These findings come just 7 yrs after the tribe was formally recognized by the #US govt, bolstering its efforts to reclaim its ancestral #land. The tribe has nearly finished closing deals to reclaim ~2,100 acres of land that was once theirs.
Experts from St. Mary’s College matched old documents with the oral histories passed down for generations by the #Rappahannock tribe, including Richardson, who’s the 4th generation of her family to serve as the tribe’s chief & took over in the late 1990s.
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…Fones Cliffs sits on the north side of the #Rappahannock River & is geologically unique because of its distinctive white diatomaceous earth—formed from fossilized remains of aquatic organisms from 5 million years ago when a shallow sea covered much of the area, acc/to Julia King, chair of the anthropology department at St. Mary’s College. #Wildlife experts said it’s a rare spot because its #wetlands are largely untouched & serve as an ideal habitat for bald eagles, fish & other animals.
The #Rappahannock tribe once lived in villages & towns in the lush region, long before English settlers arrived, said Richardson & tribal elders & historians. They grew corn, squash & beans, hunted deer & rabbits, & harvested berries & plants. At the tribe’s peak in the mid-to-late 1500s, its #land encompassed more than 350,000 acres along the river valley, & its population reached nearly 2,400.
#archeology #UShistory #NativeAmerican #genocide #NationalDayOfMourning