Modern Native American Culture on the Peninsula 

Although often seen as far away and long ago, Native American culture is still very much alive in our own world today. One prime example of this is the Eastern Chickahominy Tribe, located in New Kent County, close to us here in Williamsburg. Keenan Stewart, the Cultural Resources Director for the Eastern Chickahominy Tribe, states that the Chickahominy Tribe has been located along the Chickahominy River for thousands of years but was forced to reorganize in the early 1900s as English settlers spread throughout the area. In 1921, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe- Eastern Division (CITED) was officially established in order to preserve cultural identity and develop a more official community.

All Native American tribes have their own unique culture and CITED is not set apart from this! Stewart states, “Our tribal church, Tsena Commocko, has been a cultural anchor for nearly a century,” Clearly, CITED has a firm foundation, not only in their church, but also within other aspects of the community, “We place a strong emphasis on community-centered cultural preservation, food-sharing programs, education, and youth involvement,” The tribe also participates in many events throughout the year including attending the annual Chickahominy Fall Festival and Powwow, hosting cultural workshops and language revitalization workshops, having community meals, and holding tribal meetings. 

Daily life for a CITED member is very similar to any other modern person. Stewart says, “What makes us Eastern Chickahominy is not a separate lifestyle, but our identity, heritage, and sense of responsibility to our community,” Truly, we all can learn something from the Chickahominy lifestyle. Stewart also states, “A lot of our cultural life happens in everyday moments- storytelling, family connection, service to our community, and continuing to live in the same homelands our ancestors walked for thousands of years,” 

Written by: Juliana Rohling

Edited by: Mathias Munoz Gonzalez, Harrison Davies