Kaine testifies in Washington for federal recognition of Virginia Indians

Kaine testifies on Indians' behalf Governor's testimony for Congress supports federal recognition for six Va. tribes

Citing 400 years of peaceful cooperation and 40 years of state-sanctioned injustice, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine journeyed to Washington yesterday to support legislation to federally recognize Virginia's Indian tribes.

Kaine told the House Committee on Natural Resources that the Jamestown settlers who arrived from England in 1607 would have perished were it not for "the forbearance and assistance" of Native Americans such as Pocahontas and Powhatan.

The governor said that the cooperation of Virginia's tribes with European settlers -- combined with a state policy that destroyed evidence of their heritage between 1924 and 1964 -- have kept Virginia's tribes from being federally recognized like the 562 others already acknowledged by the U.S. government.

"Now is the time to reconcile history," Kaine stated in prepared testimony presented to the committee.

In the 1600s, Virginia's Indians signed treaties with the English and the settlers before the nation was formed.

"They laid down arms and made peace with us too soon," Kaine said.

Perhaps more significantly, Kaine said that between 1924 and 1964, the commonwealth, operating under the Racial Integrity Act, reclassified native Indian populations as "colored."

That policy effectively removed a crucial component needed to meet requirements used by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to officially recognize tribes.

"Virginia perpetrated this monstrous injustice," Kaine said, urging the committee to approve the recognition bill sponsored by Rep. James P. Moran, D-8th.

The six tribes seeking recognition are the Chickahominy, Chickahominy Indian Tribe Eastern Division, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, the Monacan Tribe, and the Nansemond Tribe.

Virginia recognized the tribes in 1983. They have sought federal recognition since the 1990s.

Federal recognition could make the tribes eligible for federal grants that could help with services from college scholarships to housing. But this bill includes a tightly written provision that would forbid Virginia's tribes from using federal status to pursue gambling licenses.

The committee and the full House of Representatives approved the measure last year toward the end of the congressional session, but it stalled in the U.S. Senate.

"There is no doubt these tribes existed," Moran said. "It's about their dignity, being recognized for who they are. That's what they're all about."

Moran said it is time for Congress to "bring closure to a travesty."

Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st, a co-sponsor and a member of the committee, agreed:

"It's absolutely long overdue," he said. "These first-contact tribes have been intertwined with the birth of our nation for over 400 years and continue to preserve a culture and heritage important to Virginia and the nation," he said.

Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or .