Virginia has a new memorial at Capitol Square in Richmond. It’s a tribute to Virginia’s native tribes. Called “Mantle,” the memorial was dedicated at a ceremony Tuesday morning.
Like a labyrinth, a stone pathway spirals in to a small fountain. Inscribed under the water are the names of many of Virginia’s rivers.
“Which are synonymous in many cases with the tribal names,” describes artist and Mohawk tribe member Alan Michelson. “Virginia’s Indians, like my people, lived on rivers. And rivers were the highways.”
Mary Wilkerson is a member of the Cheroenhaka Nottoway Indian Tribe. Walking through the new memorial, she says she felt her ancestors with her.
“Got me kind of emotional, but just, you think of your ancestors at a time like this and all the struggles they went through, and for them to just be looking down at us and saying ‘Oh my god, well done.’,” she says.
She reads a line from a poem written for the occasion.
“Past truths may be ugly,” she reads, “but futures still hold promise.”
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
