Native Americans

For hundreds of years, Europeans systematically tried to wipe out Indigenous cultures. On the frontline were tribal members who held a sacred status because they had both feminine and masculine qualities. Today, they call themselves Two-Spirits.

Removal of Indigenous children from their families and Tribes was stopped by Congress in 1978.But advocates say a challenge before the U.S. Supreme Court threatens the law and the sovereignty of Virginia’s tribal nations.

The Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival is entering its sixth year as a staple of Native American Heritage Month.Held in Richmond, it has humble beginnings with a famous sponsor. Today, it’s the largest Indigenous film festival on the East Coast.

Last week, the Nansemond Indian Nation was given back 504 acres of their ancestral lands in Suffolk County.For the seven federally recognized Tribes in Virginia, getting back ancestral lands for conservation is key to their sovereignty.

At the Chickahominy Tribe’s 70th Annual Fall Festival and Pow Wow, the President of William & Mary announced a new tuition initiative to help students most of whom have families earning less than $60,000 a year

For a second year, Virginia’s seven federally-recognized Tribes came together as sovereign nations.This year the focus was Indigenous-led conservation and reacquiring lands.

Four years ago the Upper Mattaponi Tribe received federal recognition.Since then it has built a health clinic and purchased lands that were recently accepted into federal trust.

A new institute at the College of William & Mary is teaching students to solve conservation challenges around the world.This year, Indigenous people were invited to share their knowledge, including the head of the National Park Service "Chuck" Sams.

Nearly 400 years after the Rappahannock Tribe was forced from their lands, they will finally return as owners to one of their towns on Fones Cliffs.Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, herself a member of the Pueblo Laguna Tribe, spoke during the ceremony.

FOCUSED is a visual experience of the last 100 years of Tribes in Virginia and their resilience despite laws to erase them.