E-Newsletter

In the House of Representatives, Republicans are working hard to come up with a government spending agreement that makes sense for the American people. For too long government spending has been out of control and we are working on strategies to rein in the spending before we pass legislation to fund the government.

As Otto Von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany in the 19^th Century, is reported to have said, “Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made.” It is a messy process, but hopefully we will come out with a good product Americans can be proud of.

That aside, during the sausage making I saw a Virginia Mercury article about a recently introduced bill, the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia Federal Recognition Act. I asked for the bill to be brought to me so I could read it. I remembered some of their history and believe their claim for recognition is long overdue. After confirming the bill prohibited them from casino gaming on tribal lands, I signed onto the bill.

The Patawomeck Indians are a Virginia Indian tribe whose 2,600 members live mostly in Stafford and King George Counties. Their presence in Virginia can be traced back to at least the 1300s.

Unfortunately, like all Native American tribes in the Americas, their history within the United States has been a difficult one and up until 2010, the tribe was neither officially recognized on the state nor federal level.

When I was Majority Leader in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2010, the tribe petitioned Richmond for state recognition.

To support their cause, they brought in “Mr. Las Vegas,” Wayne Newton, famous for his many years of performing in Vegas casinos during the 1970s.

His biggest hit was “Danke Schoen”, a song of German origin. Mr. Newton recorded an American version in 1963, which became an international hit.

What many of you probably don’t know is that Mr. Newton is of Indian ancestry (his mother was of Cherokee descent and his father of Patawomeck descent). Because of this, he cared deeply about getting his Indian tribe the recognition they deserved.

I have known since I was a kid that he had lived in my hometown, Salem, Virginia, for a period of time in his youth. When he came to my office, after we shook hands, I told him:

“I grew up on Broad Street in Salem, Virginia.”

He responded back:

“Ridenhour Music! That’s where I learned to play the guitar.”

That was a music store in Salem, at the intersection of Broad and Main streets.

It was an honor to meet the music legend. I’ve always appreciated Mr. Newton for remembering his roots in Virginia.

Accordingly, I voted in favor of recognition. And thanks to his, and others’ efforts, a politically divided Virginia General Assembly officially recognized the Patawomecks in 2010. Since then, the tribe has been working to gain federal recognition – a difficult task.

According to the U.S. Department of Interior, in order for a tribe to receive federal recognition, they must meet seven different criteria. This includes demonstrating “that it has been identified as an American Indian entity on a substantially continuous basis since 1900,” and showing “that a predominant portion of the petitioning group comprises a distinct community and has existed as a community from historical times until the present.”

And that definition has been a problem for many Virginia tribes in seeking federal recognition.

The problem arises because in an effort to erase the identity of Native Americans within the state, the Democratic-controlled Virginia General Assembly passed the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 stating that a person could either be classified as Black or White. There was no classification for American Indians. Therefore, for decades Virginia Indians were identified as Black by the state on their birth and death records.

Additionally, during the Civil War, many Virginia state and local records were destroyed, which would have proven to be useful for tribes in the present day as evidence of their history and status within the state.

Further, Virginia also attempted to erase the cultural identities of Virginia Indians, by discouraging traditional ways and forcing tribes to speak English.

Despite everything, the Patawomeck Indians continue to persevere. They have worked to restore their identity, over the past 30 years teaching their members their many historical traditions and their native language.

I am proud to co-sponsor this legislation to finally give the Patawomeck people the recognition they deserve from the federal government.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office.  You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.

###