I was fortunate and excited to attend the Monacan Indian Nations‘ yearly Pow-Wow held June 4-5, 2022.
The Monacan Indian Nation is a federally recognized tribe on Bear Mountain in Amherst County, VA. Their tribal nations’ citizens are descendants of what became Virginia and North Carolina from the Eastern Siouan cultural and linguistic groups, and their ancestral territory includes Virginia west of the fall line of the rivers, sections of southeastern West Virginia, and portions of northern North Carolina.
The Monacan Tribal Office is located at 111 Highview Drive in Madison Heights, VA. Hours of operations are Monday – Friday from 8am to 5pm. Services provided to tribal citizens include housing assistance, well and septic evaluations, and IHS PRC assistance. Please contact the Tribal Office at 434-363-4864 to speak with department representatives.
Their museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10-4 and on Sunday by appointment. However, due to the weather in this area, the museum will not be open during storms or snow. The entrance fee is $5.00 to tour the museum. Please contact the office before arrival at (434) 946-5391
Please visit the Monacan Indian community along with other indigenous people around the world still living on their ancestral grounds where they have always been.
This was the first indigenous people’s Pow-Wow I have ever attended. During my attendance, I felt saddened I had not attended a Pow-Wow after turning down invitations to events in New Mexico and Montana because I had other planned events during that time.
I have discovered the Powwow.com website with a calendar listing Pow Wow events by state. https://calendar.powwows.com. Their Youtube site has hours of recorded Pow-wows for your viewing.