Native American Tribes of Virginia

Welcome to Native Languages of the Americas! You have reached the American Indians by State section of our website, a new educational project designed to provide information about indigenous people in different U.S. states. Follow the links to the right of our tribal map for more information about the language, culture and history of each Virginia tribe, or scroll below the map for Virginia Indian activities including a wordsearch, fact sheets for kids about each tribe, and worksheets teaching words from the different Native American languages of Virginia. Feel free to print any of these materials out for classroom use!

American Indians in Virginia

The original inhabitants of the area that is now Virginia included:

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The Catawba tribe

The Cherokee tribe

The Croatoan tribe

The tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy

The Tuscarora tribe

The Tutelo and Saponi tribes

The Yuchi tribe

There are no federally recognized Indian tribes in Virginia today.

Most Native Americans who survived the European wars and epidemics were forced to leave Virginia during the Indian Removals of the 1800's. These tribes are not extinct, but except for the descendants of Virginia Indians who escaped from Removal, they do not live in Virginia anymore. Some tribes that once were native to Virginia, like the Cherokee and Yuchi, ended up on Indian reservations in Oklahoma. Others, like the Tuscarora, left Virginia and joined together with relatives from larger tribes. If you click on the link for each tribe above, you can find more information about them.

Other Indian tribes, bands and communities remaining in Virginia today include:

Chickahominy Tribe:
RFD 1, PO Box 299
Providence Forge, VA 23140

Eastern Chickahominy Tribe:
Route 2, PO Box 90
Providence Forge, VA 23140

Mattaponi Indian Tribe:
Route 2, PO Box 325
West Point, VA 23181

Monacan Indian Tribe:
PO Box 1173
Monroe, VA 27574
http://www.monacannation.com/

Nansemond Indian Tribal Association:
3429 Galberry Road
Chesapeake, VA 23323

Pamunkey Nation:
Route 1, PO Box 226
King William, VA 23086
http://www.baylink.org/Pamunkey/

Upper Mattaponi Tribe:
106 Kyle Circle
Tabb, VA 23602

Teaching and learning activities about Virginia Native Americans:

Feel free to print these out for classroom use!

Virginia Tribes Word Search: Printable puzzle hiding the names of Virginia's Indian tribes.

Virginia Language Greetings: Learn to say "hello" in several Native Virginia languages.

Virginia Native Animals: Learn the Native American names of Virginia animals.

Write Your Name In Cherokee: Directions for using the Cherokee writing system to spell English names.

Virginia Indian Facts for Kids: Answers to frequently asked questions about the tribes of Virginia.
We currently have pages for the Powhatan Confederacy, Cherokee, Catawba, Tuscarora, and Yuchi tribes.

Recommended books about Virginia Native Americans:

Virginia Indians: Introducing Virginia's Native American history and culture to kids.

We're Still Here: Contemporary Virginia Indians Tell Their Stories: A good book of autobiographical sketches by Native American people of Virginia.

Virginia Indian Women in the 20th Century: The stories of three generations of Chickahominy women.

Eastern Shore Indians of Virginia and Maryland: Accessible ethnography of the Indian tribes of the Chesapeake Bay area.

Encyclopedia of Virginia Indians: Comprehensive tome on the history of Virginia's Indian tribes.

Other resources about American Indian history, culture and society in Virginia state:

Virginia Council on Indians: Homepage of the Virginia state government division responsible for issues regarding Native Americans of Virginia.

Virginia Indians Past and Present: Maps and articles on the history and culture of Virginia's Indian tribes and bands.

Native Peoples in Early Colonial Virginia: Information page written for kids about Native Americans in Virginia.

Native American tribes in Virginia: Encyclopedia article on Virginia Native American history.

Coastal Carolina Indian Center: Organization working to preserve Croatoan, Tuscarora, and Powhatan culture and traditions.

Back to the index of American Indian tribes
Back to our index of American Indian tribes by state
Back to American Indians for kids

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