Chief G. Anne Richardson, Rappahannock Tribe

"It’s like you’ve finally come home.
You walk on these lands — I don’t know how to describe it other than it’s a great satisfaction in being able to return there and put feet on the land and hear what it has to say to you."

Our Member Tribal Nations

The Chickahominy Indian Tribe is a federally-recognized tribe based in Providence Forge, just east of Richmond, Virginia. Currently, there are more than 1,000 tribal citizens, most of whom live near the Tribal office.

Headquarters: 2895 Mt. Pleasant Road, Providence Forge, VA 23140; (804) 966-7815

Elected Officials: Stephen R. Adkins, Chief; Wayne B. Adkins, First Assistant Chief; Reginald C. Stewart, Second Assistant Chief

Key Staff: Lindsey Johnson, Acting Tribal Administrator; Dana Adkins, Environmental Director

Tribal Lands: Chickahominy tribal land includes land where they have their tribal office, church, tribal cemetery and warehouse facility. Re-matriation efforts have returned sacred sites such as the 800-acre peninsula the tribe has reclaimed as Mamanahunt, believed to be their historical capital city. Additionally, the tribe also came back into possession of a 105-acre parcel, Chickahominy on the Powhatan, in 2019.

The Chickahominy Indian Tribe - Eastern Division is a federally-recognized tribe based five miles east of Providence Forge, in New Kent County. There are more than 250 citizens currently enrolled in the tribe.

Headquarters: 2895 Mt. Pleasant Road, Providence Forge, VA 23140; (804) 966-7815

Elected Officials: Joanne Howard, Chief; Joe Howard, Interim Assistant Chief

Key Staff: Penny Wynn, Tribal Administrator; Jessica Phillips, Environmental Director

Tribal Lands: Small but mighty, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe-Eastern Division has 41 acres raised through fundraising initiatives in the community. This land is home to their new tribal center, child care center, working automotive garage and a community forest.

The Monacan Indian Nation (MIN) is a federally-recognized Indian tribe located in western Virginia and headquartered in Amherst County southwest of what is known now as Charlottesville. The Nation has nearly 3,000 citizens.

Headquarters: 111 Highview Road, Madison Heights, VA 24572; (434) 363-4864

Elected Officials: Diane Shields, Chief; Lou Parrish, Assistant Chief

Key Staff: Adrian Compton, Tribal Administrator; John Pierce, Environmental Director

Tribal Lands: The Monacan Indian Nation has remained relatively connected to its homelands since the 1600s. Its tribal lands include Bear Mountain which is also home to its tribal church and historic one-room school house (and now museum), its tribal offices and community center, and a new 1,300-acre farm the tribe acquired to host its pow-wows, support land management and support community development. You can learn more about the Monacans and their connection to their homelands in this short documentary from Virginia Public Media.

The Nansemond Indian Nation (NIN) is a federally-recognized tribe currently headquartered in Suffolk, VA. The Nation consists of approximately 540 citizens, the highest concentration of whom live in Suffolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, and Isle of Wight County.

Headquarters: 1001 Pembroke Lane, Suffolk, VA 23434; (757) 255-9317

Elected Officials: Keith F. Anderson, Chief; David Hennaman, III, Assistant Chief

Key Staff: Cameron Bruce, Environmental Director

Tribal Lands: The Nansemond are based out of Mattanock Town, where their tribal center and pow-wows are held in their ancestral landscape along the Nansemond River. Despite leasing this area from the City of Suffolk for many years, the Nation has developed a comprehensive restoration plan with partners to restore and heal this degraded site after decades of industrial exploitation. In addition, tribal lands include a lake, new lands for community development, and supports management of the Great Dismal Swamp through strong collaborative efforts. Recent re-matriation successes include returning the 500-acre Cross Swamp property home to towering cypress trees and wildlife. A beautiful story map of the Nansemond's ancestral lands can be found here.

The Pamunkey Indian Tribe is a federally-recognized tribe currently headquartered in King William, VA. The Nation was acknowledged by the federal government in 2016. The Tribe consists of approximately 430 citizens, most of whom live on the reservation.

Headquarters: 1054 Pocahontas Trail, King William, VA 23086; (804) 843-2353

Elected Officials: Robert Gray, Chief; Tim Langston, Assistant Chief

Key Staff: Jennifer Dixon, Chief Financial Officer; Josh Saks, Environmental Director

Tribal Lands: Surrounded by the Pamunkey River and its wetlands, the 1,600-acre Pamunkey Indian Reservation was created in 1646 and is one of the oldest reservations in the nation. Their lands include tribal offices, homes, a cultural center, farm land, a fish hatchery dating back to 1918, and a historic school house.

The Rappahannock Tribe is a federally-recognized tribe headquartered in Indian Neck in King and Queen County, Virginia. The The Tribe is currently comprised of nearly 300 citizens, most of whom live near the Rappahannock Tribal Office in King and Queen County.

Headquarters: 5036 Indian Neck Road, Indian Neck, VA 23148; (804) 769-0260

Elected Officials: G. Anne Richardson, Chief; Mark Fortune, Assistant Chief

Key Staff: Kathy Jones, JD, Chief Financial Officer; Jack Ryan, Environmental Director

Tribal Lands:

The Rappahannock tribal lands include their government seat in Indian Neck where they have built a tribal center, the Chief's house, tribal homes, and a greenhouse to support food sovereignty among their people. Re-matriation efforts are now returning the Rappahannock to their homelands on Fones Cliffs. The Tribe has a unique relationship with the surrounding Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge and conservation partners to support landscape-scale conservation. Together, they are working to unite the Tribe with thousands of acres of its historic lands and villages along the river. Additionally, the US Fish and Wildlife Service transferred a lodge at the Cat Point Creek unit in 2023 to support the creation of a new Indigenous environmental education center that will support the Rappahannock Tribe's Return to the River Initiative to build tribal youth leadership connected to the health of their tribal landscapes.

The Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe (UMIT) is a federally-recognized tribe based in Central Garage, in King William County. There are currently nearly 650 citizens of the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe, most of whom live in King William and the surrounding counties.

Headquarters: 13476 King William Road, King William, VA 23086; (804) 769-0041

Elected Officials: W. Frank Adams, Chief; Tom Tupponce, Assistant Chief

Key Staff: Leigh Mitchell, Environmental Director

Tribal Lands: The Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe's homelands are located in and around the Mattaponi River. Tribal lands are home to a tribal center, the Sharon Indian School, and a new 835-acre parcel along the Mattaponi River. Lands returned to the tribe, like many in the region, include areas that have been exploited, logged or mined. Opportunities to heal their homelands, restore fish and wildlife, and reconnect their tribal youth to cultural traditions on their homelands are at the center of UMIT's re-matriation initiatives.