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Ethnicity in Washington, D.C. |
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The local history of Native Americans in Washington, D.C., dates back at least 4,000 years. [1]
Washington, D.C. is a central location for regulatory agencies, and advocacy organizations. Consequently, in recent history it has also become a central location for political protests related to Native Americans in the United States. [2]
According to 2019 US Census Bureau estimates, D.C.'s population was 0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native. [3] Today, approximately 4,000 Indigenous people live in Washington, D.C. [4] [5]
Archaeological evidence indicates that American Indians settled in the Washington, D.C., area at least 4,000 years ago, close to the Anacostia River. [2] Native inhabitants within the present-day District of Columbia included the Nacotchtank, at Anacostia, who were affiliated with the Conoy. [6]
Another village was located between Little Falls and Georgetown, [1] and there was a Nacotchtank village called Tohoga on the site of present-day Georgetown. [7]
The Nacotchtank were a trading people as they were established on fertile land with nearby rivers. [8] During his 1608 expedition, English explorer John Smith noted the prosperous Nacotchtank and their great supply of various resources. [9] The Nacotchtank were closely associated with the larger Piscataway Chiefdom of Maryland, whose Tayac (grand chief) ruled over a confederacy of area tribes. [10]
In 1650s, the Province of Maryland began to experience an economic boom with the great popularity and demand of one of its cash crops, tobacco. [11] This expansion necessitated vast areas of land being turned into tobacco plantations as the demand was exceedingly high. [11]
In 1663, Cecil Calvert, the second Lord of Baltimore, granted Thomas Dent an 850-acre tract of land named Gisborough on the Potomac River, which bordered the principal Nacotchtank village. [12] The colony, in such close proximity to the Nacotchtank, now had the leverage to begin encroaching on Nacotchtank territory. [11] Additionally, with the two groups now close to one another and in constant contact, the Europeans from Maryland introduced to the area a number of Eurasian infectious diseases to which the Nacotchtank had no immunity, including measles, cholera, and smallpox. [13] As a result, the Nacotchtank suffered a large population loss. [8]
In 1668, the Nacotchtank tribe, depopulated from Eurasian diseases, collectively relocated to Anacostine Island, which has since been renamed to "Theodore Roosevelt Island." [8] By this period, the population of local American Indians was only one-quarter of those that lived in the region prior to 1608. [14]
By the late 1690s, the population of Native Americans in the region had significantly reduced. [1]
Today, approximately 4,000 indigenous people live in Washington, D.C. [4] [5] In recent years there have been efforts to bolster awareness, understanding, and education around the local history of indigenous peoples. The DC Native History Project was established to work with local tribe members to gain further understanding and recognition of the Anacostan heritage of the region, and to create an interactive map of Washington, D.C., with identified original village sites and the locations of artifact excavations. [15] [16]
In an effort to teach locals about their history and culture related to indigenous people, communities like the Rappahannock tribe host annual celebrations in the national parks. There are also a variety of cultural educational programs offered in the D.C. area regarding indigenous history. The DC Public Library curates a special collection pertaining to D.C.'s local tribal history and heritage. [16]
In 2019, the Council of the District of Columbia voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day. [17] [18]
Several Washington, D.C., institutions include a land acknowledgement which states that they are located on the ancestral lands of the Nacotchtank (Anacostans) which is also close to the ancestral lands of the neighboring Piscataway and Pamunkey peoples. [5] [19] [20]
At a national scale, Washington, D.C., has become a central location for regulatory authorities, advocacy and interest groups, and political protests related to Native Americans in the United States. [21]
Since the early 1800s, Washington, D.C., has served as a significant focal point for indigenous peoples seeking to petition the government and enact legislative change at the federal level. [22] [23] D.C. has also hosted tribal nation leader delegations to the U.S. Congress and the White House. In recent years, the White House has also regularly hosted a White House Tribal Nations Summit and a Tribal Youth Summit. [24] [25]
Various excavations have been performed throughout Washington D.C., and identified specific sites in the area once inhabited by the Nacotchtank people. [11] [26]
Although the proximity of rivers was integral for the Nacotchtank, there is evidence of the Nacotchtank existence further inland. [26] During the 1975 construction of the White House swimming pool, analysis of the terrain that was dug up proved Indigenous existence on the site, with findings such as quartzite points, a broken biface (hand axe), and fragments of broken pottery. [27] [28] [11]
In 1997, an excavation near the Whitehurst Freeway, which runs parallel to the Potomac River in Georgetown, gathered findings of a "hair comb, hammer stone, and pendants." [26] This land, upon which modern-day Georgetown is established, has been identified as the site for the Tohoga village. [29] [30] Tohoga was a trading village, with it being located along the river bank of the Potomac and thus permitting easy access for traders. [31]
The Nacotchtank had another village north of Garfield Park on what is now Capitol Hill. [26] The tribe used this land, which now houses the Supreme Court and Library of Congress, for agriculture, growing corn, beans, and squash. [26] [32] The Nacotchtank settled on this specific area as it was flat and much more suitable for agriculture than the uneven land bordering the rivers on which they were initially established. [32] The smooth terrain allowed the Nacotchtank to grow the large stores of corn that were appealing to European colonists. [9] [32]
Though the Nacotchtank were absorbed by the Piscataway and relocated north, some aspects of Washington, D.C., are named after them. The river surrounding the eastern border of the city and the neighborhood in southeast D.C. are named "Anacostia" after the Latinized version of Nacotchtank. [45]
Built in 1910, the architecture of the Dumbarton Bridge pays "homage" to the indigenous people who once inhabited the Washington, D.C., area. Lining the bridge's sides are 56 busts of Tribal leader Kicking Bear, a long-time advocate for his people who served as a warrior, spiritual leader, and delegate elected by his community to represent tribal interests in D.C. [46] [47]
The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., contains paintings, sculptures, and murals featuring various scenes of Indian history. Among the most notable of these are the statues of Native American historical leaders in the National Statuary Hall Collection. The statues in Emancipation Hall include: [48]
Established in 2004, the National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in Washington, D.C., devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. [49]
In 2020, The National Native American Veterans Memorial was opened on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. The memorial recognizes the "enduring and distinguished service of Native Americans in every branch of the US military." [50]
On November 3, 1972, a group of around 500 American Indians took over the BIA building, the culmination of their Trail of Broken Treaties walk. They intended to bring attention to American Indian issues, including their demands for renewed negotiation of treaties, enforcement of treaty rights and improvement in living standards. They occupied the Department of Interior headquarters from November 3 to 9, 1972. [51]
Thousands of Native Americans have taken a 8,200 miles long walk from San Francisco, rallying at the National Mall for religious freedom for traditional American Indians and against laws considered anti-Indian by the native community.
In 2019, the Indigenous Peoples Movement led the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, D.C. The event included speeches, prayers, songs, and dance. Its goal was to draw attention to global injustices against indigenous peoples. [52]
The Duwamish are a Lushootseed-speaking Southern Coast Salish people in western Washington, and the Indigenous people of metropolitan Seattle.
Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling (JBAB) is a 905-acre (366 ha) military installation, located in Southwest Washington, D.C., established on 1 October 2010 in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The legislation ordered the consolidation of Naval Support Facility Anacostia and Bolling Air Force Base (BAFB), which were adjoining but separate military installations into a single joint base, one of twelve formed in the country as a result of the law. The base hosts the Defense Intelligence Agency Headquarters amongst its other responsibilities. The only aeronautical facility at the base is a 100-by-100-foot helipad.
Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Marion Barry Avenue SE and the neighborhood contains commercial and government buildings, mid-rise mixed development, city-sanctioned art murals and galleries ,a perfroming arts center, a playhouse theater, the local landmark, "The Big Chair," Fredrick Douglass's Home and is adjacent to the Fort Stanton Park neighborhood which hosts the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. It is located directly east of and along the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is named.
The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel and ultimately empties into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. It is about 8.7 miles (14.0 km) long. The name "Anacostia" derives from the area's early history as Nacotchtank, a settlement of Necostan or Anacostan Native Americans on the banks of the Anacostia River.
The history of Washington, D.C., is tied to its role as the capital of the United States. The site of the District of Columbia along the Potomac River was first selected by President George Washington. The city came under attack during the War of 1812 in an episode known as the Burning of Washington. Upon the government's return to the capital, it had to manage the reconstruction of numerous public buildings, including the White House and the United States Capitol. The McMillan Plan of 1901 helped restore and beautify the downtown core area, including establishing the National Mall, along with numerous monuments and museums.
ICT is a nonprofit, multimedia news platform that covers the Indigenous world, with a particular focus on American Indian, Alaska Native and First Nations communities across North America.
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, also Tigua Pueblo, is a Native American Pueblo and federally recognized tribe in the Ysleta section of El Paso, Texas. Its members are Southern Tiwa people who had been displaced from Spanish New Mexico from 1680 to 1681 during the Pueblo Revolt against the Spaniards.
Suzan Shown Harjo is an American advocate for Native American rights. She is a poet, writer, lecturer, curator, and policy advocate who has helped Native peoples recover more than one million acres (4,000 km²) of tribal lands. After co-producing the first American Indian news show in the nation for WBAI radio while living in New York City, and producing other shows and theater, in 1974 she moved to Washington, D.C., to work on national policy issues. She served as Congressional liaison for Indian affairs in the President Jimmy Carter administration and later as president of the National Council of American Indians.
The Trail of Broken Treaties was a 1972 cross-country caravan of American Indian and First Nations organizations that started on the West Coast of the United States and ended at the Department of Interior headquarters building at the US capital of Washington, D.C. Participants called for the restoration of tribes’ treaty-making authority, the abolition of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and federal investment in jobs, housing, and education.
Fairlawn is a working class and middle class residential neighborhood in southeast Washington, D.C., United States. It is bounded by Interstate 295, Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Minnesota Avenue SE, Naylor Road SE, and Good Hope Road SE.
Good Hope is a residential neighborhood in southeast Washington, D.C., near Anacostia. The neighborhood is generally middle class and is dominated by single-family detached and semi-detached homes. The year-round Fort Dupont Ice Arena skating rink and the Smithsonian Institution's Anacostia Museum are nearby. Good Hope is bounded by Fort Stanton Park(Fort Circle Hiker-Biker Trail) SE, Alabama Avenue SE, Naylor Road SE, and U Street SE. The proposed Skyland Shopping Center redevelopment project is within the boundaries of the neighborhood.
Naval Support Facility (NSF) Anacostia is a United States Naval Base in Washington, D.C., close to where the Anacostia River joins the Potomac River. On 1 October 2010 the base was conjoined with the adjacent Bolling Air Force Base to form the Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. NSF Anacostia fell under the command of Naval Support Activity Washington.
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is an American Indian and Alaska Native rights organization. It was founded in 1944 to represent the tribes and resist U.S. federal government pressure for termination of tribal rights and assimilation of their people. These were in contradiction of their treaty rights and status as sovereign entities. The organization continues to be an association of federally recognized and state-recognized Indian tribes.
The Nacotchtank, also Anacostine, were an Algonquian Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands.
Pan-Indianism is a philosophical and political approach promoting unity and, to some extent, cultural homogenization, among different Indigenous groups in the Americas regardless of tribal distinctions and cultural differences.
The National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) is the second oldest American Indian organization in the United States with a membership of more than 15,000. It was the second independent native student organization, and one of the first native organizations to use direct action protests as a means to pursue its goals. During the 1960s, NIYC acted primarily as a civil rights organization. It was very active in the movement to preserve tribal fishing rights in the Northwest.
The Anacostia Historic District is a historic district in the city of Washington, D.C., comprising approximately 20 squares and about 550 buildings built between 1854 and 1930. The Anacostia Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. "The architectural character of the Anacostia area is unique in Washington. Nowhere else in the District of Columbia does there exist such a collection of late-19th and early-20th century small-scale frame and brick working-class housing."
Bolling Air Force Base or Bolling AFB is a United States Air Force base in Washington, D.C. In 2010, it was merged with Naval Support Facility Anacostia to form Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling. From its beginning, the installation has hosted elements of the Army Air Corps and Navy aviation and support elements.
The National Council of American Indians(NCAI) was established in February 1926. This organization's purpose was to advocate for Native American rights and representation before the United States government.
The Embassy of Tribal Nations is an embassy located in Washington, D.C. that provides a center of operations to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). It was established on November 3, 2009 and allowed the NCAI and other tribal groups an opportunity to meet in a designated location. The existence of the embassy in the United States capital allows international relations between tribes and the U.S. government to be conducted close to each other.
in 1806, an Office of Indian Trade was created within the War Department