RD12 - Annual Executive Summary on the Interim Activity and Work of the Virginia Council on Indians


    Executive Summary:
    Virginia Council on Indians Executive Summary - 2006

    I. Meetings

    During 2006, the Virginia Council on Indians held nine business meetings, in January, February, April, May, June, August, September, October and November, in addition to a planning session held during the annual conference in March.

    II. Membership Changes

    In January, Council member Sonya Lawrence resigned at the request of the Chair due to inability to attend meetings. Terms of service were completed by Council members Dante Desiderio, Buck Woodard and Danielle Moretti-Langholtz in June. New gubernatorial appointments to the Council in July included Ben Adams, Sherry Munford, Carole Nash, and Reggie Tupponce, Sr.

    Council member Reggie Stewart was reappointed as the tribal representative from the Chickahominy tribe. New legislative appointments included Senator Ryan McDougle and Delegates Donald McEachin, Harvey Morgan and Chris Peace.

    III. Legislative Action

    The Governor's budget bill for 2006 included an appropriation of $500,000 for the Virginia Indian Heritage Program. However, no money for the Heritage Program was approved by the 2006 General Assembly.

    IV. State Recognition Activity

    In April, the Council's recognition criteria documents were reviewed at the suggestion of legal counsel Jack Kotvas of the Attorney General's office for language modification pertinent to their use as procedural documents for making recommendations to the General Assembly. The reviews were undertaken by a sub-committee consisting of Mr. Kotvas, Chair Karenne Wood, and Council members Frank Adams and Reggie Stewart. No changes to the criteria were made, but the two documents previously identified as the handbook for the recognition committee and the brochure for petitioners were merged into one document. The modifications were ratified by the Council at the May business meeting, and the document entitled "Tribal Recognition Criteria" was subsequently listed on the Virginia Registry of documents.

    During 2006, the Council received letters of intent to petition for state recognition as an Indian tribe from five groups. These letters of intent were accepted at Council business meetings as follows: the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia in February, the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Tribe of Southampton County Virginia in April, the Appalachian Cherokee Intertribal Heritage Association, Inc. in September, and in October both the United Cherokee Indian Tribe of Virginia, Inc. and the Blue Ridge Cherokee, Inc. The Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia formally submitted their petition at the October business meeting. At the November business meeting, the Chair nominated five committee members to review this petition: Council members Reggie Tupponce Sr., Chris Peace, Paige Archer, and Frank Richardson, as well as Chickahominy Tribal Council member Powhatan Red Cloud-Owen. These nominations were ratified by the Council.

    V. Third Annual Tribal Leadership Summit

    For the third consecutive year, the Council sponsored a summit meeting of the tribal leaders as well as the leaders of major Virginia intertribal associations. This year's summit took place in January in Charlottesville.

    VI. Virginia Indian Heritage Trail Activity

    During 2005, funds for the Virginia Indian Heritage Trail were received as follows: a grant of $10,000 from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to begin research, $25,000 from the 2006 General Assembly, $50,000 from Jamestown 2007, $25,000 from the Department of Historic Resources, and $25,000 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation. In December 2005, $125,000 was transferred to the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities for administration of the Virginia Indian Heritage Trail. The $10,000 research grant continued to be administered separately. The budget for spending the $125,000 was discussed at Council business meetings in January and February and at the March planning session, and was passed unanimously by the Council at the April meeting. Also at the April meeting, position descriptions for the Heritage Trail program director and research assistants were also agreed upon by unanimous vote, as well as the members of a personnel sub-committee consisting of Chief Stephen Adkins, and Council members Frank Adams and Reggie Stewart to review the applications for the position of program director and make a selection. It was also decided at the April meeting to ask the United Indians of Virginia to administer the grant program portion of the Heritage Trail funds, which amounts to $25,000. At the June meeting the sub-committee announced that Karenne Wood had been chosen as program director of the Heritage Trail. The amount of time taken to approve the budget and select a program director delayed the advent of the Trail's research and initial activities toward producing a brochure of Virginia Indian Heritage sites. However, by the end of the calendar year, considerable progress on the research and the development of the brochure had been made, so that the anticipated delivery of the completed brochure is now spring of 2007.

    VII. Council Vision Statement, Mission Statement, and Goals

    A significant accomplishment of the Virginia Council on Indians in 2006 was the development and adoption of a Council vision Statement, mission statement and goals. After ideas about VCI goals were solicited in earlier meetings, initial discussion about goals was undertaken at the March planning event in a session facilitated by Council member Frank Richardson. Discussion of goals was continued at the May meeting and a document of the 2006 goals along with the Council vision and mission statements was ratified at the June meeting. At the September meeting the Council voted to extend the 2006 vision and mission statements and goals through the 2007-2008 biennium which ends June 30, 2008. The statements and goals are appended to the end of this report.

    VIII. Other Significant Decisions and Activities

    A. In April, the Council heard a presentation on the Captain John Smith Historic Water Trail by Joel Dunn, after which the VCI was asked for its support for the Trail. The Council decided in favor of supporting the Trail as an opportunity for Native voices to teach about their history. To that effect, the VCI voted to adopt a resolution in support of the Trail and send a letter to the National Park Service with copies to the legislators introducing the required legislation. The Trail bill was subsequently introduced to Congress, and both houses voted in favor of its establishment by the end of the 2006 session. The bill was signed into law in December 2006.

    B. One of the goals adopted by the Council was the support of the Jamestown 2007 events organized by the Virginia Indian Advisory Committee to Jamestown 2007. The Council received regular reports from the Advisory Committee on these events throughout 2006. Of particular interest was the Virginia Indian Symposium which was held in Williamsburg in October and reached capacity audiences with its symposia panels and subsequent tours of Virginia Indian lands. Virginia Indians also participated in the National Teach-In held in November. The Council will continue to support Jamestown 2007 events, including an Intertribal Festival scheduled for July 2007 in Hampton.

    C. At the invitation of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, VCI members collaborated with the staff of Jamestown Settlement in planning a Virginia Indian Day scheduled for November 2007. VCI members also toured the new museum at Jamestown Settlement in July prior to its opening and were invited to the official preview of the new facility in September 2006.

    D. Another project for which the VCI members began consultation in 2005 came to a successful conclusion in November 2006 at the Isle of Wight County Museum Foundation's "Publique Ffaire." The event was sponsored and organized in partnership with the Nansemond Tribe.

    E. During 2006 a By-Laws Drafting sub-committee consisting of members Paige Archer, Frank Richardson and Reggie Tupponce Sr. began work on a By-Laws document. The work was in progress at the close of the calendar year.

    E. In September 2006 the Council released the first version of a document entitled "Journalists' Guide to Virginia Indians," which was widely distributed to media contacts. The VCI received much positive feedback for the document, which was shared at the Virginia Indian Symposium, on the Virginia Tourism Corporation and VCI websites, and at several events where Virginia Indians participated as speakers. The Council subsequently agreed to re-title the document "Guide to Writing about Virginia Indians," and to revise or expand it as the members requested.

    VISION

    The Virginia Council on Indians continues to build relationships of mutual understanding between the Virginia Indian community and the public at large.

    MISSION

    1) Support the interests of the Virginia Indian community to the best of our ability
    2) Educate the public at large on Virginia Indians: their histories, cultures, and contemporary issues
    3) Track findings and recommendations made to the Virginia Governor and/or General Assembly by the Virginia Council on Indians

    ADMINISTRATIVE GOALS

    1) Develop better procedures for Council business activities
    2) Maintain total visibility and have full accountability of funds assigned to or provided to the VCI

    PROJECT GOALS

    1) Support Virginia Indian tribal community activities related to Jamestown 2007 signature events (Symposium, October 2006, and Intertribal Festival, July 2007)
    2) Continue Highway Marker program to complement the Diversity Highway Marker program.