Op-Eds & Columns

Va Tribes Set Sail for Old World

By U.S. Rep. James Moran

An historic trip is set to take place this week. It’s been nearly 400 years since English settlers departed Gravesend, England for the New World. Now, the descendants of the Native Americans who first greeted those settlers at what came to be known as Jamestown are planning to make a journey of their own.

As you may know, next year is the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown. Native Americans played an integral role in this history, saving the expedition’s leader, John Smith, and ensuring the settlement’s survival. The story of Pocahontas has also graced pages of social studies books in classrooms across the country for generations. Accordingly, the Jamestown 2007 Commission, the organization responsible for creating and promoting 18 months worth of activities leading up to and including the commemoration next summer, has established specific events featuring Virginia’s tribes.

One of the events that the Commission has helped organize is for members of Virginia’s tribes to participate in a cultural exchange with England. On the week-long tour, Virginia’s tribes will visit Parliament, lecture at the University of Kent and participate in local festivals celebrating Native American customs and traditions. They will be returning to the original site where the Jamestown settlers left England for the New World, bringing with them memories of the past and an idea of what life was like before and after the U.S. was colonized.

This will be the first official visit by Virginia’s tribes to England in more than 230 years. It is considered an official visit because unlike the U.S. government, the Kings and Queens of England have recognized the Virginia tribes dating back to peace treaties signed in the 1600’s.

Virginia’s tribes have a proud, yet painful history. They were driven off their land, subdued by the early settlers and later endured what has been called a “paper genocide” whereby state officials tried to eradicate Native Americans from official records. Though faced with what many might consider insurmountable odds, Virginia’s tribes have survived, remaining intact and some 17,000 strong today.

But despite their rich history and active culture, these tribes of the Commonwealth lack the federal recognition that 562 other tribes located in the United States currently possess. I have made mention of my legislation to grant Virginia’s tribes their federal recognition on the pages of the Falls Church News Press in the past. I am pleased to report today that the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, led by Senator John McCain, is preparing to take action on this legislation in the coming weeks. While not a giant step, it is a significant advancement for the tribes’ recognition efforts.

So, as the Godspeed once ferried English settlers to Jamestown from Gravesend, I say Godspeed to the Virginia tribes as they retrace the steps of the original English settlers back to England.

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