400th anniversary in VA

[nativelady]

Hello everyone, I have not signed on for awhile. However, I have been reading the info. posted. Just to let you know..........

July 21-22, 2007 400th anniversary

American Indian Intertribal Cultural Festival

Hampton Coliseum
Hampton VA

I am making plans to attend.

read more on

Gathering of the Nations website
www.jamestown2007.org
www.americas400thanniversary

Take care for now. Sabrina

[PappyDick]

Nativelady: I surfed around the website you posted. By following various links, I determined that the Virginia Indian Advisory Council is coordinating these things; and that its members were chosen by "the chiefs of the eight state-recognized Indian tribes located in Virginia." But then if you look at the events themselves, such as the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in July 2007, you find that "featured participants include Native Americans from Virginia's eight original tribes." Which does not include such names as Dogue, Saponi, Tutelo, Occaneechi, Monasukapanough, Powhatan, Meherrin, Susquehannock, Seneca, Cherokee... or others who for one reason or another, at one time or another (several, in 1607) have considered themselves pretty "original" to what is now called Virginia.

Anyway, if you want to know, Virginia's state-recognized tribes seem to be the Eastern Chickahominy, Pamunkey, Monocan, Mattaponi, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Nansemond, and Chickahominy.

Unless I'm missing something here, our representatives (piedmont Siouan people) would seem to be the two Monacans appointed to the Council. I'll paste in their names, in case anybody with more Saponi cred than I have wants to pester them about such things as calling this frail remnant "Virginia's eight original tribes."

Dean Branham
Monocan Indian Nation

Karenne Wood
Virginia Council on Indians
Monocan Indian Nation

[Linda]

So who exactly used the inaccurate "original tribes" verbage? The Smithsonian Folklife Festival?

[PappyDick]

So it appears to me. Somebody else might have written the verbiage, but it's on the Smithsonian's part of the Jamestown 2007 web site, from the special events link.

http://www.jamestown2007.org/se-smithsonianfolklife.cfm

I haven't tried the Smithsonian's own web site. I used to work there (it was originally called the Festival of American Folklife). It featured Maryland in 1972, I worked on that one and several others. The current propaganda says it is featuring Virginia for the first time, and I guess they know -- I don't.

[Linda]

There is no contacting info on that site that I can see. I left a message with the design company who did the site, asking them to please relay the message. If anyone else can dig up who might be responsible for this and in a position to correct the "original" word, so that it reads "remaining" instead, that would be great.

[nativelady]

The Information was posted FYI for people who may want to attend the event.

In terms of anything else. I support all native americans of VA no matter what their tribal affliation is. My ancestors are buried there. I still have living relatives there. So, the very ground is sacred to me.

If anyone has issues about terminology used then by all means you contact them. I am sure they would be glad to speak with you.

I have attended several pow-wows in VA. I attended the Chickahominy pow-wow in 06. I met Cherokees, Lumbees, Lakota etc. I speak to Mr Blackfeather of the Occaneechee. He has invited me more than once to their events.

There were over 100 tribes between VA and West VA. We must strengthen the pieces of the blanket that remain not tare it apart. Peace

[PappyDick]

We must strengthen the pieces of the blanket that remain

I'm doing what I can for the ol' blanket. One thing is to try to bring this stuff to the attention of those who are actually doing it, before they print up the 2007 Festival program books, etc., with innocent but egregious errors like "Virginia's eight original tribes." That (printing) will happen about June 17th, I imagine; but somebody is getting asked to write the text about now. And it will be too late to change it, in about April.

These things are actually governed by the funding stream and the printers' deadlines, not by anything as sensible as who knows, or who cares, about the content. (Call me cynical. But I did work on that festival, for years.)

Another interesting thing about that Jamestown2007 web site: if you click around on the links, they don't have any to the web presence of these eight tribes -- let alone to the rest of us, who aren't recognized (by VA). Their "Links" are mostly pictures of books we should read. But the web site is still a work in progress. I hope.

[michaeldunn]

I think the Smithsonian Folklife festival folks are totally separate in the Smithsonian world from the Museum of the American Indian, which is pretty open to Eastern Indian groups and currently has an exhibit on Chesapeake tribes. I suspect that the Jamestown 400 people are a little more in touch: I know some of the recognized VA tribes are active in working on the anniversary.

On the whole, given the whole history of the Plecker era when all Virginia Indians were dismissed entirely (except for the two reservations which had to be acknowledged) the state has come a long way in the last 25 years or so. It's true that seven of the eight recognized tribes are Algonquian/Powhatan, the Monacans being the only exception, but several recent governors have been open to recognition of others. Compared to Maryland, for example, Virginia has been quite open.

Of course the "eight original tribes" line is just stupid. But when it comes to this subject, I'm always surprised anyone even knows there still are Indians in Virginia.

Michael Dunn

[nativelady]

This very true. Alot of people did not know there were any native americans in VA. I did share my copy of "We are still here" with as many of my friends as I could. I was very happy the book of written. We could add to the info in the book by telling our own stories when an opportunity arises. We have an international luncheon on my job. I always make sure there is some info on VA indians as well as other native people from other areas. Also, I took some info to our hospital library.

Have a great day!!!!!!!!

[CoheeLady]

I'm not in the mood to celebrate, so I'll just turn off the news in July, stay indoors and reflect on what this anniversary truly means.

[CoheeLady]

Thanks to the media, politicians, and Tavis Smiley Jamestown 2007 is now just about slavery of Africans. Welcome to the new Virginia. If our people don't stand up for themselves now we should hang our heads in shame.