Moran, Kaine push for recognition of Va. Indian tribes

WASHINGTON

They've been here before, to this marbled city, this gilded room. So often over the past 10 years that they've lost track of exactly how many times they've made their case to Congress.

Nevertheless, Virginia's Indian chiefs journeyed to Washington on Wednesday to tell their stories again, hoping that this time would be different.

They're asking for federal recognition and the benefits - such as education, housing and health care assistance - that come along with the official stamp.

Such decisions traditionally lie with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. That path, however, can take decades. The application list is long, and standards are stringent. Tribes must prove they've been in continuous existence for at least a century.

Virginia tribes say that's nearly impossible for them. State officials in the 1920s began systematically changing birth, death and marriage certificates to reclassify resident Indians as "colored."

The only remedy, the Indians say, lies here, with an act of Congress. This is the fifth time that U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, a Democrat from Alexandria, has sponsored legislation on behalf of the roughly 3,000 Indians who make up the Chickahominy, Chickahominy Eastern Division, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Monacan and Nansemond tribes.

Wednesday's hearing was before the House Natural Resources Committee. A vote by the committee, taken weeks or months from now, will determine whether Moran's bill makes its way to the full House. In 2007, the House passed this bill's predecessor but the Senate let it die in committee.

Concerns about casino-style gambling - an option that often comes with federal recognition - have blocked the bill in the past. It's now crafted to prevent gaming on tribal lands. Opponents say they also worry about being fair to the hundreds of other tribes waiting in line at the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine spoke in support of Virginia tribes, pointing out that 562 other tribes are federally recognized. Kaine called it "especially tragic" that none in Virginia share that designation.

Many Virginia Indians are the descendants of the Powhatan tribes. Their ancestors were the ones who helped the first colonists survive at Jamestown.

"Let us, once and for all, honor their heritage," Kaine said.

Looking back is well and good, said Stephen Adkins, chief of the Chickahominy: "Recognition acknowledges that we were here first, we are still here, and we have a unique position within the fabric of this nation."

But now, it's "about the future more so than it is about the past."

Joanne Kimberlin, (757) 446-2338, joanne.kimberlin@pilotonline.com