Federal Recognition
The Chickahominy were recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1983, but are not federally recognized. Since the 1990s, the tribe has been seeking federal recognition through an act of Congress.
The Thomasina E Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act would grant federal recognition to six Virginia Indian tribes: the Chickahominy Tribe, Eastern Chickahominy Tribe, Nansemond, Rappahannock Tribe, Upper Mattaponi Tribe, and the Monacan Nation. In March 2009, another draft of the bill was presented to the House Committee on Natural Resources. By June the bill had passed the Committee and the House of Representatives. A day after it was voted on in the House, a companion bill was sent to the Senate. The Senate referred this bill to their Committee on Indian Affairs, who approved the bill on October 22, 2009. On December 23, 2009 the Senate added the bill to its Legislative calendar. This is the farthest the bill has gotten in the Congressional process. The bill is opposed by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), citing "jurisdictional concerns." The Senator believes requests for tribal recognition should be processed through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a process the Virginia tribes cannot utilize because of The Racial Integrity Act of 1924 and the dictates of Walter Plecker, the controversial state registrar for the Bureau of Vital Statistics at the time.
The two state-recognized tribes that still maintain reservations, the Pamunkey and Mattaponi, are not part of this bill. They are trying to gain federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs' administrative process as they believe their continued residency on and control of their reservations demonstrates their historical continuity as tribes.
Read more about this topic: Chickahominy People
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