An act to extend Federal recognition to the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe--Eastern Division, the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, the Rappahannock Tribe, Inc., the Monacan Indian Nation, and the Nansemond Indian Tribe
PL 115-121 (H.R.984), enacted 01/29/2018

132 STAT. 40 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
Public Law 115–121 
115th Congress 
An Act 
To extend Federal recognition to the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, the Chickahominy 
Indian Tribe—Eastern Division, the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, the Rappahannock 
Tribe, Inc., the Monacan Indian Nation, and the Nansemond Indian Tribe. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Thomasina 
E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 
2017’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of this Act 
is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. 
TITLE I—CHICKAHOMINY INDIAN TRIBE 
Sec. 101. Findings. 
Sec. 102. Definitions. 
Sec. 103. Federal recognition. 
Sec. 104. Membership; governing documents. 
Sec. 105. Governing body. 
Sec. 106. Reservation of the Tribe. 
Sec. 107. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights. 
TITLE II—CHICKAHOMINY INDIAN TRIBE—EASTERN DIVISION 
Sec. 201. Findings. 
Sec. 202. Definitions. 
Sec. 203. Federal recognition. 
Sec. 204. Membership; governing documents. 
Sec. 205. Governing body. 
Sec. 206. Reservation of the Tribe. 
Sec. 207. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights. 
TITLE III—UPPER MATTAPONI TRIBE 
Sec. 301. Findings. 
Sec. 302. Definitions. 
Sec. 303. Federal recognition. 
Sec. 304. Membership; governing documents. 
Sec. 305. Governing body. 
Sec. 306. Reservation of the Tribe. 
Sec. 307. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights. 
TITLE IV—RAPPAHANNOCK TRIBE, INC. 
Sec. 401. Findings. 
Sec. 402. Definitions. 
Sec. 403. Federal recognition. 
Sec. 404. Membership; governing documents. 
Sec. 405. Governing body. 
Sec. 406. Reservation of the Tribe. 
Sec. 407. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights. 
Thomasina E. 
Jordan Indian 
Tribes of Virginia 
Federal 
Recognition 
Act of 2017. 
Jan. 29, 2018 
[H.R. 984] 
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132 STAT. 41 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
TITLE V—MONACAN INDIAN NATION 
Sec. 501. Findings. 
Sec. 502. Definitions. 
Sec. 503. Federal recognition. 
Sec. 504. Membership; governing documents. 
Sec. 505. Governing body. 
Sec. 506. Reservation of the Tribe. 
Sec. 507. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights. 
TITLE VI—NANSEMOND INDIAN TRIBE 
Sec. 601. Findings. 
Sec. 602. Definitions. 
Sec. 603. Federal recognition. 
Sec. 604. Membership; governing documents. 
Sec. 605. Governing body. 
Sec. 606. Reservation of the Tribe. 
Sec. 607. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights. 
TITLE VII—EMINENT DOMAIN 
Sec. 701. Limitation. 
SEC. 2. INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ACT OF 1978. 
Nothing in this Act affects the application of section 109 of 
the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1919). 
TITLE I—CHICKAHOMINY INDIAN TRIBE 
SEC. 101. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) in 1607, when the English settlers set shore along 
the Virginia coastline, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe was 
one of about 30 tribes that received them; 
(2) in 1614, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe entered into 
a treaty with Sir Thomas Dale, Governor of the Jamestown 
Colony, under which— 
(A) the Chickahominy Indian Tribe agreed to provide 
two bushels of corn per man and send warriors to protect 
the English; and 
(B) Sir Thomas Dale agreed in return to allow the 
Tribe to continue to practice its own tribal governance; 
(3) in 1646, a treaty was signed which forced the Chicka-
hominy from their homeland to the area around the York 
Mattaponi River in present-day King William County, leading 
to the formation of a reservation; 
(4) in 1677, following Bacon’s Rebellion, the Queen of 
Pamunkey signed the Treaty of Middle Plantation on behalf 
of the Chickahominy; 
(5) in 1702, the Chickahominy were forced from their res-
ervation, which caused the loss of a land base; 
(6) in 1711, the College of William and Mary in Williams-
burg established a grammar school for Indians called Brafferton 
College; 
(7) a Chickahominy child was one of the first Indians 
to attend Brafferton College; 
(8) in 1750, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe began to 
migrate from King William County back to the area around 
the Chickahominy River in New Kent and Charles City Coun-
ties; 
(9) in 1793, a Baptist missionary named Bradby took refuge 
with the Chickahominy and took a Chickahominy woman as 
his wife; 
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132 STAT. 42 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(10) in 1831, the names of the ancestors of the modern- 
day Chickahominy Indian Tribe began to appear in the Charles 
City County census records; 
(11) in 1901, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe formed 
Samaria Baptist Church; 
(12) from 1901 to 1935, Chickahominy men were assessed 
a tribal tax so that their children could receive an education; 
(13) the Tribe used the proceeds from the tax to build 
the first Samaria Indian School, buy supplies, and pay a 
teacher’s salary; 
(14) in 1919, C. Lee Moore, Auditor of Public Accounts 
for Virginia, told Chickahominy Chief O.W. Adkins that he 
had instructed the Commissioner of Revenue for Charles City 
County to record Chickahominy tribal members on the county 
tax rolls as Indian, and not as White or colored; 
(15) during the period of 1920 through 1930, various Gov-
ernors of the Commonwealth of Virginia wrote letters of 
introduction for Chickahominy Chiefs who had official business 
with Federal agencies in Washington, DC; 
(16) in 1934, Chickahominy Chief O.O. Adkins wrote to 
John Collier, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, requesting money 
to acquire land for the Chickahominy Indian Tribe’s use, to 
build school, medical, and library facilities and to buy tractors, 
implements, and seed; 
(17) in 1934, John Collier, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 
wrote to Chickahominy Chief O.O. Adkins, informing him that 
Congress had passed the Act of June 18, 1934 (commonly 
known as the ‘‘Indian Reorganization Act’’) (25 U.S.C. 461 
et seq.), but had not made the appropriation to fund the Act; 
(18) in 1942, Chickahominy Chief O.O. Adkins wrote to 
John Collier, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, asking for help 
in getting the proper racial designation on Selective Service 
records for Chickahominy soldiers; 
(19) in 1943, John Collier, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 
asked Douglas S. Freeman, editor of the Richmond News- 
Leader newspaper of Richmond, Virginia, to help Virginia 
Indians obtain proper racial designation on birth records; 
(20) Collier stated that his office could not officially inter-
vene because it had no responsibility for the Virginia Indians, 
‘‘as a matter largely of historical accident’’, but was ‘‘interested 
in them as descendants of the original inhabitants of the 
region’’; 
(21) in 1948, the Veterans’ Education Committee of the 
Virginia State Board of Education approved Samaria Indian 
School to provide training to veterans; 
(22) that school was established and run by the Chicka-
hominy Indian Tribe; 
(23) in 1950, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe purchased 
and donated to the Charles City County School Board land 
to be used to build a modern school for students of the Chicka-
hominy and other Virginia Indian tribes; 
(24) the Samaria Indian School included students in grades 
1 through 8; 
(25) in 1961, Senator Sam Ervin, Chairman of the Sub-
committee on Constitutional Rights of the Committee on the 
Judiciary of the Senate, requested Chickahominy Chief O.O. 
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132 STAT. 43 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
Adkins to provide assistance in analyzing the status of the 
constitutional rights of Indians ‘‘in your area’’; 
(26) in 1967, the Charles City County school board closed 
Samaria Indian School and converted the school to a countywide 
primary school as a step toward full school integration of Indian 
and non-Indian students; 
(27) in 1972, the Charles City County school board began 
receiving funds under the Indian Self-Determination and Edu-
cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 458aa et seq.) on behalf of 
Chickahominy students, which funding is provided as of the 
date of enactment of this Act under title V of the Indian 
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
458aaa et seq.); 
(28) in 1974, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe bought land 
and built a tribal center using monthly pledges from tribal 
members to finance the transactions; 
(29) in 1983, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe was granted 
recognition as an Indian tribe by the Commonwealth of Vir-
ginia, along with five other Indian tribes; and 
(30) in 1985, Governor Gerald Baliles was the special guest 
at an intertribal Thanksgiving Day dinner hosted by the 
Chickahominy Indian Tribe. 
SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of the Interior. 
(2) TRIBAL MEMBER.—The term ‘‘tribal member’’ means— 
(A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the 
Tribe as of the date of enactment of this Act; and 
(B) an individual who has been placed on the member-
ship rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title. 
(3) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the Chickahominy 
Indian Tribe. 
SEC. 103. FEDERAL RECOGNITION. 
(a) FEDERAL RECOGNITION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Federal recognition is extended to the 
Tribe. 
(2) APPLICABILITY OF LAWS.—All laws (including regula-
tions) of the United States of general applicability to Indians 
or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians (including the 
Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.)) that are not 
inconsistent with this title shall be applicable to the Tribe 
and tribal members. 
(b) FEDERAL SERVICES AND BENEFITS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—On and after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for 
all services and benefits provided by the Federal Government 
to federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to the 
existence of a reservation for the Tribe. 
(2) SERVICE AREA.—For the purpose of the delivery of Fed-
eral services to tribal members, the service area of the Tribe 
shall be considered to be the area comprised of New Kent 
County, James City County, Charles City County, and Henrico 
County, Virginia. 
Effective date. 
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132 STAT. 44 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
SEC. 104. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS. 
The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe 
shall be the most recent membership roll and governing documents, 
respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the Secretary before the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 105. GOVERNING BODY. 
The governing body of the Tribe shall be— 
(1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the 
date of enactment of this Act; or 
(2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance 
with the election procedures specified in the governing docu-
ments of the Tribe. 
SEC. 106. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Upon the request of the Tribe, the Secretary 
of the Interior— 
(1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe 
on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of New Kent County, James City County, 
Charles City County, or Henrico County, Virginia; and 
(2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of New Kent County, James City County, 
Charles City County, or Henrico County, Virginia. 
(b) DEADLINE FOR DETERMINATION.—The Secretary shall make 
a final written determination not later than 3 years of the date 
which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken into trust 
under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make that determina-
tion available to the Tribe. 
(c) RESERVATION STATUS.—Any land taken into trust for the 
benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon request 
of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation of the Tribe. 
(d) GAMING.—The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities 
as a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority 
of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act 
(25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations thereunder 
promulgated by the Secretary or the National Indian Gaming 
Commission. 
SEC. 107. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER 
RIGHTS. 
Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any manner 
any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water rights of the 
Tribe and members of the Tribe. 
TITLE II—CHICKAHOMINY INDIAN 
TRIBE—EASTERN DIVISION 
SEC. 201. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) in 1607, when the English settlers set shore along 
the Virginia coastline, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe was 
one of about 30 tribes that received them; 
Effective date. 
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132 STAT. 45 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(2) in 1614, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe entered into 
a treaty with Sir Thomas Dale, Governor of the Jamestown 
Colony, under which— 
(A) the Chickahominy Indian Tribe agreed to provide 
two bushels of corn per man and send warriors to protect 
the English; and 
(B) Sir Thomas Dale agreed in return to allow the 
Tribe to continue to practice its own tribal governance; 
(3) in 1646, a treaty was signed which forced the Chicka-
hominy from their homeland to the area around the York 
River in present-day King William County, leading to the 
formation of a reservation; 
(4) in 1677, following Bacon’s Rebellion, the Queen of 
Pamunkey signed the Treaty of Middle Plantation on behalf 
of the Chickahominy; 
(5) in 1702, the Chickahominy were forced from their res-
ervation, which caused the loss of a land base; 
(6) in 1711, the College of William and Mary in Williams-
burg established a grammar school for Indians called Brafferton 
College; 
(7) a Chickahominy child was one of the first Indians 
to attend Brafferton College; 
(8) in 1750, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe began to 
migrate from King William County back to the area around 
the Chickahominy River in New Kent and Charles City Coun-
ties; 
(9) in 1793, a Baptist missionary named Bradby took refuge 
with the Chickahominy and took a Chickahominy woman as 
his wife; 
(10) in 1831, the names of the ancestors of the modern- 
day Chickahominy Indian Tribe began to appear in the Charles 
City County census records; 
(11) in 1870, a census revealed an enclave of Indians in 
New Kent County that is believed to be the beginning of the 
Chickahominy Indian Tribe—Eastern Division; 
(12) other records were destroyed when the New Kent 
County courthouse was burned, leaving a State census as the 
only record covering that period; 
(13) in 1901, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe formed 
Samaria Baptist Church; 
(14) from 1901 to 1935, Chickahominy men were assessed 
a tribal tax so that their children could receive an education; 
(15) the Tribe used the proceeds from the tax to build 
the first Samaria Indian School, buy supplies, and pay a 
teacher’s salary; 
(16) in 1910, a one-room school covering grades 1 through 
8 was established in New Kent County for the Chickahominy 
Indian Tribe—Eastern Division; 
(17) during the period of 1920 through 1921, the Chicka-
hominy Indian Tribe—Eastern Division began forming a tribal 
government; 
(18) E.P. Bradby, the founder of the Tribe, was elected 
to be Chief; 
(19) in 1922, Tsena Commocko Baptist Church was orga-
nized; 
(20) in 1925, a certificate of incorporation was issued to 
the Chickahominy Indian Tribe—Eastern Division; 
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132 STAT. 46 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(21) in 1950, the one-room Indian school in New Kent 
County was closed and students were bused to Samaria Indian 
School in Charles City County; 
(22) in 1967, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe and the 
Chickahominy Indian Tribe—Eastern Division lost their schools 
as a result of the required integration of students; 
(23) during the period of 1982 through 1984, Tsena 
Commocko Baptist Church built a new sanctuary to accommo-
date church growth; 
(24) in 1983 the Chickahominy Indian Tribe—Eastern Divi-
sion was granted State recognition along with five other Vir-
ginia Indian tribes; 
(25) in 1985— 
(A) the Virginia Council on Indians was organized 
as a State agency; and 
(B) the Chickahominy Indian Tribe—Eastern Division 
was granted a seat on the Council; 
(26) in 1988, a nonprofit organization known as the ‘‘United 
Indians of Virginia’’ was formed; and 
(27) Chief Marvin ‘‘Strongoak’’ Bradby of the Eastern Band 
of the Chickahominy presently chairs the organization. 
SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of the Interior. 
(2) TRIBAL MEMBER.—The term ‘‘tribal member’’ means— 
(A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the 
Tribe as of the date of enactment of this Act; and 
(B) an individual who has been placed on the member-
ship rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title. 
(3) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the Chickahominy 
Indian Tribe—Eastern Division. 
SEC. 203. FEDERAL RECOGNITION. 
(a) FEDERAL RECOGNITION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Federal recognition is extended to the 
Tribe. 
(2) APPLICABILITY OF LAWS.—All laws (including regula-
tions) of the United States of general applicability to Indians 
or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians (including the 
Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.)) that are not 
inconsistent with this title shall be applicable to the Tribe 
and tribal members. 
(b) FEDERAL SERVICES AND BENEFITS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—On and after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for 
all future services and benefits provided by the Federal Govern-
ment to federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to 
the existence of a reservation for the Tribe. 
(2) SERVICE AREA.—For the purpose of the delivery of Fed-
eral services to tribal members, the service area of the Tribe 
shall be considered to be the area comprised of New Kent 
County, James City County, Charles City County, and Henrico 
County, Virginia. 
Effective date. 
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132 STAT. 47 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
SEC. 204. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS. 
The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe 
shall be the most recent membership roll and governing documents, 
respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the Secretary before the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 205. GOVERNING BODY. 
The governing body of the Tribe shall be— 
(1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the 
date of enactment of this Act; or 
(2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance 
with the election procedures specified in the governing docu-
ments of the Tribe. 
SEC. 206. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Upon the request of the Tribe, the Secretary 
of the Interior— 
(1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe 
on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of New Kent County, James City County, 
Charles City County, or Henrico County, Virginia; and 
(2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of New Kent County, James City County, 
Charles City County, or Henrico County, Virginia. 
(b) DEADLINE FOR DETERMINATION.—The Secretary shall make 
a final written determination not later than 3 years of the date 
which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken into trust 
under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make that determina-
tion available to the Tribe. 
(c) RESERVATION STATUS.—Any land taken into trust for the 
benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon request 
of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation of the Tribe. 
(d) GAMING.—The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities 
as a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority 
of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act 
(25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations thereunder 
promulgated by the Secretary or the National Indian Gaming 
Commission. 
SEC. 207. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER 
RIGHTS. 
Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any manner 
any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water rights of the 
Tribe and members of the Tribe. 
TITLE III—UPPER MATTAPONI TRIBE 
SEC. 301. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) during the period of 1607 through 1646, the Chicka-
hominy Indian Tribes— 
(A) lived approximately 20 miles from Jamestown; and 
(B) were significantly involved in English-Indian 
affairs; 
Effective date. 
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132 STAT. 48 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(2) Mattaponi Indians, who later joined the Chickahominy 
Indians, lived a greater distance from Jamestown; 
(3) in 1646, the Chickahominy Indians moved to Mattaponi 
River basin, away from the English; 
(4) in 1661, the Chickahominy Indians sold land at a place 
known as ‘‘the cliffs’’ on the Mattaponi River; 
(5) in 1669, the Chickahominy Indians— 
(A) appeared in the Virginia Colony’s census of Indian 
bowmen; and 
(B) lived in ‘‘New Kent’’ County, which included the 
Mattaponi River basin at that time; 
(6) in 1677, the Chickahominy and Mattaponi Indians were 
subjects of the Queen of Pamunkey, who was a signatory to 
the Treaty of 1677 with the King of England; 
(7) in 1683, after a Mattaponi town was attacked by Seneca 
Indians, the Mattaponi Indians took refuge with the Chicka-
hominy Indians, and the history of the two groups was inter-
twined for many years thereafter; 
(8) in 1695, the Chickahominy and Mattaponi Indians— 
(A) were assigned a reservation by the Virginia Colony; 
and 
(B) traded land of the reservation for land at the place 
known as ‘‘the cliffs’’ (which, as of the date of enactment 
of this Act, is the Mattaponi Indian Reservation), which 
had been owned by the Mattaponi Indians before 1661; 
(9) in 1711, a Chickahominy boy attended the Indian School 
at the College of William and Mary; 
(10) in 1726, the Virginia Colony discontinued funding 
of interpreters for the Chickahominy and Mattaponi Indian 
Tribes; 
(11) James Adams, who served as an interpreter to the 
Indian tribes known as of the date of enactment of this Act 
as the ‘‘Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe’’ and ‘‘Chickahominy 
Indian Tribe’’, elected to stay with the Upper Mattaponi 
Indians; 
(12) today, a majority of the Upper Mattaponi Indians 
have ‘‘Adams’’ as their surname; 
(13) in 1787, Thomas Jefferson, in Notes on the Common-
wealth of Virginia, mentioned the Mattaponi Indians on a res-
ervation in King William County and said that Chickahominy 
Indians were ‘‘blended’’ with the Mattaponi Indians and nearby 
Pamunkey Indians; 
(14) in 1850, the census of the United States revealed 
a nucleus of approximately 10 families, all ancestral to modern 
Upper Mattaponi Indians, living in central King William 
County, Virginia, approximately 10 miles from the reservation; 
(15) during the period of 1853 through 1884, King William 
County marriage records listed Upper Mattaponis as ‘‘Indians’’ 
in marrying people residing on the reservation; 
(16) during the period of 1884 through the present, county 
marriage records usually refer to Upper Mattaponis as 
‘‘Indians’’; 
(17) in 1901, Smithsonian anthropologist James Mooney 
heard about the Upper Mattaponi Indians but did not visit 
them; 
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132 STAT. 49 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(18) in 1928, University of Pennsylvania anthropologist 
Frank Speck published a book on modern Virginia Indians 
with a section on the Upper Mattaponis; 
(19) from 1929 until 1930, the leadership of the Upper 
Mattaponi Indians opposed the use of a ‘‘colored’’ designation 
in the 1930 United States census and won a compromise in 
which the Indian ancestry of the Upper Mattaponis was 
recorded but questioned; 
(20) during the period of 1942 through 1945— 
(A) the leadership of the Upper Mattaponi Indians, 
with the help of Frank Speck and others, fought against 
the induction of young men of the Tribe into ‘‘colored’’ 
units in the Armed Forces of the United States; and 
(B) a tribal roll for the Upper Mattaponi Indians was 
compiled; 
(21) from 1945 to 1946, negotiations took place to admit 
some of the young people of the Upper Mattaponi to high 
schools for Federal Indians (especially at Cherokee) because 
no high school coursework was available for Indians in Virginia 
schools; and 
(22) in 1983, the Upper Mattaponi Indians applied for 
and won State recognition as an Indian tribe. 
SEC. 302. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of the Interior. 
(2) TRIBAL MEMBER.—The term ‘‘tribal member’’ means— 
(A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the 
Tribe as of the date of enactment of this Act; and 
(B) an individual who has been placed on the member-
ship rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title. 
(3) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the Upper Mattaponi 
Tribe. 
SEC. 303. FEDERAL RECOGNITION. 
(a) FEDERAL RECOGNITION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Federal recognition is extended to the 
Tribe. 
(2) APPLICABILITY OF LAWS.—All laws (including regula-
tions) of the United States of general applicability to Indians 
or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians (including the 
Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.)) that are not 
inconsistent with this title shall be applicable to the Tribe 
and tribal members. 
(b) FEDERAL SERVICES AND BENEFITS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—On and after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for 
all services and benefits provided by the Federal Government 
to federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to the 
existence of a reservation for the Tribe. 
(2) SERVICE AREA.—For the purpose of the delivery of Fed-
eral services to tribal members, the service area of the Tribe 
shall be considered to be the area within 25 miles of the 
Sharon Indian School at 13383 King William Road, King Wil-
liam County, Virginia. 
Effective date. 
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132 STAT. 50 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
SEC. 304. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS. 
The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe 
shall be the most recent membership roll and governing documents, 
respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the Secretary before the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 305. GOVERNING BODY. 
The governing body of the Tribe shall be— 
(1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the 
date of enactment of this Act; or 
(2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance 
with the election procedures specified in the governing docu-
ments of the Tribe. 
SEC. 306. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Upon the request of the Tribe, the Secretary 
of the Interior— 
(1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe 
on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of King William County, Caroline County, Han-
over County, King and Queen County, and New Kent County, 
Virginia; and 
(2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of King William County, Caroline County, Han-
over County, King and Queen County, and New Kent County, 
Virginia. 
(b) DEADLINE FOR DETERMINATION.—The Secretary shall make 
a final written determination not later than 3 years of the date 
which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken into trust 
under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make that determina-
tion available to the Tribe. 
(c) RESERVATION STATUS.—Any land taken into trust for the 
benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon request 
of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation of the Tribe. 
(d) GAMING.—The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities 
as a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority 
of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act 
(25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations thereunder 
promulgated by the Secretary or the National Indian Gaming 
Commission. 
SEC. 307. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER 
RIGHTS. 
Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any manner 
any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water rights of the 
Tribe and members of the Tribe. 
TITLE IV—RAPPAHANNOCK TRIBE, INC. 
SEC. 401. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) during the initial months after Virginia was settled, 
the Rappahannock Indians had three encounters with Captain 
John Smith; 
Effective date. 
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132 STAT. 51 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(2) the first encounter occurred when the Rappahannock 
weroance (headman)— 
(A) traveled to Quiyocohannock (a principal town 
across the James River from Jamestown), where he met 
with Smith to determine whether Smith had been the 
‘‘great man’’ who had previously sailed into the Rappahan-
nock River, killed a Rappahannock weroance, and kid-
napped Rappahannock people; and 
(B) determined that Smith was too short to be that 
‘‘great man’’; 
(3) on a second meeting, during John Smith’s captivity 
(December 16, 1607, to January 8, 1608), Smith was taken 
to the Rappahannock principal village to show the people that 
Smith was not the ‘‘great man’’; 
(4) a third meeting took place during Smith’s exploration 
of the Chesapeake Bay (July to September 1608), when, after 
the Moraughtacund Indians had stolen three women from the 
Rappahannock King, Smith was prevailed upon to facilitate 
a peaceful truce between the Rappahannock and the 
Moraughtacund Indians; 
(5) in the settlement, Smith had the two Indian tribes 
meet on the spot of their first fight; 
(6) when it was established that both groups wanted peace, 
Smith told the Rappahannock King to select which of the three 
stolen women he wanted; 
(7) the Moraughtacund King was given second choice 
among the two remaining women, and Mosco, a Wighcocomoco 
(on the Potomac River) guide, was given the third woman; 
(8) in 1645, Captain William Claiborne tried unsuccessfully 
to establish treaty relations with the Rappahannocks, as the 
Rappahannocks had not participated in the Pamunkey-led 
uprising in 1644, and the English wanted to ‘‘treat with the 
Rappahannocks or any other Indians not in amity with 
Opechancanough, concerning serving the county against the 
Pamunkeys’’; 
(9) in April 1651, the Rappahannocks conveyed a tract 
of land to an English settler, Colonel Morre Fauntleroy; 
(10) the deed for the conveyance was signed by 
Accopatough, weroance of the Rappahannock Indians; 
(11) in September 1653, Lancaster County signed a treaty 
with Rappahannock Indians, the terms of which treaty— 
(A) gave Rappahannocks the rights of Englishmen in 
the county court; and 
(B) attempted to make the Rappahannocks more 
accountable under English law; 
(12) in September 1653, Lancaster County defined and 
marked the bounds of its Indian settlements; 
(13) according to the Lancaster clerk of court, ‘‘the tribe 
called the great Rappahannocks lived on the Rappahannock 
Creek just across the river above Tappahannock’’; 
(14) in September 1656, (Old) Rappahannock County 
(which, as of the date of enactment of this Act, is comprised 
of Richmond and Essex Counties, Virginia) signed a treaty 
with Rappahannock Indians that— 
(A) mirrored the Lancaster County treaty from 1653; 
and 
(B) stated that— 
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132 STAT. 52 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(i) Rappahannocks were to be rewarded, in 
Roanoke, for returning English fugitives; and 
(ii) the English encouraged the Rappahannocks 
to send their children to live among the English as 
servants, who the English promised would be well- 
treated; 
(15) in 1658, the Virginia Assembly revised a 1652 Act 
stating that ‘‘there be no grants of land to any Englishman 
whatsoever de futuro until the Indians be first served with 
the proportion of 50 acres of land for each bowman’’; 
(16) in 1669, the colony conducted a census of Virginia 
Indians; 
(17) as of the date of that census— 
(A) the majority of the Rappahannocks were residing 
at their hunting village on the north side of the Mattaponi 
River; and 
(B) at the time of the visit, census-takers were counting 
only the Indian tribes along the rivers, which explains 
why only 30 Rappahannock bowmen were counted on that 
river; 
(18) the Rappahannocks used the hunting village on the 
north side of the Mattaponi River as their primary residence 
until the Rappahannocks were removed in 1684; 
(19) in May 1677, the Treaty of Middle Plantation was 
signed with England; 
(20) the Pamunkey Queen Cockacoeske signed on behalf 
of the Rappahannocks, ‘‘who were supposed to be her tribu-
taries’’, but before the treaty could be ratified, the Queen of 
Pamunkey complained to the Virginia Colonial Council ‘‘that 
she 
was 
having 
trouble 
with 
Rappahannocks 
and 
Chickahominies, supposedly tributaries of hers’’; 
(21) in November 1682, the Virginia Colonial Council estab-
lished a reservation for the Rappahannock Indians of 3,474 
acres ‘‘about the town where they dwelt’’; 
(22) the Rappahannock ‘‘town’’ was the hunting village 
on the north side of the Mattaponi River, where the 
Rappahannocks had lived throughout the 1670s; 
(23) the acreage allotment of the reservation was based 
on the 1658 Indian land act, which translates into a bowman 
population of 70, or an approximate total Rappahannock popu-
lation of 350; 
(24) in 1683, following raids by Iroquoian warriors on both 
Indian and English settlements, the Virginia Colonial Council 
ordered the Rappahannocks to leave their reservation and unite 
with the Nanzatico Indians at Nanzatico Indian Town, which 
was located across and up the Rappahannock River some 30 
miles; 
(25) between 1687 and 1699, the Rappahannocks migrated 
out of Nanzatico, returning to the south side of the Rappahan-
nock River at Portobacco Indian Town; 
(26) in 1706, by order of Essex County, Lieutenant Richard 
Covington ‘‘escorted’’ the Portobaccos and Rappahannocks out 
of Portobacco Indian Town, out of Essex County, and into 
King and Queen County where they settled along the ridgeline 
between the Rappahannock and Mattaponi Rivers, the site 
of their ancient hunting village and 1682 reservation; 
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132 STAT. 53 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(27) during the 1760s, three Rappahannock girls were 
raised on Thomas Nelson’s Bleak Hill Plantation in King Wil-
liam County; 
(28) of those girls— 
(A) one married a Saunders man; 
(B) one married a Johnson man; and 
(C) one had two children, Edmund and Carter Nelson, 
fathered by Thomas Cary Nelson; 
(29) in the 19th century, those Saunders, Johnson, and 
Nelson families are among the core Rappahannock families 
from which the modern Tribe traces its descent; 
(30) in 1819 and 1820, Edward Bird, John Bird (and his 
wife), Carter Nelson, Edmund Nelson, and Carter Spurlock 
(all Rappahannock ancestors) were listed on the tax roles of 
King and Queen County and taxed at the county poor rate; 
(31) Edmund Bird was added to the tax roles in 1821; 
(32) those tax records are significant documentation 
because the great majority of pre-1864 records for King and 
Queen County were destroyed by fire; 
(33) beginning in 1819, and continuing through the 1880s, 
there was a solid Rappahannock presence in the membership 
at Upper Essex Baptist Church; 
(34) that was the first instance of conversion to Christianity 
by at least some Rappahannock Indians; 
(35) while 26 identifiable and traceable Rappahannock sur-
names appear on the pre-1863 membership list, and 28 were 
listed on the 1863 membership roster, the number of surnames 
listed had declined to 12 in 1878 and had risen only slightly 
to 14 by 1888; 
(36) a reason for the decline is that in 1870, a Methodist 
circuit rider, Joseph Mastin, secured funds to purchase land 
and 
construct 
St. 
Stephens 
Baptist 
Church 
for 
the 
Rappahannocks living nearby in Caroline County; 
(37) Mastin referred to the Rappahannocks during the 
period of 1850 to 1870 as ‘‘Indians, having a great need for 
moral and Christian guidance’’; 
(38) St. Stephens was the dominant tribal church until 
the Rappahannock Indian Baptist Church was established in 
1964; 
(39) at both churches, the core Rappahannock family names 
of Bird, Clarke, Fortune, Johnson, Nelson, Parker, and Richard-
son predominate; 
(40) during the early 1900s, James Mooney, noted 
anthropologist, 
maintained 
correspondence 
with 
the 
Rappahannocks, surveying them and instructing them on how 
to formalize their tribal government; 
(41) in November 1920, Speck visited the Rappahannocks 
and assisted them in organizing the fight for their sovereign 
rights; 
(42) in 1921, the Rappahannocks were granted a charter 
from the Commonwealth of Virginia formalizing their tribal 
government; 
(43) Speck began a professional relationship with the Tribe 
that would last more than 30 years and document Rappahan-
nock history and traditions as never before; 
(44) in April 1921, Rappahannock Chief George Nelson 
asked the Governor of Virginia, Westmoreland Davis, to forward 
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132 STAT. 54 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
a proclamation to the President of the United States, along 
with an appended list of tribal members and a handwritten 
copy of the proclamation itself; 
(45) the letter concerned Indian freedom of speech and 
assembly nationwide; 
(46) in 1922, the Rappahannocks established a formal 
school at Lloyds, Essex County, Virginia; 
(47) prior to establishment of the school, Rappahannock 
children were taught by a tribal member in Central Point, 
Caroline County, Virginia; 
(48) in December 1923, Rappahannock Chief George Nelson 
testified before Congress appealing for a $50,000 appropriation 
to establish an Indian school in Virginia; 
(49) in 1930, the Rappahannocks were engaged in an 
ongoing dispute with the Commonwealth of Virginia and the 
United States Census Bureau about their classification in the 
1930 Federal census; 
(50) in January 1930, Rappahannock Chief Otho S. Nelson 
wrote to Leon Truesdell, Chief Statistician of the United States 
Census Bureau, asking that the 218 enrolled Rappahannocks 
be listed as Indians; 
(51) in February 1930, Truesdell replied to Nelson saying 
that ‘‘special instructions’’ were being given about classifying 
Indians; 
(52) in April 1930, Nelson wrote to William M. Steuart 
at the Census Bureau asking about the enumerators’ failure 
to classify his people as Indians, saying that enumerators had 
not asked the question about race when they interviewed his 
people; 
(53) in a followup letter to Truesdell, Nelson reported that 
the enumerators were ‘‘flatly denying’’ his people’s request to 
be listed as Indians and that the race question was completely 
avoided during interviews; 
(54) the Rappahannocks had spoken with Caroline and 
Essex County enumerators, and with John M.W. Green at 
that point, without success; 
(55) Nelson asked Truesdell to list people as Indians if 
he sent a list of members; 
(56) the matter was settled by William Steuart, who con-
cluded that the Bureau’s rule was that people of Indian descent 
could be classified as ‘‘Indian’’ only if Indian ‘‘blood’’ predomi-
nated and ‘‘Indian’’ identity was accepted in the local commu-
nity; 
(57) the Virginia Vital Statistics Bureau classed all non-
reservation Indians as ‘‘Negro’’, and it failed to see why ‘‘an 
exception should be made’’ for the Rappahannocks; 
(58) therefore, in 1925, the Indian Rights Association took 
on the Rappahannock case to assist the Rappahannocks in 
fighting for their recognition and rights as an Indian tribe; 
(59) during the Second World War, the Pamunkeys, 
Mattaponis, Chickahominies, and Rappahannocks had to fight 
the draft boards with respect to their racial identities; 
(60) the Virginia Vital Statistics Bureau insisted that cer-
tain Indian draftees be inducted into Negro units; 
(61) finally, three Rappahannocks were convicted of vio-
lating the Federal draft laws and, after spending time in a 
Federal prison, were granted conscientious objector status and 
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132 STAT. 55 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
served out the remainder of the war working in military hos-
pitals; 
(62) in 1943, Frank Speck noted that there were approxi-
mately 25 communities of Indians left in the Eastern United 
States that were entitled to Indian classification, including 
the Rappahannocks; 
(63) in the 1940s, Leon Truesdell, Chief Statistician, of 
the United States Census Bureau, listed 118 members in the 
Rappahannock Tribe in the Indian population of Virginia; 
(64) on April 25, 1940, the Office of Indian Affairs of 
the Department of the Interior included the Rappahannocks 
on a list of Indian tribes classified by State and by agency; 
(65) in 1948, the Smithsonian Institution Annual Report 
included an article by William Harlen Gilbert entitled, ‘‘Sur-
viving Indian Groups of the Eastern United States’’, which 
included and described the Rappahannock Tribe; 
(66) in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Rappahannocks 
operated a school at Indian Neck; 
(67) the State agreed to pay a tribal teacher to teach 
10 students bused by King and Queen County to Sharon Indian 
School in King William County, Virginia; 
(68) in 1965, Rappahannock students entered Marriott 
High School (a White public school) by Executive order of 
the Governor of Virginia; 
(69) in 1972, the Rappahannocks worked with the Coalition 
of Eastern Native Americans to fight for Federal recognition; 
(70) in 1979, the Coalition established a pottery and arti-
sans company, operating with other Virginia tribes; 
(71) in 1980, the Rappahannocks received funding through 
the Administration for Native Americans of the Department 
of Health and Human Services to develop an economic program 
for the Tribe; and 
(72) in 1983, the Rappahannocks received State recognition 
as an Indian tribe. 
SEC. 402. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of the Interior. 
(2) TRIBAL MEMBER.—The term ‘‘tribal member’’ means— 
(A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the 
Tribe as of the date of enactment of this Act; and 
(B) an individual who has been placed on the member-
ship rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title. 
(3) TRIBE.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the 
organization possessing the legal name Rappahannock 
Tribe, Inc. 
(B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ does not include 
any other Indian tribe, subtribe, band, or splinter group 
the members of which represent themselves as Rappahan-
nock Indians. 
SEC. 403. FEDERAL RECOGNITION. 
(a) FEDERAL RECOGNITION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Federal recognition is extended to the 
Tribe. 
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132 STAT. 56 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(2) APPLICABILITY OF LAWS.—All laws (including regula-
tions) of the United States of general applicability to Indians 
or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians (including the 
Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.)) that are not 
inconsistent with this title shall be applicable to the Tribe 
and tribal members. 
(b) FEDERAL SERVICES AND BENEFITS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—On and after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for 
all services and benefits provided by the Federal Government 
to federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to the 
existence of a reservation for the Tribe. 
(2) SERVICE AREA.—For the purpose of the delivery of Fed-
eral services to tribal members, the service area of the Tribe 
shall be considered to be the area comprised of King and 
Queen County, Caroline County, Essex County, and King Wil-
liam County, Virginia. 
SEC. 404. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS. 
The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe 
shall be the most recent membership roll and governing documents, 
respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the Secretary before the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 405. GOVERNING BODY. 
The governing body of the Tribe shall be— 
(1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the 
date of enactment of this Act; or 
(2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance 
with the election procedures specified in the governing docu-
ments of the Tribe. 
SEC. 406. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Upon the request of the Tribe, the Secretary 
of the Interior— 
(1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe 
on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of King and Queen County, Stafford County, 
Spotsylvania County, Richmond County, Essex County, and 
Caroline County, Virginia; and 
(2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of King and Queen County, Richmond County, 
Lancaster County, King George County, Essex County, Caroline 
County, New Kent County, King William County, and James 
City County, Virginia. 
(b) DEADLINE FOR DETERMINATION.—The Secretary shall make 
a final written determination not later than 3 years of the date 
which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken into trust 
under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make that determina-
tion available to the Tribe. 
(c) RESERVATION STATUS.—Any land taken into trust for the 
benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon request 
of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation of the Tribe. 
(d) GAMING.—The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities 
as a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority 
of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act 
Effective date. 
Effective date. 
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132 STAT. 57 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations thereunder 
promulgated by the Secretary or the National Indian Gaming 
Commission. 
SEC. 407. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER 
RIGHTS. 
Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any manner 
any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water rights of the 
Tribe and members of the Tribe. 
TITLE V—MONACAN INDIAN NATION 
SEC. 501. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) in 1677, the Monacan Tribe signed the Treaty of Middle 
Plantation between Charles II of England and 12 Indian ‘‘Kings 
and Chief Men’’; 
(2) in 1722, in the Treaty of Albany, Governor Spotswood 
negotiated to save the Virginia Indians from extinction at the 
hands of the Iroquois; 
(3) specifically mentioned in the negotiations were the 
Monacan tribes of the Totero (Tutelo), Saponi, Ocheneeches 
(Occaneechi), Stengenocks, and Meipontskys; 
(4) in 1790, the first national census recorded Benjamin 
Evans and Robert Johns, both ancestors of the present Monacan 
community, listed as ‘‘white’’ with mulatto children; 
(5) in 1782, tax records also began for those families; 
(6) in 1850, the United States census recorded 29 families, 
mostly large, with Monacan surnames, the members of which 
are genealogically related to the present community; 
(7) in 1870, a log structure was built at the Bear Mountain 
Indian Mission; 
(8) in 1908, the structure became an Episcopal Mission 
and, as of the date of enactment of this Act, the structure 
is listed as a landmark on the National Register of Historic 
Places; 
(9) in 1920, 304 Amherst Indians were identified in the 
United States census; 
(10) from 1930 through 1931, numerous letters from 
Monacans to the Bureau of the Census resulted from the deci-
sion of Dr. Walter Plecker, former head of the Bureau of Vital 
Statistics of the Commonwealth of Virginia, not to allow Indians 
to register as Indians for the 1930 census; 
(11) the Monacans eventually succeeded in being allowed 
to claim their race, albeit with an asterisk attached to a note 
from Dr. Plecker stating that there were no Indians in Virginia; 
(12) in 1947, D’Arcy McNickle, a Salish Indian, saw some 
of the children at the Amherst Mission and requested that 
the Cherokee Agency visit them because they appeared to be 
Indian; 
(13) that letter was forwarded to the Department of the 
Interior, Office of Indian Affairs, Chicago, Illinois; 
(14) Chief Jarrett Blythe of the Eastern Band of Cherokee 
did visit the Mission and wrote that he ‘‘would be willing 
to accept these children in the Cherokee school’’; 
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132 STAT. 58 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(15) in 1979, a Federal Coalition of Eastern Native Ameri-
cans established the entity known as ‘‘Monacan Co-operative 
Pottery’’ at the Amherst Mission; 
(16) some important pieces were produced at Monacan 
Co-operative Pottery, including a piece that was sold to the 
Smithsonian Institution; 
(17) the Mattaponi-Pamunkey-Monacan Consortium, estab-
lished in 1981, has since been organized as a nonprofit corpora-
tion that serves as a vehicle to obtain funds for those Indian 
tribes from the Department of Labor under Native American 
programs; 
(18) in 1989, the Monacan Tribe was recognized by the 
Commonwealth of Virginia, which enabled the Tribe to apply 
for grants and participate in other programs; and 
(19) in 1993, the Monacan Tribe received tax-exempt status 
as a nonprofit corporation from the Internal Revenue Service. 
SEC. 502. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of the Interior. 
(2) TRIBAL MEMBER.—The term ‘‘tribal member’’ means— 
(A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the 
Tribe as of the date of enactment of this Act; and 
(B) an individual who has been placed on the member-
ship rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title. 
(3) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the Monacan Indian 
Nation. 
SEC. 503. FEDERAL RECOGNITION. 
(a) FEDERAL RECOGNITION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Federal recognition is extended to the 
Tribe. 
(2) APPLICABILITY OF LAWS.—All laws (including regula-
tions) of the United States of general applicability to Indians 
or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians (including the 
Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.)) that are not 
inconsistent with this title shall be applicable to the Tribe 
and tribal members. 
(b) FEDERAL SERVICES AND BENEFITS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—On and after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for 
all services and benefits provided by the Federal Government 
to federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to the 
existence of a reservation for the Tribe. 
(2) SERVICE AREA.—For the purpose of the delivery of Fed-
eral services to tribal members, the service area of the Tribe 
shall be considered to be the area comprised of all land within 
25 miles from the center of Amherst, Virginia. 
SEC. 504. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS. 
The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe 
shall be the most recent membership roll and governing documents, 
respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the Secretary before the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 505. GOVERNING BODY. 
The governing body of the Tribe shall be— 
Effective date. 
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132 STAT. 59 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the 
date of enactment of this Act; or 
(2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance 
with the election procedures specified in the governing docu-
ments of the Tribe. 
SEC. 506. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Upon the request of the Tribe, the Secretary 
of the Interior— 
(1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe 
on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of Amherst County, Virginia; and 
(2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of Amherst County, Virginia, and those parcels 
in Rockbridge County, Virginia (subject to the consent of the 
local unit of government), owned by Mr. J. Poole, described 
as East 731 Sandbridge (encompassing approximately 4.74 
acres) and East 731 (encompassing approximately 5.12 acres). 
(b) DEADLINE FOR DETERMINATION.—The Secretary shall make 
a final written determination not later than 3 years of the date 
which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken into trust 
under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make that determina-
tion available to the Tribe. 
(c) RESERVATION STATUS.—Any land taken into trust for the 
benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon request 
of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation of the Tribe. 
(d) GAMING.—The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities 
as a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority 
of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act 
(25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations thereunder 
promulgated by the Secretary or the National Indian Gaming 
Commission. 
SEC. 507. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER 
RIGHTS. 
Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any manner 
any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water rights of the 
Tribe and members of the Tribe. 
TITLE VI—NANSEMOND INDIAN TRIBE 
SEC. 601. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) from 1607 until 1646, Nansemond Indians— 
(A) lived approximately 30 miles from Jamestown; and 
(B) were significantly involved in English-Indian 
affairs; 
(2) after 1646, there were two sections of Nansemonds 
in 
communication 
with 
each 
other, 
the 
Christianized 
Nansemonds in Norfolk County, who lived as citizens, and 
the traditionalist Nansemonds, who lived further west; 
(3) in 1638, according to an entry in a 17th century sermon 
book still owned by the Chief’s family, a Norfolk County 
Englishman married a Nansemond woman; 
Effective date. 
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132 STAT. 60 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
(4) that man and woman are lineal ancestors of all of 
members of the Nansemond Indian tribe alive as of the date 
of enactment of this Act, as are some of the traditionalist 
Nansemonds; 
(5) in 1669, the two Nansemond sections appeared in Vir-
ginia Colony’s census of Indian bowmen; 
(6) in 1677, Nansemond Indians were signatories to the 
Treaty of 1677 with the King of England; 
(7) in 1700 and 1704, the Nansemonds and other Virginia 
Indian tribes were prevented by Virginia Colony from making 
a separate peace with the Iroquois; 
(8) Virginia represented those Indian tribes in the final 
Treaty of Albany, 1722; 
(9) in 1711, a Nansemond boy attended the Indian School 
at the College of William and Mary; 
(10) in 1727, Norfolk County granted William Bass and 
his kinsmen the ‘‘Indian privileges’’ of clearing swamp land 
and bearing arms (which privileges were forbidden to other 
non-Whites) because of their Nansemond ancestry, which meant 
that Bass and his kinsmen were original inhabitants of that 
land; 
(11) in 1742, Norfolk County issued a certificate of 
Nansemond descent to William Bass; 
(12) from the 1740s to the 1790s, the traditionalist section 
of the Nansemond tribe, 40 miles west of the Christianized 
Nansemonds, was dealing with reservation land; 
(13) the last surviving members of that section sold out 
in 1792 with the permission of the Commonwealth of Virginia; 
(14) in 1797, Norfolk County issued a certificate stating 
that William Bass was of Indian and English descent, and 
that his Indian line of ancestry ran directly back to the early 
18th century elder in a traditionalist section of Nansemonds 
on the reservation; 
(15) in 1833, Virginia enacted a law enabling people of 
European and Indian descent to obtain a special certificate 
of ancestry; 
(16) the law originated from the county in which 
Nansemonds lived, and mostly Nansemonds, with a few people 
from other counties, took advantage of the new law; 
(17) a Methodist mission established around 1850 for 
Nansemonds is currently a standard Methodist congregation 
with Nansemond members; 
(18) in 1901, Smithsonian anthropologist James Mooney— 
(A) visited the Nansemonds; and 
(B) completed a tribal census that counted 61 house-
holds and was later published; 
(19) in 1922, Nansemonds were given a special Indian 
school in the segregated school system of Norfolk County; 
(20) the school survived only a few years; 
(21) in 1928, University of Pennsylvania anthropologist 
Frank Speck published a book on modern Virginia Indians 
that included a section on the Nansemonds; and 
(22) the Nansemonds were organized formally, with elected 
officers, in 1984, and later applied for and received State rec-
ognition. 
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132 STAT. 61 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
SEC. 602. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of the Interior. 
(2) TRIBAL MEMBER.—The term ‘‘tribal member’’ means— 
(A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the 
Tribe as of the date of enactment of this Act; and 
(B) an individual who has been placed on the member-
ship rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title. 
(3) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the Nansemond Indian 
Tribe. 
SEC. 603. FEDERAL RECOGNITION. 
(a) FEDERAL RECOGNITION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Federal recognition is extended to the 
Tribe. 
(2) APPLICABILITY OF LAWS.—All laws (including regula-
tions) of the United States of general applicability to Indians 
or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians (including the 
Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.)) that are not 
inconsistent with this title shall be applicable to the Tribe 
and tribal members. 
(b) FEDERAL SERVICES AND BENEFITS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—On and after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for 
all services and benefits provided by the Federal Government 
to federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to the 
existence of a reservation for the Tribe. 
(2) SERVICE AREA.—For the purpose of the delivery of Fed-
eral services to tribal members, the service area of the Tribe 
shall be considered to be the area comprised of the cities 
of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, 
Suffolk, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. 
SEC. 604. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS. 
The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe 
shall be the most recent membership roll and governing documents, 
respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the Secretary before the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 605. GOVERNING BODY. 
The governing body of the Tribe shall be— 
(1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the 
date of enactment of this Act; or 
(2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance 
with the election procedures specified in the governing docu-
ments of the Tribe. 
SEC. 606. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Upon the request of the Tribe, the Secretary 
of the Interior— 
(1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe 
on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located within 
the boundaries of the city of Suffolk, the city of Chesapeake, 
or Isle of Wight County, Virginia; and 
(2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any 
land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located within 
Effective date. 
Effective date. 
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132 STAT. 62 
PUBLIC LAW 115–121—JAN. 29, 2018 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 984: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 163 (2017): May 17, considered and passed House. 
Vol. 164 (2018): Jan. 11, considered and passed Senate. 
the boundaries of the city of Suffolk, the city of Chesapeake, 
or Isle of Wight County, Virginia. 
(b) DEADLINE FOR DETERMINATION.—The Secretary shall make 
a final written determination not later than 3 years of the date 
which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken into trust 
under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make that determina-
tion available to the Tribe. 
(c) RESERVATION STATUS.—Any land taken into trust for the 
benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon request 
of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation of the Tribe. 
(d) GAMING.—The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities 
as a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority 
of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act 
(25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations thereunder 
promulgated by the Secretary or the National Indian Gaming 
Commission. 
SEC. 607. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER 
RIGHTS. 
Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any manner 
any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water rights of the 
Tribe and members of the Tribe. 
TITLE VII—EMINENT DOMAIN 
SEC. 701. LIMITATION. 
Eminent domain may not be used to acquire lands in fee 
or in trust for an Indian tribe recognized under this Act. 
Approved January 29, 2018. 
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