U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) recently proposed legislation that would extend federal recognition to the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe in Virginia, ensuring access to federal programs and services.
“The Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) people have a proud and enduring legacy in Southampton County and across the commonwealth,” Rep. Kiggans said. “They have preserved their culture, traditions, and governance through generations of adversity. It’s long past time for them to be recognized federally.”
The congresswoman on Sept. 4 sponsored the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe of Southampton County, Virginia, Federal Recognition Act, H.R. 5144, which would, if enacted, make the tribe and tribal citizens eligible for all services and benefits provided by the federal government to federally recognized Indian Tribes without regard to existence of a reservation for the tribe.
Additionally, not later than 120 days after the date of the bill’s enactment, the service area for the purpose of delivery of federal services to tribal citizens would be determined in coordination and consultation with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, according to the text of the legislation, among other provisions.
“The tribe is recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia and has maintained tribal land in Southampton County for centuries,” said Rep. Kiggans. “Granting this historic and important tribe federal recognition is a must.”
In fact, according to information provided by her office, the tribe has a documented presence dating back to at least A.D. 900, it has signed treaties with colonial authorities in the 1600s, and maintained continuous cultural and historical presence despite centuries of land loss, forced assimilation, and the impacts of discriminatory laws like Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924.
Federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs has been hindered for tribes within Virginia by historical record-keeping practices that misclassified Native populations in Virginia during the early 1900s, the information says.
H.R. 5144 is under consideration by the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee.