Monacan Indian Nation

Monacan
Total population
2,000 enrolled members
Regions with significant populations
Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio
Languages
English, formerly Tutelo
Related ethnic groups
Tutelo, Occaneechi, Manahoac, other eastern Siouan tribes

The Monacan Indian Nation is one of eleven Native American tribes recognized since the late 20th century by the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia.

In January 2018, the United States Congress passed an act to provide federal recognition as tribes to the Monacan and five other tribes in Virginia. They had earlier been so disrupted by land loss, warfare, intermarriage, and discrimination that the main society believed they no longer were Indians. However, the Monacans reorganized and asserted their culture.[1]

The Monacan nation was first recorded by Jamestown settlers in colonial Virginia, as living west and upland of the Tidewater area. Their native language is a Siouan language.[2] They are related to other Siouan-speaking tribes of the Appalachian foothill region, such as the Tutelo, Saponi and Occaneechi. One of their former villages, upriver of the falls of the James River was abandoned by the 18th century and the land granted to Huguenot settlers, who retained the name of Manakin town. Today, the Monacan nation is located primarily in their traditional Piedmont region, particularly in Amherst County near Lynchburg. As of 2018, the Monacan Indian Nation had approximately 2,000 citizens.[3] There are satellite groups in West Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, and Ohio.

  1. ^ Vincent Schilling, "Six VA Tribes Slotted For Federal Recognition as Senators Warner & Kaine Secure Bill Passage", Indian Country Media Network, January 16, 2018; accessed February 16, 2018
  2. ^ Kobert, Linda (June 26, 2007). "ANTHROPOLOGIST KARENNE WOOD RESEARCHES THE LANGUAGE OF HER MONACAN TRIBE". UVA Today. University of Virginia. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "The Monacan Indian Nation". Lynchburg Museum. January 9, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.

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