https://intercontinentalcry.org/invisible-populous-appalachia-seeking-statutory-recognition/
The Invisible Populous of Appalachia: Seeking Statutory Recognition
by Dr. Jenny Penland
on February 5, 2014
West Virginia has an abundance of diversity not only with its flora but also with the people that live there. In the midst of this diverse state, there exists an “invisible” population of American Indians which comprises over 11,000 members and is represented by 85 tribal lineages, with Cherokee and Shawnee being the largest. Both the Appalachian American Indians of West Virginia (AAIWV) and the National American Indian Federation (NAIF) currently have three bills in legislation (HB2779, SB377 and SB406) which would provide long overdue statutory recognition for both populations.
One major issue that the two Indian communities have to deal with while seeking state recognition is the official state position, which has been accepted for many years, that West Virginia was only a “hunting ground” and that there were no Indigenous Peoples living in the area when the white settlers came. However, there is significant historical evidence to refute this idea. The history of the American Indian communities in the state pre-dates the settlers. Prior to 1830, the land claims of the Cherokee and Shawnee were divided by the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers and extended into what is present-day West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio.
In 1830, the Indian Removal Act was passed calling for the relocation of all tribes to “Indian Territory” west of the Mississippi River. Under the terms of the act, individuals were allowed to stay in their homes if they gave up all tribal claims and allegiance and agreed to become citizens of the states they lived in. The Treaty of 1832 called for the removal of all Shawnee to the west. The US government sent troops to forcibly remove Indians from Ohio and the Ohio River Valley, if necessary. Some Shawnee families broke away from Chief Blue Jacket’s group headed west and came into West Virginia south of the Kanawha and into Kentucky hiding among the Cherokee who still lived in the area. Some stayed with “mixed blood” relatives who were a significant part of the population. Although the major Cherokee centers at this time were in Tennessee, northern Georgia and Arkansas, some families broke with the main Cherokee body and moved back into the hills of the Carolinas and Virginia (now West Virginia). Many “mixed-blood” families of Cherokee, Shawnee, and English/Scots/Irish heritage were formed at this time...
...In addition to addressing historic wrongs, the passage of these bills (HB2779, SB377 and SB406) will have significant economic benefits to the State of West Virginia and to the members of the AAIWV and NAIF. Recognizing the Native American Tribes in the state can also lead to additional cultural and educational opportunities and an increase in tourism. It will surely be a WIN for West Virginia and all Indigenous Peoples!
If anyone has information on the status of these bills, could you please post it here?
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