997).

Twenty percent of American Indian households on reservations lack complete plumbing facilities (hot and cold piped water, a flush toilet, and a bathtub or shower). Eleven percent lack complete plumbing. About 1 in 5 disposes of sewage by means other than public sewer, septic tank, or cesspool. Eighteen percent do not have complete kitchens. Wood heat is the primary source for one in every three homes.

In rural areas, 12% of Native households lack electricity and 23% lack gas (EDA 1999). Only 39% of rural households in Native communities have telephones compared to 94% for non-Native rural communities (EDA Assessment of Technology Infrastructure in Native Communities, June 1999). Of rural Native households, only 22% have cable television, 9% have personal computers, and of those, only 8% have Internet access (EDA 1999). Talk about the great digital divide.