Nansemond

Nansemond
Regions with significant populations
	Virginia
Languages
	English, formerly Nansemond
Religion
	Traditional Religion, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
	Nottoway, Chowanoke, Chesapeake, Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Chickahominy, Meherrin, Haliwa-Saponi

The Nansemond are the Indigenous people of the Nansemond River, a 20-mile-long tributary of the James River in Virginia. Nansemond people lived in settlements on both sides of the Nansemond River where they fished (with the name "Nansemond" meaning "fishing point" in Algonquian), harvested oysters, hunted, and farmed in fertile soil. Today, Nansemond people belong to the federally recognized Nansemond Indian Nation.^[1]

Gradually pushed off their lands in the colonial and following periods, the Nansemond struggled to maintain their culture. They reorganized in the late 20th century and gained state recognition from Virginia in 1985.^[2] They gained federal recognition in 2018 after Congress passed a bill.^[3] Many members of the tribe still live on former ancestral lands in Suffolk, Chesapeake, and surrounding cities.

^ Speidell, Phyllis (June 3, 2023). "The Nansemonds Now". Suffolk News-Herald. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
^ "Secretary of the Commonwealth – Virginia Indians". The Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
^ Robert, Wittman (January 29, 2018). "H.R.984 – 115th Congress (2017–2018): Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017". US Congress. Retrieved November 14, 2018.

[suffolk-1] Speidell, Phyllis (June 3, 2023). "The Nansemonds Now". Suffolk News-Herald. Retrieved May 9, 2023.

[2] "Secretary of the Commonwealth – Virginia Indians". The Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved November 14, 2018.

[3] Robert, Wittman (January 29, 2018). "H.R.984 – 115th Congress (2017–2018): Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017". US Congress. Retrieved November 14, 2018.

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