Virginia Indians Today

Overview

Today there are eight organized tribes in Virginia and two small reservations. There are 2,500 people on the tribal registers, and the census figures show another 15,000 people of Indian ancestry living across Virginia. Two tribes, the Pamunkey and the Mattaponi, have small reservations in King William County. Their state reservations date from the 1600s. Six other incorporated groups are officially recognized as Indian tribes by the Commonwealth of Virginia. They are the: Chickahominy Indian Tribe in Charles City County; Chickahominy Indian Tribe -- Eastern Division in New Kent County; Monacan Indian Tribe in Amherst County; Nansemond Indian Tribal Association in the City of Chesapeake; Rappahannock Indian Tribe in Essex, Caroline, and King & Queen Counties; and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe in King William County. These six tribes are also seeking federal recognition.

Many activities among Virginia's Indians continue to build a strong sense of identity among the tribes. Tribal centers have emerged as symbols of unity, similar to the role-played earlier by Indian schools and churches. Tribal dance groups are commonly seen at the increasingly popular tribal Pow Wows, which enable Virginia Indian tribes to meet with the public and demonstrate crafts, dances, and share oral histories.

Source: Virginia Council on Indians. 22 May 2003. Commonwealth of Virginia, Richmond. 20 January 2005. http://indians.vipnet.org/.

Tribe	Year Recognized	Location
Chickahominy	1983	Charles City County
Eastern Chickahominy	1983	New Kent County
Mattaponi	1983	Mattaponi River, King William Co.
Monacan Indian Nation	1989	Bear Mountain, Amherst County
Nansemond	1985	Cities of Suffolk and Chesapeake
Pamunkey	1983	Pamunkey River, King William Co.
Rappahannock	1983	Indian Neck, King & Queen Co.
Upper Mattaponi	1983	King William County