Indian tribes awarded inaugural state grants to help keep their history alive

The Rappahannock and Chickahominy Indian tribes are two of 12 inaugural recipients to receive grants from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture’s Commonwealth History Fund.

The grants are funded by donations from Dominion Energy in partnership with Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources. The Commonwealth History Fund was established to provide grants annually to history organizations and projects across the state of Virginia.

The Rappahannock Tribe, located in Indian Neck, was awarded $65,000 to support the preservation of the Chief Otho S. and Susie P. Nelson House in Indian Neck.

The Chief’s House served as the headquarters for the Rappahannock Tribe. From there, the tribe has launched efforts to secure state and federal recognition, battled Virginia’s 1924 racial identity law denying Indian identity, operated an Indian school and apothecary and began a program of cultural revitalization that continues today, according to a news release. The house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2019 and carries important meaning for Indigenous communities throughout Virginia and eastern North America.

The Rappahannock Tribe acquired the Chief’s House in 1999 to rehabilitate it and develop public history and educational programs for both tribal citizens and statewide communities. When rehabilitated, the house will provide economic development opportunities as a vehicle for educating tribal citizens and the public in traditional agricultural and healing practices.

“We are incredibly honored to be one of the 12 projects chosen by the Commonwealth History Fund for its inaugural grant cycle,” said Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson in a statement. “Through this amazing opportunity, we will be able to give back to our communities by implementing a project that will help us to continue telling the story of Virginia and have a lasting impact on future generations.”

The $65,000 grant awarded to the Chickahominy Tribe, located in Providence Forge, will fund the planning of a language revitalization program to strengthen the Chickahominy community and the greater Powhatan Algonquin community’s connection to and through language, according to the museum.

Organizations doing significant projects that have an impact on the community and emphasize historically underrepresented topics and communities were prioritized for the selection of the Commonwealth History Fund grants. The need for funding and the urgency of the project was also considered in the award selection. About 60 groups from across the state submitted proposals.

“As the state’s history museum, we are committed to doing everything we can to save and share our collective story,” the museum’s president & CEO, Jamie Bosket, said in a news release. “Through this new endowed fund, we will be able to do more on behalf of the whole Commonwealth through direct financial support of history-related work happening in communities across Virginia now and for many years to come.”

This year $402,500 was awarded to 12 organizations, and the VMHC plans to give nearly $2 million over the first five years.

The Let Freedom Ring Foundation in Williamsburg and the Fairfield Foundation in Gloucester County also received grants from the Commonwealth History Fund. The VMHC will receive applications for funding for its second annual grant cycle Oct. 1-31.

Kim O’Brien Root, kimberly.root@virginiamedia.com