Native American/Indigenous Ministries

If your church is involved in Native American/Indigenous Ministries, or would like to get involved, contact Kirk Richardson or Jean Mary Taylor. Together they serve as Co-Chairs of the Native American/Indigenous Ministries Team.

Mission Statement

“To keep alive the rich heritage of our ancestors; to keep the flames of peace, love and fellowship with our Indian brothers and sisters forever aglow; to give glory to the Great Spirit – our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Virginia Tribes

Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe | Chickahominy Indian Tribe | Chickahominy Indians Eastern Division Native American Tribe | Mattaponi Tribe | Monacan Indian Nation | Nansemond Indian Nation | Nottoway Indian Tribe | Pamunkey Indian Tribe | Patawomeck Indian Tribe | Rappahanock Tribe | Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe

Resources

• The Episcopal Church Office of Native American & Indigenous Ministries offers a regular newsletter.
• Virginia’s First People: Past and Present is a website sponsored by Prince William Network, the Virginia Department of Education, and the Virginia Council on Indians, equipped with various instructional resources on Native American Tribes in Virginia.
• The Virginia Indian Heritage Trail is a trail of historically significant sites to Native American Tribes in Virginia.
• Virginia Pow Wow Schedule displays all known dates of Pow Wows and Tribal Heritage Events in Virginia.
• The new Navajoland website provides some history about the diocese and news from the bishop, as well as resources about how to help those living in the Navajoland Area Mission through donations and volunteering.

Land Acknowledgements

In 2023, the Native American/Indigenous Ministries in the Diocese of Virginia wrote the following land acknowledgment for posting at the entrance to the Diocesan Offices. We know that every Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia rests upon the ancestral and territorial homelands of Indigenous peoples. We acknowledge that truth and the hope for healing from trauma caused by the removal of Indigenous people from their ancestral homelands.

“We recognize and remember the First Nations, the native people who were removed from this portion of God’s creation by force. These nations/tribes in Virginia include the Powhatan, the Chickahominy, the Monocan, the Arrohateck, the Nottoway, and other nations/tribes whose contributions we’ve lost. We recognize and remember enslaved Native Americans, and enslaved Africans and their descendants, separated from their families by force, and who lived under horrific conditions to help build this country. May we always remember that the earth does not belong to us but is a gift from God. May God’s grace and wisdom lead us from our past mistakes to become instruments of justice and peace for all people.”

– written by the Native American/Indigenous Ministries in the Diocese of Virginia, July 2023, for the Diocesan Offices in Richmond, Virginia

Congregations throughout the Diocese of Virginia are invited to join us in posting a public land acknowledgment in their own spaces. Native Land Digital, an Indigenous-led nonprofit based in Canada, is a searchable map of Native territories, languages, and treaties. This tool can be used by churches to identify the names of nations/tribes whose land their buildings sit on.  Users can click on labels on the map, or type a specific city, state or zip code into the search box to see which Indigenous tribes lived where. You can zoom in or out, as well as choose to apply “settler labels” to see how the map corresponds with contemporary state lines. Clicking on the name of each nation brings up links for related reading.

Tell Us More

Are you interested in getting involved with our Native American ministries?  Do you have an existing ministry or connection?  Send your comments to Jean Mary Taylor or Kirk Richardson.