LA Times: Pocahontas' tribe, the Pamunkey of Virginia, finally recognized by U.S.

By Noah Bierman
August 2, 2015

The tidal river that surrounds this spit of scrubby land has long functioned like a moat that rises and falls through the day.

A single road connects the reservation's sycamore, poplars and modest houses with miles of cornfields that separate the tribe from large retail stores and suburban office parks of eastern Virginia.

The Pamunkey have lived on and around these 1,200 acres for centuries, since before their most famous ancestor, Pocahontas, made contact with English colonists in 1607.

"We call this downtown Pamunkey," said Kim Cook, the 50-year-old granddaughter of Chief Tecumseh Deerfoot Cook.

She smiled. The only noise came from birds chirping among the pines by the old fishing shanties. The only action came when a cousin stopped by to relieve Cook's 8-year-old son, River Ottigney Cook, of his boredom by taking him on a boat ride.

Read the full article: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pamunkey-20150802-story.html#page=1

Posted August 4, 2015 11:41 AM PST