NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk city council is moving forward with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe in the casino project, voting on an agreement to sell the tribe the land next to Harbor Park.
At Tuesday night's council meeting, Pamunkey Chief Robert Gray talked highly of the tribe's partnership with the City of Norfolk.
"After a long process to find the perfect site for this resort casino, we believe we've found that on the banks of the Elizabeth River here in Norfolk," he said to council.
But, challenging their efforts to claim land in Norfolk is the Nansemond Tribe.
Nikki Bass, a councilwoman for the Nansemond, said the true tribe of Hampton Roads is theirs.
"The Nansemond Indian Tribe has always been in Hampton Roads for thousands of years. Many people are familiar with our connection to the Nansemond River," she said.
That's why she came to the meeting Tuesday to present her own questions to council and asked them to delay the vote.
"Who are the Pamunkey who lived here? Who are the Pamunkey who live here today?" she said on Tuesday.
Bass said she has concerns about her tribe's history and culture if the city brings the casino to Norfolk, especially if the land becomes tribal land.
"We value our history and our ancestry in Hampton Roads more than anything else and we're very concerned about losing that to another tribe that has their own history in New Kent," she said.
According to a 2015 U.S. Department of the Interior press release, that was the year the Pamunkey Tribe became federally recognized as a tribe. It said the Pamunkey has occupied land in King William County, Virginia since the 1600's, and..."Today, the area exists as a state Indian reservation."
"We want to really steer clear of any statements that would be misconstrued as being against their efforts to support their community. We're specifically concerned about their effort to put land into trust in our ancestral area," Bass said.
In a statement to 13News Now, Chief Gray said:
"Over a span of some 10,000 years, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe has lived, hunted, and traded with other tribes across much of the region, including the area now known as Norfolk. The fact that we have history in Norfolk does not diminish any other tribe's history in the same area. Furthermore, the Pamunkey are committed to preserving the history and heritage of all tribes in the area, not just our own."