LEARN NC

North Carolina History Digital Textbook Project

We have a story to tell: Native peoples of the Chesapeake region

From the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution

3.7 Issue 3: Primary resources

On July 12, 2006, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) hosted a press conference and departure ceremony for an official delegation of Virginia Native Americans, who were traveling by invitation to England as part of the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. The trip was organized jointly by the Federal Jamestown 400th Commemoration Commission and the British Jamestown 2007 Committee. Following are some photographs taken at the event at the NMAI as well as quotes from a Washington Post article about the event.

“The Virginia tribes have been so invisible,” [Stephen] Adkins said, “that although they were the first tribes the colonists encountered four centuries ago, they have yet to be officially recognized by the federal government — unlike 562 other tribes, primarily in the West, that are considered sovereign nations.” Those tribes are offered federal health, education and housing benefits.
— Washington Post, July 13, 2006

Photograph of Stephen Adkins, chief of the Chickahominy tribe of Virginia, speaking at a wooden podium.

Stephen Adkins, Chief of the Chickahominy Tribe. Photo by Katherine Fogden, 2006. National Museum of the American Indian. About the photograph

It’s also very humbling that we’re about to embark on a historic trip to England where we’ll be greeted as heads of state, heads of our individual Indian nations. That’s very humbling to us as we renew the ties created by some of the treaties that we had from the 1600s.
— Wayne Adkins (Chickahominy) speaking at the NMAI departure ceremony.

Photograph of Wayne Adkins, Chickahominy tribal member, speaking at a wooden podium.

Wayne Adkins, Chickahominy tribal member. Photo by Katherine Fogden, National Museum of the American Indian. About the photograph

Six of the eight Virginia tribes are lobbying Congress for that federal recognition. Their motto: “First to welcome. Last to be recognized.”
— Washington Post, July 13, 2006.

Photograph of six Virginia American Indian chiefs standing on steps outside a building.

A delegation of Virginia chiefs who testified before Congress on behalf of federal recognition, in 2002. From left: Chief Barry Bass (Nansemond), Chief Stephen Adkins (Chickahominy), Chief Kenneth Branham (Monacan), Chief Marvin Bradby (Eastern Chickahominy), Chief Anne Richardson (Rappahannock), and Chief Ken Adams (Upper Mattaponi). Photo by Deanna Beacham, courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian. About the photograph

Study questions for primary resources:

  • How does this trip to England fit into the context of the overall histories of the Virginia tribes?
  • What are the most significant aspects of this trip for Virginia tribes?