The Rappahannock Tribe in Virginia has taken ownership of more than 460 acres of ancestral homeland along the river that bears its name, thanks to a groundbreaking partnership with donors, environmentalists and government agencies.
The acquisition, announced Friday by the tribe and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, returns a section of Rappahannock River frontage known as Fones Cliffs to the tribe, which was driven away by English settlers more than 350 years ago and pushed almost to extinction by white supremacists during the 20th century.
The tribe has pledged to care for the extraordinarily rich natural environment of the site, which had been slated for commercial development just a few years ago. Fones Cliffs is a major East Coast nesting place for bald eagles, considered sacred in Rappahannock culture.
Source: Rappahonnock Tribe reacquires ancestral Virginia land along river that bears its name