Congress urged to recognize six Virginia tribes
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Filed Under:
Recognition
The
House Natural
Resources Committee on Wednesday on
H.R.1385, a bill to recognize six Virginia tribes whose ancestors ensured the survival of the first permanent European settlement at
Jamestown.
After helping the new arrivals, the ancestors of the
Chickahominy Tribe,
the
Chickahominy Tribe-Eastern
Division, the
Upper
Mattaponi Tribe, the
Rappahannock Tribe, the
Monacan Nation, and the
Nansemond Tribe signed a peace treaty with England. But the tribes were never formally recognized by the United States.
More than 400 years later, the tribes shouldn't wait any longer for federal status,
Gov. Tim Kaine (D) and
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Virginia) told the committee. Citing state laws that barred people from identifying themselves Indian, they called on Congress to act rather than send the tribes to the
Bureau of Indian Affairs for a lengthy review that won't be resolved for years, or even decades..
The BIA didn't take a position for or against the bill. Two officials said they were still examining information related to the tribes although one suggested that the tribes could piece together federal recognition petitions despite the state's anti-Indian history.
During the 110th Congress, the
House passed a bill to recognize the tribes after they agreed to a ban on gambling forever. The prohibition remains in the new bill.
Get the Story:
Moran, Kaine push for recognition of Va. Indian tribes
(The Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot 3/19)
Kaine testifies in Washington for federal recognition of Virginia Indians (The Richmond Times-Dispatch 3/19)
6 tribes seek U.S. approval of status (The Washington Times 3/19)
Kaine Urges Federal Recognition of 6 Indian Tribes (AP 3/18)
Committee Hearing:
Full
Committee Legislative Hearing On H.R. 31 And H.R. 1385 (March 18, 2009)
Related Stories:
Audio: House hearing on federal recognition
bills (3/18)
Witness
list for hearing on recognition bills (3/17)
House Resources hearing on federal recognition
bills (3/16)
Column: Virginia tribes
deserve federal recognition (3/12)
Bill to recognize Virginia tribes introduced in
House (3/10)
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