Virginia Indians Today

Today there are eleven state-recognized tribes in Virginia: Mattaponi, Pamunkey, Chickahominy, Rappahannock, Upper Mattaponi, Nansemond, Monacan, Nottoway, Cheroenhaka (Nottoway),  Patawomeck. While history cannot be undone, we can revise the narratives we tell by listening to Native voices and respecting their claims to American land, rights, and history. In the words of Kenneth F. Adams (Creek), “Our heritage is due respect as well as any other heritage. Our history needs to be told as well as any other history. We cannot continue to be the forgotten people in the Virginia history books or on the landmarks across the Commonwealth.”^[1]

^[1] Adams, Kenneth F. in forward to The Virginia Indian Heritage Trail edited by Wood, Karenne. (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy) 2009. 26