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I just came home from the Charles city pow wow hosted by the Six VA Nations. Refreshingly, the pow wow was advertised as a fund raiser, to help in their bid for federal recognition. I say ‘refreshingly’ because everybody knows that pow wows are fund raising events, but there’s all those heebie jeebies about appearing to “sell your culture” so nobody seems to want to admit that money is a factor.
Anyway, I was impressed by the event, there was a huge crowd and lots of high quality vendors with goods I hadn’t seen before. I talked to one of the people who helped organize it and complimented her on how wise it seems to be for all six tribes to be banding together and going for recognition in unison.
That in comparison to what I’ve seen in NC, where any group’s bid for recognition seems to turn all their cousins against them and create intense hostilities. Later, I told my husband about this and he told me that VA used to squabble just as bad. That was back in Wilder’s administration, who is himself of black and Indian descent. Barry told me that Wilder just got sick of all the bickering about race and just did away with the Indian counsil there. Since then, the tribes have been getting along much better it seems.
Does this sound accurate? Is that the way it happened? Whatever the cause, something up there is working better than what’s going on here.
I was super impressed that the Chickahominy have folks working on re-creating the ancient pottery. That’s a project I’ve been interested in trying my hand at, but life’s gotten too busy lately. It makes me really glad to know somebody’s bringing that back to life.
Maybe it just says something about government in general, that there needs to be limits on its involvements. John Sossell did a piece on how inefficiently anything done by the government is. He used Pine Ridge as an example of a place that is heavily managed by the US and it’s the poorest place in the country. Then he switched over to some ghettoes in the inner city and showed some former projects that had been privatized, and now, all of a sudden, they’re a decent place to live.
Maybe we need some of that tonic around here.
It was a tv show. I’ve got some of it taped somewhere. Email me with your address and I’ll see if I can dub it for you. The point he was trying to make with all the examples he used was that it’s not so much an issue of bad or malevolent governmental control, but ANY bureaucratic meddling, even if it’s well intentioned, will make a hash out of anybody’s business. He used Pine Ridge as an example of the most bureaucratically controlled region in the whole country, and oops, it just happens to be the poorest. Gee, I wonder what that signifies?
There was another example, I don’t remember, some agency that was privatized, and just changing things so that the “bureaucratics” suddenly become “employees” who could get fired if they didn’t do their jobs right made a huge difference in the quality and productivity of the service.
Yes I agree…
Now with the controversy surrounding the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation being the newest recognised tribe with the NCCIA, and alleged outright opposition by the other tribes, chances are the same may even happen here…
Feel like talking today so I will throw my hat in the ring.
So much to say…
First to talk about the Fund Raising advertised in regards to Pow Wows, I can see how that would be refreshing, I think it lends intrest to the public, It shows that not all of our people come from Rich casino driven tribes some of our people depend on that Pow Wow money and some dont and just because your tribe might have a casino by no means, means your tribe and or band is Rich, it is a good thing to consider in Pow Wow advertisement I think it opens an oportunity for many to Educate-Educate-Educate and end the Sterotype of all “Indians own Casino’s”, it is a step just like ending NDN Mascots in Schools. Education is key in the understanding NDN culture.
Next I will always hope for better conditions on the rez’s of this country, and to go off what Linda was saying about taking Projects and making them Private in the urban areas has worked to an extent. Here in Detroit there have been these empowerment zones now in the inner city, some of these zones there were old homes abandoned and knocked down, they since have built fairly nice new ones and made them affordable subsidised housing. As far as the conditions of crime ect… I dont know if there has been a change if there has been change I have not realy noticed muchof change in either direction good or bad it just seems the same, Just a face lift. In fact someone when these new homes were being built 2 of them got torched.
So all in all I go back to Eariler comentary Education, Good Education, if we do not change the way history is taught in schools to the youth, if we do not put our selves out there to change racist stereo types in schools, if we do not stop fighting amongst each other, If we do not help our people with their sobriety, if we do not fight the goverment for Recognition/Treaty Rights ect. Our people will slip further and further away and Sterotypes and Hatred and
Mis Understanding will go on.
One of my Greatest Heros is
Martin Luther King. Need I say more. Much Love to all of you!
There are small pow-wow’s around here that are used to raise funds for BIGGER pow-wows.
But MORE than being fund raisers, they are also a means of bringing friends and family together, and also a sort of rehersal.
vance
Hello Linda,
Writing you in regards to the Charles City Pow Wow. First of all I didn’t attend due to the recognition fund raising. Why do people feel that they need the gov. to recognize them, we exist & don’t need other’s to tell us so. Also, the pow wow didn’t include Cherokee’s, but included Monacan’s. A group that has staked claim to land that was not their’s, as it was Cherokee, European, & some Shawnee. Another thing is we still have a Va. council of Indians, as I go to the meetings. Don’t let the pow wow fool you, Va. Indians are not working together as one, I wish they would, but it’s not going to happen, too many ego’s in the way!Last year Virginia passed a resolution that was a formal “Regret for Virginia’s role in the Eugenic’s Movement”. This movement affected many families that were all or part American Indian. Before the passage of this resolution, it had to go through the House Rules Committee. Out of all the American Indians in our state, I was the only one to speak in favor of this & to tell my families story. I spoke for all those that were not in attendance & for my ancestors before me. I enjoy pow wow’s but people need to be active, as one voice does make a difference.
Sincerely,
CoheeLady
first, let me say hats off for attendance and speech giving concern eugenics in virginia.
However, i believe not supporting VA indians push to be fedrally rec.is counterproductive.
additionally, VCI is not the driving force behind the rec process, and people dont all get along all the time.
vital is the committee dealing with rec, and if any cooperation has emerged it is b/c of those members hard work.
i dont think you understand how different this is here. these multi tribal powhatan events are earth shattering for this and the last century. This is the closest there has been to a Tsenacomacough since 1677 at middle plantation.
federal recognition is not about “who we are” even though it may be billed as such.
its about money. it about federal programs for poor rural commu nities that are already available in other areas. it about housing, health care and the IHS and low interest loans and grants available for private business ownership and community development. its about re-establishing a govt to govt relationship with the united states of america and not the crown of england. actions and good intentions dont always make things happen. money helps jumpstart the effort and keep it funded and supported.
monacans have lived in their current homeland for over 200yrs., longer than the europeans have occupied the land west of the mississippi. the relative distance to their original townships is less than 15 miles. i really rhink the cherokee land claim is pretty scanty and without much substantiation.i mean c’mon one mountain?
there have been no cherokee tribes recog. in virginia, and therefore the participation in a federal recognition process rather moot. the purpose of drumming support is to afford the lawyers and legal fess associated with pushing a bill through the senate and congress. Hence, dancing around the BIA as did the Mashawntuckets in the 80’s (the first time it was done)
cherokees arent getting shafted, i assure you. the due for this is the first permananent english colony. And the pride is the endurance of people who have no others to represent them – unlike the cherokee.
please, lets fight together but not try to pull the others down as they get a little closer the top of the pile. fighting amongst ourselves is how we lost the continent – and we still do it all too often, as you said.
To Itconani,
I did not speak of only one moutain in Virginia. I do attend pow wows, & have worked hard on Indian issues. Last year I got the state Library for the first time ever to put up display cases, in Nov., which is American Indian Month. Except this year not one single person has requested the state to recognize Nov. as American Indian Month. So, I’ll just sit back, & see if anyone else cares! I am Cherokee & European,& my family is of Amherst, Rockbridge, Nelson counties, just to name a few. Another thing you said that the Monacans were there before the Europeans, well the Monacans of today, are part European! I’m not speaking of the true Monacans, don’t get me wrong. Read Plecker’s List & look at the counties of Rockbridge & Amherst, you will find my family CASH, now try to find some Monacan surnames in the same area on that list. Good Luck!
CoheeLady
[This message has been edited by CoheeLady (edited 07-15-2002).]
[This message has been edited by CoheeLady (edited 07-15-2002).]
osiyo,this is absolutely one of the very best sites i have ever seen,the great diverse info that can be gleaned daily is superb!!hats off you linda.it is great to here whats up with the virginia cherokee as i also decend from these people.you are so right about that land the monacans call theirs,you may already know within the last 30 days or so archeological discoveries have been found on this land.pottery with the name amonsoquath has been found, as well as village signs.as you may know amonsoquath is a cherokee/powhatan tribe in missouri that originates in thetidewater area, later moves and eventually ends up in missouri osarks.info has already made its way to washington.well bye for now keep the info coming!
osiyo,this is absolutely one of the very best sites i have ever seen,the great diverse info that can be gleaned daily is superb!!hats off you linda.it is great to here whats up with the virginia cherokee as i also decend from these people.you are so right about that land the monacans call theirs,you may already know within the last 30 days or so archeological discoveries have been found on this land.pottery with the name amonsoquath has been found, as well as village signs.as you may know amonsoquath is a cherokee/powhatan tribe in missouri that originates in thetidewater area, later moves and eventually ends up in missouri osarks.info has already made its way to washington.well bye for now keep the info coming!
im way confused.
whose recognizing who? Plecker or the Govt. this time?
what true monacans are being referred to?
whats all this new data on village sites with Amonsoquath “name” on pottery?
Which indians from the east arent part european?
what are you guys getting at exactly.
Monacans arent stealing any land, and the amonsoquath….who knows. maybe keith egloff can clue us in.
see yall in a few weeks. Dakota bound!
cen hesse,
itco
im way confused.
whose recognizing who? Plecker or the Govt. this time?
what true monacans are being referred to?
whats all this new data on village sites with Amonsoquath “name” on pottery?
Which indians from the east arent part european?
what are you guys getting at exactly.
Monacans arent stealing any land, and the amonsoquath….who knows. maybe keith egloff can clue us in.
see yall in a few weeks. Dakota bound!
cen hesse,
itco
im way confused.
whose recognizing who? Plecker or the Govt. this time?
what true monacans are being referred to?
whats all this new data on village sites with Amonsoquath “name” on pottery?
Which indians from the east arent part european?
what are you guys getting at exactly.
Monacans arent stealing any land, and the amonsoquath….who knows. maybe keith egloff can clue us in.
see yall in a few weeks. Dakota bound!
cen hesse,
itco
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