More than 400 acres of indigenous land were returned to the Rappahannock Tribe, a Native American tribe located in Virginia.
The U.S. Department of the Interior revealed on Friday that the Rappahannock Tribe had reacquired 465 acres of ancestral land located at Fones Cliffs, according to the department’s statement. While the land will be owned and maintained by the Rappahannock Tribe, it will be accessible to the public.
“The Department is honored to join the Rappahannock Tribe in co-stewardship of this portion of their ancestral homeland,” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in the statement. “We look forward to drawing upon Tribal expertise and Indigenous knowledge in helping manage the area’s wildlife and habitat.”
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“This historic reacquisition underscores how Tribes, private landowners, and other stakeholders all play a central role in this Administration’s work to ensure our conservation efforts are locally led and support communities’ health and well-being,” Haaland said.
The tribe plans to use the land to create trails and a replica of a 16th-century village, which members of the tribe will use to educate the public about its history, according to the statement. Additionally, the tribe plans to expand the Return to the River initiative, which seeks to provide tribal children with knowledge of the river and offer outreach opportunities to local communities of the Rappahannock River.
.@Interior is committed to strengthening our nation-to-nation with Tribes and their communities. Yesterday, I was honored to stand with Chief Anne Richardson and the Rappahannock Tribe in Virginia as 465 acres of their ancestral homeland at Fones Cliff was returned. pic.twitter.com/YpunfPMinZ
— Secretary Deb Haaland (@SecDebHaaland) April 2, 2022
The tribe had lived in three villages located on land within the 4-mile stretch of cliffs overlooking the river, according to Chesapeake Conservancy. After 1649, the tribe was “forcibly removed” from the land, as English colonizers sought to take over the land.
Chief Anne Richardson praised the return of the tribe’s land, saying that this was something they had worked toward for many years. “With eagles being prayer messengers, this area where they gather has always been a place of natural, cultural and spiritual importance,” she said in a statement.
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The Biden administration revealed its “America the Beautiful” initiative on May 6, which outlined how the United States could work with Native American tribes in order to conserve and restore land, waters, and wildlife belonging to tribes.
