Who Are the Mattaponi?
The Mattaponi (meaning "landing place") are a Virginia Algonquian tribe inhabiting the Mattaponi Indian Reservation on the Mattaponi River in King William County, Virginia. Numbering approximately 450 enrolled members, they occupy one of the oldest reservations in the United States—established by the same 1677 treaty that created the Pamunkey reservation. Like the Pamunkey, the Mattaponi have maintained continuous presence on their territory for over 340 years. They speak English today; Virginia Algonquian is extinct. The Mattaponi and Pamunkey reservations are the only Virginia Algonquian reservations that survived the colonial and early national periods, making them unique survivors of the Powhatan world. The Mattaponi still pay their annual tribute of fish and game to Virginia's governor, honoring the 1677 treaty.
Treaty Rights
The 1677 Treaty of Middle Plantation ended Bacon's Rebellion and established the relationship between Virginia and the remaining tributary tribes. The treaty guaranteed the Mattaponi and Pamunkey their reservations, exemption from certain taxes, and fishing rights in return for tribute and allegiance. Remarkably, this treaty relationship continues—each year at Thanksgiving, Mattaponi representatives present tribute (traditionally fish, deer, and wild turkey) to Virginia's governor. This ceremony maintains the government-to-government relationship and affirms treaty rights. The treaty has protected the Mattaponi reservation from sale or confiscation, making it one of the few eastern reservations never extinguished. The annual tribute ceremony attracts media attention and serves educational purposes, reminding Virginians of indigenous presence.
Shad and Subsistence
The Mattaponi River provided the basis for traditional subsistence. Shad (American shad) was particularly important—the annual spring shad run brought thousands of fish upstream to spawn. The Mattaponi developed sophisticated fishing techniques and continue harvesting shad today, though fish populations have declined. The Mattaponi Fish Hatchery, established in 1918, raises and releases shad and other species to restore river populations. This hatchery was among the first tribal conservation efforts and demonstrates Mattaponi commitment to environmental stewardship. Fishing remains both subsistence activity and cultural practice connecting contemporary Mattaponi to ancestors. The tribe successfully opposed a proposed reservoir that would have flooded portions of the Mattaponi River, arguing it violated treaty rights and would destroy fish habitat.
Contemporary Mattaponi
Modern Mattaponi maintain their reservation-based community while engaging with the broader world. The tribe operates the Mattaponi Indian Museum and Minnie Ha Ha Educational Trading Post, interpreting Mattaponi and Powhatan history for visitors. Pottery making, a traditional craft, continues. The tribe has not sought federal recognition, instead maintaining its relationship with Virginia based on the 1677 treaty—a position asserting that state recognition and treaty rights predate federal authority. Some Mattaponi argue federal recognition is unnecessary and potentially compromising. The Upper Mattaponi, a related community without a reservation, achieved federal recognition in 2018. Contemporary challenges include maintaining community cohesion as some members live off-reservation, economic development on the small land base, and environmental threats to the Mattaponi River ecosystem. The Mattaponi demonstrate how indigenous nations can maintain sovereignty through centuries-old treaty relationships rather than the federal recognition framework.
References
- Rountree, H. C. (1990). Pocahontas's People: The Powhatan Indians of Virginia Through Four Centuries
- Rountree, H. C. & Turner, E. R. (2002). Before and After Jamestown
- Wood, K. (2008). "We Were Always Here": Virginia Indians Tell Their Stories