SUFFOLK, Va. — What do you really know about the indigenous people who call Virginia home? We're in the middle of Native American Heritage Month and News 3 is taking a closer look at a tribe right in our backyard—their latest challenges, old and new.
The Nansemond Indian Nation powwow is a chance to get a taste of their rich culture. The annual event is held along the banks of the Nansemond River in Suffolk, where their tribal headquarters is. The area, called Mattanock Town, is north of downtown Suffolk in the Chuckatuck section.
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On a recent visit to Mattanock Town, I met up with Keith Anderson, the Chief of the Nansemond Indian Nation, who explained the significance of the river.
"So, there's a lot of history to where we're walking right now. This area... was inhabited by our people thousands of years ago. Our tribes here, they would live [by] hunting, fishing along the Nansemond River."
According to Nansemond Tribal Administrator Tim Emery, "Mattanock Town was one of the Nansemond villages that showed up on John Smith's earliest maps, and it's one of a number of Nansemond settlements on the Nansemond River."
And it's not just the beautiful river that's named after these indigenous people: if you look all across Suffolk, there are schools and a variety of businesses with the word "Nansemond" in their name.
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What are Chief Anderson's thoughts about that?
"Well, truthfully, I just hope they know... the name is a name of reverence and of strength and resilience," Chief Anderson said. "We are still a very thriving people that are very close to nature and our culture and our traditions."
Tribal Administrator Emery stressed, "And one of our primary values is caring for Mother Earth, environmental stewardship."
These values are evident in their partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, including their ongoing oyster restoration projects.
"Each of us has some relationship to the river, but for us it's not just a relationship, it's our identity," said Tribal Vice-chair Nikki Bass during a recent boat ride on the Nansemond River.
The boat ride was during a trip organized by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The trip included members of the tribe, city leaders, plus various organizations concerned about protecting and enhancing the life of the river — an issue Chief Anderson cares deeply about.
"It was our lifeblood and still is... I get a little emotional... just thinking back as well to pre-contact with Europeans to now and the in-between. You know we only have, right now — this is the only access we have to the Nansemond River as indigenous people," said Chief Anderson.
It was ten years ago, as a marker shows at Mattanock Town, that the chief says this land was partially given to the Nansemond Indian Nation.
"We have been in lengthy conversations hopefully to come into a mutual agreement for us to have full title to the lands. They know we have been phenomenal stewards of the lands since we've been here. You know, we are grateful that we have the opportunity to be here," said Chief Anderson.
Having full title to the lands is an important opportunity to possibly develop the land to tell their story, Emery points out.
"We're trying to find that balance of recognizing that history and sharing that history with everyone in a way that corrects sort of the historical narrative that most folks have been taught. We're not just in buckskin clothing anymore... we have progressed, we have evolved," said Emery.
But Chief Anderson says a lot of people are unaware of the work they do, or the fact that they reside in the commonwealth.
"Altogether we have 11 tribes in Virginia. You have a lot of persons right now that live in Virginia, that don't think or know that there are tribes in Virginia," he said.
"I'm serious, cause maybe too, a lot of it goes back to stereotypes as far as looks," said Chief Anderson. "A lot of times people feel that, well, if you're not six feet tall and have long black hair down to your waist, then you're not Indian. Because a lot of the time, books, media and stereotypes have been placed as far as what a real Indian looks like. And so we are blended in with the rest of the community. We have a lot of those persons that are indigenous, that are doctors, lawyers, bankers."
So their fight continues, against stereotypes and the fight for this river named after them, says the chief.
"And to every day think of ways of how we can keep it as clean and pristine as we can, not just for the city of Suffolk, but let the nation know how important it is for our people," he said.
You can count on News 3 to keep you posted on what comes next in discussions with city leaders about the property along the Nansemond River at Mattanock Town.
