Chickahominy
Chickahominy Tribe
Ancient Ways
A rolling mist still clings to the face of the Chickahominy River as the first rays of sun paint the morning sky red. Already, the village is awake — the people are making preparations for a new day.
There are no schools here, but everyone in the village helps to educate each child. By the time they are adults they will learn many traditional skills.
As young adults, they will also learn their place in the circle of village life. Some will learn the medicinal value of every herb in the forest. Others will learn to speak with great eloquence. Others will learn the signs of the seasons, for planting and harvest. Regardless of their gifts, children learn that they are unique and treasured by the village.
There is no church here, but all of daily life is infused with spirituality and worship. Every meal, every healing herb, every new sunrise — all of life — is received with reverence as a new gift from Ahone, the Creator.
Post-Contact Era (1500-1900)
The Chickahominy originally lived in permanent villages along the Virginia river that still bears our name.
The Treaty of 1646 displaced the Chickahominy people from this area and set aside land for them in the Pamunkey Neck area of Virginia. As the settlers prospered, they crowded the Chickahominy Tribe out of this area as well.
The Chickahominy families began a gradual migration to the area called the Chickahominy Ridge, where they now reside. This area, between Richmond and Williamsburg, is only a few miles from one of our 1607 village sites. In 1901, the Chickahominy Tribe established Samaria Indian Baptist Church, which serves as an important focal point for our community to this day.
We are an Algonquin people: one of the largest cultural and linguistic groups in North America. Algonquin lands once stretched all the way from the southeastern coastal plain to near the Arctic Circle. Like other Algonquins in this area, the Chickahominy are often called Powhatan Indians. However, our villages were always independent–never under the control of Chief Powhatan, known to his people as Wahunsunacock.
Throughout the post-contact era the Chickahominy people have maintained their independence, while remaining close to other Native people in this area.
20th Century
The 20th century was a time of great change for the Chickahominy people. Under the Racial Integrity Act, Virginia’s policies of segregation were among the most severe in the nation. Officials went so far as to destroy documents and records of Native people–including birth, marriage, census, and death records. According to state policy, Virginia’s Native peoples no longer existed.
Higher education was not available for Indians in Virginia until the 1960s, so our tribal members built schools and raised funds to pay teachers’ salaries. Even so, our children were barred by state law from receiving a diploma in Virginia. Many of our children went to Oklahoma to complete high school and attend college.
In time, the Chickahominy saw the repeal of the Racial Integrity Act and the disgrace of those who championed it. The tribe was granted official recognition by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1983, and is now pursuing federal recognition.
Today, tribal members contribute to surrounding communities by serving on boards and commissions and local government agencies.
In addition, the Chickahominy contribute to local economies through private business ownership.