Virginia tribes take another step on road to federal recognition

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Published: October 23, 2009

Six Indian tribes in Virginia and the Lumbees of North Carolina yesterday took another step toward federal recognition, which would make them eligible for federal aid.

The tribes would be eligible for up to $800 million in federal funds under two bills passed by the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The bills, which bar the tribes from building casinos, already have passed the House.

The six Virginia tribes, which have about 3,000 members, have been seeking recognition since the 1990s. They are the Eastern Chickahominy, Chickahominy, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Monacan and Nansemond tribes.

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee endorsed a bill introduced by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., that would grant federal recognition to six Indian tribes in Virginia.

Ken Adams, chief of the Upper Mattaponi tribe, attended yesterday's meeting and said, "I feel like it is a very positive step toward the final resolution."

In June, Webb introduced companion legislation to a successful measure that Rep. James P. Moran, D-8th, introduced in the House.

"By bringing this legislation to a vote before the committee we are closer than we have ever been to finally righting an historic wrong for Virginia and the nation," Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said in a statement.

Lawmakers said Congress does not have the expertise to determine federal recognition of tribes, but noted that the tribes have faced lengthy delays in accessing federal funding for housing, education and health benefits.

President Barack Obama has pledged support for the Lumbee tribe, which has sought federal recognition for more than a century. The administration has not said whether it will support recognition of the Virginia tribes.

Regarding the Virginia tribes, Interior Department spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said "in most circumstances we prefer the uniformity and certainty provided by the existing administrative process."

Virginia recognized the Virginia tribes in 1983. Indian tribes have been lobbying for federal recognition since 1999, but the problems surrounding recognition of Virginia's tribes date back to the 1600s, when the tribes signed peace treaties with England and the settlers before the nation was formed.

Kaine told lawmakers earlier this year that the identities of tribal members were stripped away by Virginia's Racial Integrity Act, a state law in effect from 1924 to 1967. Racial identifications of those without white ancestry were changed to "colored" on birth certificates during that period.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/INDI23_20091022-223007/301146/#