A new multimedia exhibition at the Library of Virginia explores voices and experiences of Virginia’s tribal communities and how they remain a vital part of Virginia’s culture today.

“Indigenous Perspectives,” which runs through Aug. 17, 2024, features excerpts from video interviews with citizens of Virginia’s tribes and archival records from the Library’s collections. Also included are objects contributed by the tribes that reflect their traditions and culture such as eel pots, regalia and quilts.

Indigenous peoples traditionally have been introduced in Virginia history at the point of contact with European colonists, and subsequently they disappear, leading to assumptions that they became extinct or played no further role, according to the Library of Virginia. The new exhibition places their voices and experiences at the center of an examination of the Library’s holdings, which include maps, treaties, land records and other governing documents.

“We have a generation coming up starting to show interest in the background, where we came from. [They] want to learn the history,” said Chief Gerald Stewart of the Chickahominy, Eastern Division.

Historic items in the Library’s collections document the colonization, land dispossession and sometimes eradication of Indigenous peoples. However, Library staff learned from tribal leaders and citizens that these same records contained the history of the tribes if one read between the lines.

“Indigenous peoples pass on their history through oral tradition, so there are no written records,” said Chief Lynette Allston of the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia. “So, if we can take a European record and analyze it from a different perspective, we can make sense of our story. And we can adjust [it] to give it our perspective.”

The tribes and the Library’s staff collaboratively selected examples of archival records from the Library’s holdings for inclusion in the exhibition. Tribal citizens shared how they have reinterpreted these materials and issues of importance to them, such as the environment, what it means to be a sovereign nation, and what they hope for the future.

“We have coined a term that clearly describes what we’re doing, and we are re-matriating our Mother Earth, because that was the core of our spiritual beliefs,” said Chief Anne G. Richardson of the Rappahannock Indian Tribe. “And that’s the reason that place is so important to us.”

Work to develop the exhibition began in 2022, when the Library worked to develop an ongoing partnership with the 11 federally and state-recognized tribes in Virginia.

“As the official record keeper for Virginia, the Library is committed to collecting and sharing the stories of Virginia’s first people,” said Librarian of Virginia Sandra G. Treadway. “This exhibition reflects our ongoing effort to preserve Virginia Indian history and to foster a deeper understanding of that history by incorporating the oral traditions as well as the lived experiences of Indigenous Virginians today.”

Several Library of Virginia events and programs related to the exhibition will take place throughout the exhibition.