- Chickahominy (tribe)
The Chickahominy are a tribe of Native Americans who primarily live in Charles City and New Kent counties in the Greater Richmond-Petersburg area in the
U.S. state ofVirginia .The Chickahominy ("The Coarse Ground Corn People", "c.f." Ojibwe: "zhishigo'aamin" "grain cracked by grinding") were an autonomous tribe when the first permanent English settlement was founded at Jamestown in
1607 . The Chickahominy were allied to Wahunsonacock, known to the English asChief Powhatan , and his chiefdom of 30 or so tribes. The Chickahominy were forced to cede much of their land in 1646 after a failed attempt to drive the colonists from Virginia.The tribe is actually the ones that came in contact with the English first. Another known fact is that John Smith was captured by the Chickahominy and turned over to the Powhatan tribe. The tribe's territory consisted of the land along the river that was eventually named after them, theChickahominy River .Today, the Chickahominy tribe consists of approximately 750 people living within a five-mile radius of the tribal center and tribally owned land in Charles City County, and several hundred more living in other parts of the
United States . The Chickahmoiny's current chief is Stephen Adkins.The Chickahominy Tribe is a Christian tribe, and most attend Samaria Baptist Church, formerly Samaria Indian Church, in Charles City County. The church was built upon tribal grounds and used to serve as a school for the children of the tribe. The church sits directly across from the tribal headquarters.
The tribe was recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia in
1983 . It is seeking federal recognition with otherNative American tribes in Virginia . The chief of the tribe is Stephen R. Adkins, who also was appointed to serve as Director of Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia by Governor Tim Kaine. Wayne Adkins, pictured left, is an assistant Chief, along with Glenn Canaday.External links
* [http://indians.vipnet.org/tribes/chickahominy.cfm Chickahominy information] from
Virginia Council on Indians
* [http://indians.vipnet.org/tribes/easternChickahominy.cfm Chickahominy Indians, Eastern Division information] fromVirginia Council on Indians
* [http://www.chickahominytribe.org Official Site of the Chickahominy Tribe]
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