[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 19, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1533-E1534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE THOMASINA E. JORDAN INDIAN TRIBES OF VIRGINIA 
                        FEDERAL RECOGNITION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 19, 2005

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, last week representatives and 
leaders of Virginia's Native American tribes left their communities and 
flew to England to participate in ceremonies that are a prelude to the 
400th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in America. 
Some of the distinguished Virginia residents who are making this trip 
are the blood descendants and leaders of the surviving 25 tribes that 
once were a part of the Great Powhatan Confederacy that initially 
helped sustain the colonists during their difficult first years at 
Jamestown. Virginia's best known Indian, Pocahontas, traveled to 
England in 1617 with her husband John Rolfe and was received by English 
royalty. She died a year later of smallpox and is buried in the chapel 
of the parish church in Gravesend, England.
  My colleagues, there is tragic irony that while the Kings and Queens 
of England have recognized the Virginia tribes, starting with 
Pocahontas and affirmatively with the Treaty of 1677, the United States 
Government has not. Today, the Virginia tribes even sport a T-shirt 
that says, ``First to welcome, last to be recognized.''
  Mr. Speaker, it's long past time for Virginia's Native American 
people to be recognized by the Federal Government. Joining me today are 
my fellow Virginians: Representatives Jo Ann Davis, Tom Davis, Bobby 
Scott, and Representative Dale Kildee, in introducing the ``Thomasina 
E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act.'' This 
legislation will grant Federal recognition to six Indian tribes in 
Virginia: the Chickahominy Tribe, Chickahominy Indian Tribe Eastern 
Division, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock Tribe, the Monacan 
Tribe, and the Nansemond Tribe.
  As we approach the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, we are long 
overdue in recognizing the direct descendants of the Native Americans, 
who met these settlers. We must acknowledge these historic tribes, they 
have endured and remain a significant part of Virginia's heritage. 
Together, the men and women of these tribes represent a long neglected 
part of our Nation's history.
  Like much of our early history as a nation, the Virginia tribes were 
subdued, pushed off their land, and, up through much of the 20th 
century, denied their full rights as U.S. citizens. Despite their 
devastating loss of land and population, the Virginia Indians 
successfully overcame years of racial discrimination that denied them 
equal opportunities to pursue their full rights as citizens of the 
United States, from public education, the right to vote, and even the 
most basic right to claim their own identity.
  That story of survival doesn't encompass decades, it spans centuries 
of racial hostility and coercive State and State-sanctioned actions. 
Unlike most tribes that resisted encroachment and obtained Federal 
recognition when they signed peace treaties with the Federal 
Government, Virginia's six tribes signed their peace treaties with the 
Kings of England. Most notable among these was the Treaty of 1677 
between these tribes and Charles the II.

  In more recent times, this racial hostility culminated with the 
enactment and brutal enforcement of Virginia's Racial Integrity Act of 
1924. This act empowered zealots, like Walter Plecker, a state 
official, to destroy records and reclassify in Orwellian fashion all 
non-whites as ``colored.'' To call yourself a ``Native American'' in 
Virginia was to risk a jail sentence of up to 1 year. Married couples 
were denied marriage certificates and were unable to obtain the release 
of their newborn child from a hospital until they changed their 
ethnicity on the State record to read ``colored,'' not ``Native 
American.'' For much of the 20th century admission to public schools 
was denied. Even after federally enforced integration, the State and 
localities refused to provide bus service to the public high schools. 
These and other indignities are part of a shameful legacy experienced 
in our lifetime.
  More to the point, this legacy has also complicated these tribes' 
quest for Federal recognition, making it difficult to furnish 
corroborating State and official documents. It wasn't until 1997 when 
then Governor George Allen signed legislation directing state agencies 
to correct State records that had deliberately been altered to list 
Virginia Indians on official State documents as ``colored.'' I am proud 
to say that Senator Allen and Senator Warner are two of Virginia's 
strongest advocates for seeking a legislative remedy for the Federal 
Government to recognize these tribes.
  Federal recognition would provide what the government has long 
denied, legal protections and financial obligations, including certain 
social services and benefits the Federal Government provides the 562-
recognized tribes.
  I know that the gambling issue may be at the forefront of some 
people's concerns. For some of my colleagues there are sincere concerns 
about the morality and destructive effects of gaming. For others, it 
has been a convenient excuse to look no further and keep a closed mind.

[[Page E1534]]

  I have worked to close any potential loophole in this legislation to 
ensure that the Commonwealth of Virginia could prevent casino-type 
gaming by the tribes. Having worked on this issue for several years, I 
have gotten to know many of the members of these tribes and believe 
they are sincere in their claims that gambling is inconsistent with 
their values. This position is already borne out by the fact that none 
of the tribes today engage in bingo gambling despite the fact that they 
have all established non-profit organizations that are permitted under 
Virginia law to operate bingo games despite compelling financial needs 
that revenues from bingo could address.
  The real issue for the tribes is recognition and the long overdue 
need for the Federal Government to affirm their identity as Native 
Americans. Coupled with this affirmation is an opportunity for the 
tribes to establish a more equitable relationship with the State and 
secure Federal financial assistance for the tribes' social services, 
health care and housing needs. Many of their older members face the 
prospect of retiring without the pensions and health benefits that most 
Americans take for granted.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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