Another Step to Recognition for Va. Tribes

For Indian tribes in Virginia, this may be the year they finally gain recognition from Congress. It has been a long and frustrating effort for them, but success could be closer than ever before. And for that, the tribes and other Virginians should be thankful.

The House of Representatives last week approved legislation that would give six Virginia tribes federal recognition. The measure, however, would not allow them to build casinos.

The specter of gambling at Indian casinos, something that has occurred in other states that have granted federal recognition to Indian tribes, has haunted Virginia’s efforts for years. It was one of the first road blocks imposed against the tribes because Virginia law prohibits gambling casinos.

The legislation was rewritten several years ago to ban the tribes from operating gambling casinos. Tribal leaders have said they have no problem with that ban. In fact, they never asked for casinos in the first place.

Legislation approved by the House would make six Virginia tribes, including the Monacans based in Amherst County, eligible for up to $800 million in federal funds for housing, education and health benefits. A separate bill on the same subject would include recognition for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

The six Virginia tribes, which have about 3,000 members, are the Eastern Chickahominy, Chickahominy, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Monacan and Nansemond.

The House approved legislation recognizing them last year, but the measure stalled in the Senate. In addition to the federal grants, the recognition would also provide the formal respect the tribes are seeking for their heritage and identity.

Both of Virginia’s senators, Democrats Jim Webb and Mark Warner, support the measure and have introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Webb has said the tribal recognition is “long overdue based on simple dignity and fairness.”

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine testified in support of the tribes’ recognition earlier this year, saying the tribes contributed substantially to the success of the British settlement of Jamestown in 1607. In that, they also helped the founding of the United States.

Kaine also pointed to the fairness issue that comes into play when one considers that some 565 other tribes around the nation have benefitted from the sovereign status granted them by the Congress. “It is especially shameful that Virginia’s tribes have still not received equal status with the other federally recognized tribes in the United States,” he said.

Is this the year that Congress finally honors the heritage and historical significance of Virginia’s Indian tribes? Let’s hope it is. That recognition will come none too soon for the tribes whose leaders have persevered for well more than a decade to gain the federal status that is rightfully theirs.