Virginia State Senate Tables Recognition of Groups Claiming Cherokee Ancestry

The following exceprt is from an article posted in the February 26, 2013 edition of cherokeephoenix.org.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Citing the need for a new evaluation process, the Virginia Senate Rules Committee on Feb. 12 tabled resolutions calling for state tribal recognition of two groups identifying themselves as Cherokees.

Sens. Steve Newman, Jill Vogel and Kenny Alexander presented the resolutions for the United Cherokee Indian Tribe of Virginia, also known as the Buffalo Ridge Band of Cherokee, and the Appalachian Cherokee Nation Inc. However, the committee tabled them until an evaluation process is created.

Previously, the Virginia Council on Indians oversaw the process for state tribal recognition. However, it was discontinued in 2010. The former process required applicants to provide documentation proving their groups existed in Virginia at the time of Europeans contact, that they had existed in some form ever since and that they are distinct groups, among other requirements.

Read the full article.

About Leland Meitzler

Leland K. Meitzler founded Heritage Quest in 1985, and has worked as Managing Editor of both Heritage Quest Magazine and The Genealogical Helper. He currently operates Family Roots Publishing Company (www.FamilyRootsPublishing.com), writes daily at GenealogyBlog.com, writes the weekly Genealogy Newsline, conducts the annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour to the Family History Library, and speaks nationally, having given over 2000 lectures since 1983.

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