Mattaponi
Total population | |
---|---|
Enrolled members:
Mattaponi, King William County, Virginia : 450
Upper Mattaponi, Upper Mattaponi |
The Mattaponi (English:
The Mattaponi were one of six tribes inherited by
In addition, a Mattaponi band had long been settled outside the reservation at an unincorporated
The Mattaponi Indians are classified as a branch of Pamunkey Indians, who are also federally recognized. The Mattaponi and Pamunkey have an identical cultural foundation, and come from the same historic political body.[9]
History
According to
17th century
In 1607, the Mattaponi were identified by name by the English explorers John Smith, who noted that they were living along the Mattaponi River. William Strachey estimated their warriors at 140, meaning the tribe likely numbered about 450.
During the second
In 1656–1657, the King and
Bacon's Rebellion
During
Once the conflict ended, the
The Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes have continued to provide the state, the successor to the colony, with the annual tribute payment stipulated by the treaties of 1646 and 1677.[7]
Late 17th century
In 1685, the Mattaponi, along with the Pamunkey and Chickahominy tribes, attended a treaty conference at Albany, New York. It was an attempt by colonial governments of New York and Virginia to end the wars between the Iroquois and southern tribes. The Iroquois had frequently been invading Virginia, including the portion along the Shenandoah and Ohio rivers. Settlers got caught up in the warfare, which kept the tribes in a state of high alert. The warfare prevented peaceful colonial settlement in the backcountry.
17th and 18th centuries
The Mattaponi continued to occupy their reservation throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Colonists encroached on tribal land during that time period, as recorded by a
19th century
The Mattaponi repeatedly defended the tribe and their land against efforts by local officials and individuals to dispose of their property and deny their existence as a tribe. In 1812, the local government tried to take an acre of land from the Mattaponi for a dam, but they defeated the attempt. In 1843, the so-called "Gregory Petition" alleged that the Pamunkey and Mattaponi were no longer Indians. This effort to remove the Mattaponi and Pamunkey from their lands was also defeated. At about the same time, the
Throughout the 19th century, the Mattaponi Tribe had its own tribal leadership. In 1868, the Mattaponi Tribe submitted a list of its chiefs, headmen and members to the Governor. The list identified the chief as Ellston Major, headmen as Austin Key and Robert Toopence, and tribal members as Nancy Franklin, Claiborne Key, Austin Key, Jno [Jonathan] Anderson Key, Henry Major, Ellston Major, Ellwood Major, Lee Franklin Major, Coley Major, Mary Major, Parkey Major, John Major, Park Farley Toopence, Elizabeth Toopence, Robert Toopence, Emeline Toopence, Laura Toopence, Mary Catherine Toopence, James C. Toopence, and Lucy J. Toopence. The list was signed by Hardin Littlepage and William J. Trimmer, trustees for the tribe. Present-day tribal members trace their descendancy from individuals on that list.
As the last two tribes to function as part of the Powhatan Chiefdom, the Pamunkey and Mattaponi Tribes were treated by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a single administrative entity until 1894. That year the Mattaponi formally separated from the Pamunkey-led Powhatan Chiefdom.[12] The Commonwealth's general assembly responded in 1894 by appointing five trustees to the Mattaponi Tribe.
The Mattaponi, like the Pamunkey Tribe, were declared exempt from certain local and county taxes. For its part, the Mattaponi Tribe adopted bylaws for its governance and established a school on its reservation.
20th century to present
During the 20th century, the Mattaponi Tribe and its reservation have been repeatedly acknowledged by the Commonwealth's Governors and Attorneys General. The Mattaponi Tribe has also been repeatedly identified in scholarly publications and newspaper articles.
The tribe has a traditional government, the Mattaponi Tribal Council, which controls the affairs of the reservation. It holds the land in common but assigns plots for members' use, settles internal disputes, maintains tribal property, and protects the interests of the Mattaponi Tribe in relationships with local, state, and federal governments. It maintains its obligations under the Treaty of Middle Plantation of 1677 by giving annual tribute to the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Upper Mattaponi Tribe
The Upper Mattaponi Tribe were a band settled on the upper reaches of the Mattaponi River. They did not belong to the reservation, and were organized around a lead family of Adams. Their founder was likely James Adams, who acted as an interpreter between the Mattaponi and English from 1702 to 1727. The settlement in the 19th century was recorded as Adamstown.[13] The Upper Mattaponi tribe did not have separate recognition until 1921. However, the members of this tribes are descendants of a group of Indians who lived near Passaunkack during the 1700s.[14]
In 1921 the group organized as the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, and have been recognized by the state of Virginia. During the 1920s after being officially recognized, the tribe found it difficult to maintain their culture and identity. The state Racial Integrity Act of 1924 banned interracial marriage in the state of Virginia. The subsequent legislation required racial identification on birth certificates and marriage certificates and, in an effort at suppression of African Americans, many Upper Mattaponi were reclassified as black in official records because of being of mixed race. At the time there was disregard for how people identified culturally. As a result, their continuity as a people was disrupted by records being inaccurate.[14]
In 1942 the Upper Mattaponi built the Indian View Baptist Church, the heart of their faith community. Next door is the Sharon Indian School. The original one-room school was built in 1917. Before then Mattaponi children were educated with the Pamunkey, with whom they were long linked by colonial and state governments. The school was replaced with an eight-room structure in 1952. It closed in the 1960s with the end of official state racial segregation in public schools. The state returned the school to the tribe's jurisdiction and use in 1987. They now use it as a community center.[13]
In January 2022, the Upper Mattaponi Tribe purchased its first official unit of tribal housing, located in Central Garage, Virginia.[15]
Mollie Holmes Adams, named one of the Virginia Women in History for 2010, was a member of the Upper Mattaponi Tribe.[16]
References
- ^ Feest, Christian F. (1978). "Virginia Algonquians." In Northeast, ed. Bruce G. Trigger. Vol. 15 of Handbook of North American Indians, ed. William C. Sturtevant. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, pg. 268
- ^ "A Guide to Writing about Virginia Indians and Virginia Indian History" Archived 2012-02-24 at the Wayback Machine, Virginia Council on Indians, Commonwealth of Virginia, updated Aug 2009, accessed 16 Sep 2009
- ^ a b c Wood, Karenne, ed., The Virginia Indian Heritage Trail, Charlottesville, VA: Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 2007 Archived 2009-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Egloff, Keith and Deborah Woodward. First People: The Early Indians of Virginia. Charlottesville: The University Press of Virginia, 1992.
- ^ Rountree, Helen C. Pocahontas, Powhatan, Opechancanough: Three Indian Lives Changed by Jamestown. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2005.
- ^ a b c Waugaman, Sandra F. and Danielle-Moretti-Langholtz, Ph.D. We're Still Here: Contemporary Virginia Indians Tell Their Stories. Richmond, VA: Palari Publishing, 2006 (revised edition)
- ^ a b Kimberlain, Joanne. "We're Still Here", The Virginian-Pilot, June 7–9, 2009
- ^ "Bill passes to give 6 Va. Native American tribes federal recognition". 12 January 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Mattaponi Tribe History - Access Genealogy". 10 December 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- ^ Cotton, Lee. "Powhatan Indian Lifeways", Colonial National Historical Park-Historic Jamestowne.
- ^ "Bacon's Rebellion", Colonial National Historical Park-Historic Jamestowne
- Encyclopedia Virginia/Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ^ a b Upper Mattaponi Tribe Website, accessed 14 Apr 2010
- ^ a b "Upper Mattaponi Tribe". Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- ^ Mercury, Virginia (2022-02-07). "Building tribal housing: why is it so difficult?". Indian Country Today. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
- ^ "The Library of Virginia – Virginia Women in History 2010". virginia.gov. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- Info from VA House of Representatives, 106th CONGRESS, 2d Session, H. R. 5073
External links
- Mattaponi Indian Tribe Information
- Mattaponi Tribe at Encyclopedia Virginia
- Official Mattaponi Tribal Website