Land Back: The Struggle of Virginia’s Indigenous Peoples to Regain their Homelands

Abstract

In 2023, eleven tribes have gained state recognition in Virginia: the Mattaponi, the Pamunkey, the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Rappahannock, the Upper Mattaponi, the Nansemond, the Monacan, the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway), the Nottoway, and the Patawomeck. Nine gained state recognition through individual House Joint Resolutions, and two more gained state recognition through treaties between the tribe and the state. Only seven of the eleven “Virginia” tribes are federally recognized. The Pamunkey Indian Tribe gained federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 2015, and six more tribes achieved federal recognition in 2018 through the H.R. 984 - Thomasina. E Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017. Higher education institutions have an obligation to learn about the Indigenous peoples who originally occupied the grounds in and around their campus. The Local Indigenous Landscapes Team (LILT) at the University of Richmond seeks to improve our understanding of Indigenous peoples and landscapes by analyzing the historical geography and political ecology of the tribes located in what is now called Virginia. In 2023, LILT mapped 68 properties owned by Virginia state recognized tribes. This poster will examine the struggles Indigenous people in Virginia faced to regain control of these properties, their ongoing efforts to expand control over their entire traditional homelands, and the strategies they employ to conserve and defend their current and historical territories.