Reservation Preservation in King William

BY KATHERINE CALOS - Staff Writer
Published: August 30, 2008

“Fast and flashy” was the way the Pow Wow announcer introduced a “fancy dance.”

Then it got faster and flashier.

“The louder you are, the faster he’ll dance,” Reggie Tupponce told about 500 students at a special children’s day for the Spring Upper Mattaponi Pow Wow in King William County. The students did their part, and so did Seth Adkins. The 17-year-old Chickahominy Indian dancer whirled so fast that his yellow feathers almost flew around the arena on the Upper Mattaponi Tribal Grounds. 

Some Fun, Some Work

Joey Ryan, an 11-year-old at Hamilton Holmes Middle School, was impressed – up to a point.

“It was fun,” he said, after joining the throng of mostly fourth-graders and sixth-graders in a round dance at the end of the program. The thought of using a bow to start a fire and making traditional clothing from leather made him hesitant to give a full endorsement, though. “It looks like too much work.”

Annual Pow Wows like this one help Virginia Indians keep their culture vibrant and share it with others.

“What we want to demonstrate is that our culture is alive and growing,” Tupponce said after the dancing had ended for the day. “We have many people that live in this county that don’t realize we have three of [Virginia’s] eight recognized tribes here.”

Six of the eight tribes that have been acknowledged by the state are also seeking official federal recognition, which would allow them to receive money from the Bureau of Indian Affairs for projects. The Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes, which already have reservations set aside, are not seeking official federal recognition. 

Tribe Museums

Mattaponi Indians have about 150 acres overlooking the Mattaponi River. Two small museums operate by appointment at private homes. Pottery made by Ernest and June Langston from the river’s red and gray clay is also for sale at their home.

Pamunkey Indians have about 1,200 acres on the Pamunkey River. In a museum building, visitors can learn about their story from the Stone Age to the present.

Don’t expect to find a teepee anywhere. Eastern Woodland Indians lived in longhouses with rounded roofs, which inspired the design of the roof on top of the museum. A display depicting life in the Paleolithic Period includes a mastodon tooth, with an elephant tooth beside it looking small in comparison. 

Arrowheads, Flints

Displays of arrowheads and flints show not only quartzite arrowheads found by archaeologists on site but also arrowheads made by contemporary flintknappers from France to Idaho. A stone ax engraved with the date 1703 was donated to the museum by the late Tecumseh Cook, a chief who lived to be 103 years old.

Pottery made in the Early Woodland period was hand-molded and had a pointed bottom so it could rest in the coals for cooking. Pottery post-1950 was often made on a wheel and painted to sell to tourists. Contemporary potters create both wheel-thrown and hand-molded pieces, with results for sale in the gift shop.

The museum’s bead- and bone-decorated leather jacket and leggings, which were worn by the late chief Paul Miles for ceremonial occasions, pale in comparison with the brightly colored, feather-adorned dress worn by Pow Wow fancy dancers. Fancy dance steps can be just as flashy, sometimes taking inspiration from hip-hop dance styles while keeping to the beat of traditional Indian music. 

Passing it Down

During children’s day at the Upper Mattaponi tribal grounds, a child helped create that beat. Two-year-old James Tupponce grinned broadly as he sat on the lap of his drummer-dad, 24-year-old Tommy Tupponce.

“It’s important to pass it down, to keep it going,” Tommy Tupponce said. So far, it’s not a problem. “He goes around the house drumming,” the father said. “He beats on the coffee table. He beats on everything.”

IF YOU’RE GOING TO KING WILLIAM COUNTY

Getting there: Look for Indian reservations and Pow Wows along state Route 30 in King William County. Starting at Central Garage where it intersects with U.S. 360, go east for about a mile to find the Upper Mattaponi Tribal Grounds. Near the courthouse, turn right on Route 633 to reach the Pamunkey Reservation. Go back to Route 30 and take a left on Route 626 to reach the Mattaponi Reservation.

Details: For Virginia’s tribes, go to VirginiaIndians.pwnet.org; for King William County,  http://www.kingwilliamcounty.us