Tribal Recognition Sought in Virginia Supported by Proposed Legislation

This week, a bipartisan group of Virginia lawmakers submitted a bill in Congress to establish federal recognition for an Indian tribe with long-standing ties to the area.

According to a statement from Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), a sponsor of the bill, the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia Federal Recognition Act would grant the tribe access to grant money as well as resources for economic development, health care, and education.

“It acknowledges the treaties made with us in the past and broken,” Hatch said in reporting by the Washington Post. “It creates a government-to-government relationship between us and the United States. It’s important to us to maintain our self-determination.”

There are over 570 tribes officially recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with seven located in Virginia. This recognition grants them tribal sovereignty, which ensures their right to self-governance. This means decisions related to the tribes’ property and members are made with their involvement and approval. The majority of these tribes gained their federal recognition through treaties, congressional acts, executive orders by presidents, federal administrative processes, or decisions by federal courts.

Recently, a bill was presented by Spanberger and supported by Rep. Jen A. Kiggans (R-Va.) and Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.). This bill highlights the historical significance of the Patawomeck Tribe, mentioning their “prominent place in the documented history of the first half-century of European interaction with the Native Virginians.” Notably, the tribe had an encounter with Captain John Smith in 1608.

Furthermore, the bill recounts that in 1666, Virginia waged war on the Patawomecks. This conflict resulted in the deaths of most of the male tribe members and the enslavement of the majority of the women and children not already integrated into English households. By the start of the 19th century, many from the Patawomeck community had made homes in Stafford and King George’s counties. Unfortunately, a 1924 state legislation mandated that individuals be labeled as either White or “colored,” which led to the erasure of their history, as detailed in the bill.

“This law, in addition to other aspects of the racialized society that existed in Virginia starting in the late 1600s, effectively erased Virginia Indians from the official records of the Commonwealth until the middle of the 1900s, amounting to a paper genocide,” the bill said.

According to the bill, Virginia recognized the tribe in 2010 after it created a constitution in 1996 and began efforts to revive its indigenous Algonquin language. The famous singer Wayne Newton, who was born and raised in Virginia and claims to be related to the tribe, fought for their rights.

Hatch claimed that about 15,000 years ago, ancestors of the Patawomeck arrived at what is now Potomac Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River in Stafford County.

According to Hatch, significant settlements started to form near Potomac Creek in the year 1300. Smith came into contact with these groups of people who had dealt with Jamestown, Virginia, centuries before.

Spanberger told the Post, the Patawomeck Tribe has close to 2,000 members. According to her, receiving federal status would not only boost the tribe’s economy but also validate its historical significance.

“At the most basic level, it’s the basic recognition that the United States recognizes the history of our country,” she said. “It’s the recognition that, hundreds of years ago, there was a vibrant community active in Stafford ... and that those individuals continue to play an integral part of our community.”

Federal recognition of the tribe, according to Patawomeck Chief Charles “Bootsie” Bullock, is “long overdue.”

“Our community has always been here, and we have been a strong part of the fabric of our Virginia home,” he said in the statement. “We are not only descendants of many centuries of our ancestors, but today we are neighbors, colleagues, friends, and proud Americans — and our heritage deserves to be recognized by the federal government like other Indigenous communities.”