THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 28, 1994 TAG: 9408270101
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Plans for a native American cultural center and tribal museum in Driver recently became more certain, thanks to the cooperation of the Suffolk School Board and the Nansemond Indian Tribal Association.
After several years of searching for a suitable site and almost a year of talks with the Suffolk school system, the Nansemond tribe has been given permission to renovate an early 1900s cottage on the grounds of Driver Elementary School.
``It is a good first step toward getting a place of our own,'' said Earl L. Bass II, tribal councilman and a resident of the Cradock section of Portsmouth.
The cultural center would be a meeting place for native Americans in the area as well as for those passing through. It would house monthly tribal meetings and the semi-annual meetings of the United Indians of Virginia.
The center also would be the base for an effort to educate people in the tribal region of eastern Virginia about the native Americans who lived in that region as well as a repository for artifacts now scattered among individual tribe members.
``We have lost a lot of our culture, and sharing it with others is one way of keeping it alive,'' Bass said.
``So many people are not aware that there were native Americans in this area, and of the rich native American culture right in their own back yards,'' added Sandy McCready, a Churchland resident and secretary of the tribal council.
The 1,200-square-foot brick building has served as an adjunct school administration building, a residence and as classroom space over the years but most recently has stood empty. School officials say asbestos has been removed from the structure. Remaining repairs, including a new heating and air-conditioning system and major interior remodeling, will be the tribe's responsibility.
Bass said the tribe welcomes donations of money, skills and labor to help complete the renovations more quickly.
The Nansemonds, one of eight recognized tribes indigenous to Virginia, are descended from the Indian empire ruled by Powhatan in the early 17th century.
At the time Captain John Smith was exploring Hampton Roads, the Nansemonds numbered about 1,200, 300 of them warriors. Their homeland inluded Dumpling Island and much of the land around Reids Ferry, just south of Chuckatuck in northern Suffolk.
The Nansemonds were masters of corn agriculture and taught the early colonists how to raise productive crops. In 1638, an Englishman, John Bass, married Elizabeth, a Nansemond converted to Christianity and the daughter of the Nansemond chief, Robin the Elder. Many of the Nansemonds converted to Christianity and lived at peace with the settlers.
In 1644, the tribe split; the Christian Nansemonds remained on their farmlands until 1720, when they moved to the Dismal Swamp where game was more plentiful. The other half of the tribe had fled to land along the Nottoway River.
In 1850, the Methodist Church established a mission church for the tribe, Indiana Methodist Church. Since then, the church has continued to serve as a religious home and a meeting place for the Nansemonds.
The tribe today numbers at least 300 enrolled members who can all prove a direct link to the 14 generations of Nansemonds descended from John and Elizabeth Bass. Nansemonds are scattered across the world, but the greatest number remain in Portsmouth, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Norfolk. MEMO: Main story on page 14.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Amanda Bass, a member of the Nasemond tribe, pauses to rest a moment
during the powwow festivities.
KEYWORDS: NANSEMOND INDIANS by CNB