Newly-elected leader of the Monacan Indian Nation, Chief Diane Shields is now one of three Indigenous women to head one of the 11 state and federally-recognized Tribes in Virginia. And as sovereign Tribes buy back ancestral lands they are looking at ways to sustain conservation and gain cultural respect through green economic development, carbon trading and easements.
Heather Richards, the Virginia state director and mid-Atlantic regional director for the Conservation Fund told conference attendees about a new kind of easement Tribes might consider.
"Cultural respect easements can give Tribes access to land that’s held by private individuals or held by other organizations," Richards explained. "That allows them to come on the land. Sometimes it allows them to hunt on the land, forage, hold tribal activities, or cultural events or ceremonies. And these things are working in places like Massachusetts. I’ve heard of them happening out West in partnerships like land trusts. And, I think it’s a real area to be explored here in Virginia."
Still, some private landowners are skeptical of allowing tribal members onto their lands often for the unfounded fear Tribes will take away their property.
"I think we have to understand that we’re all living in partnership and we have taken something from the Tribes, and it’s time for us to help them regain something. Even if it’s not regaining full ownership of the land by the Tribes. Taking this baby-step towards a universal understanding of who lived here before White Europeans came, is a really important step I think we need to take," Richards said.
There are verbal agreements such as one a Virginia landowner has with the Rappahannock Tribe. Richards said, a cultural respect agreement can codify that. But first Tribes and landowners need start with a conversation.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.