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Tribal Members

Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia

A RENAISSANCE WOMAN OF THE NOTTOWAY INDIANS
André L.  Williams, Ph.D.
(Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice) 
Enrolled Tribal Citizen of the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia

 

Nottoway  Indians live a contemporary lifestyle and we are not frozen in the past.  While our community is working tirelessly toward maintaining practices  that are rooted in the past, we are diligently working to apply those  practices that define our place in contemporary society. Nottoway culture  allows our people to deal with the realities of contemporary society,  not by embracing a new fad, but continuing to absorb new traditions  on our own terms. Like other Nations across Indian Country, Nottoway  people are striving to maintain our culture. Suffice it to say, culture  is not just the remnants of the past, but also patterns of thought,  and cycles of behavior that shape the basic building blocks of Nottoway  life. We the Nottoway, are eternally grateful for the untiring efforts  and sacrifices of one of our past leaders-Wané Roonseraw.

Wané Roonseraw, born circa 1754-1838 who took  the English name Edith Turner (Edy Turner) was a renaissance woman of  the 19th century in Southampton County, and on many occasions  she was referred to as “Queen” or “Chief.” On one account, Turner  was depicted as an astute business woman. Although Turner was not a  learned woman, she was described as highly intelligent and a skillful  conversationalist. In addition to her ability to have had the command  of the English language, she was also fluent in her native tongue which  was the Nottoway language (Morse, 1822). In fact, in 1820 former President  Thomas Jefferson dispatched Wood who as a professor at the College of  William and Mary to record the Nottoway language (and word list which  contains over 200 words) as dictated to Wood by Turner. Later it was  determined by DuPonceau that the Nottoway language was of an Iroquoian  language stock (American Philosophical Society, 1820).

Through the distressing years of our history, the  strong willed Wané Roonseraw (Edy Turner) was faced with many disturbing  issues. For example, she was faced with providing a safe haven for Nottoway  children who found themselves as orphans, and she fought diligently  to maintain the Nottoway culture for those who were to come after her.  Additionally, Turner argued that by Treaty rights Nottoway children  were to stay on the reserve and they were not to serve as apprentices  or indentured servants to Caucasian planters in the surrounding communities  in Southampton County.

Prior to the turn of events for the Nottoway, 19th century America was a tempestuous period for American Indians. For example,  many Indians were forced from their sacred lands via the Removal Act  of 1830 which was led by former President Andrew Jackson (U.S. Department  of State, n.d). The Nottoway people were not affected by the Removal  Act of 1830; however, the Nottoway who had inhabited their sacred lands  in Southampton County for many years found themselves pressured to accept  the economic system, political, and religiosity of the dominate culture  of that epoch. Consequently on October 27,1821, Turner petitioned the  Virginia General Assembly as “Chief” of the Nottoway people (General  Assembly Legislative Petitions, 1821) to distribute the remaining segment  of the initial 44,000 acre Nottoway Indian Reservation into individual  descendant ownership allotments.

Exhibit 1 is a photocopy of the original Petition  of the Nottoway Indians, Southampton County, Virginia, to the Virginia  General Assembly on October 27, 1821.

Exhibit  1.


Edith (Edy) Turner A RENAISSANCE WOMAN OF THE NOTTOWAY INDIANS

One may consider this action as the last resort  for Turner and her people. Nevertheless, being politically savvy and  a shrewd business person, Turner assumed allotting portions of the reserve  was perhaps the only means to evade the involuntary ejection of the  Nottoway people westward. Furthermore, it is important to note that  other historical Indian Nations found the Nottoway reserve as a safe  place of refuge in their time of trouble and need.

As a social activist, politician, and business  person, Wané Roonseraw (Edith Turner) was a progressive thinking woman  of her time, and she was a powerful force to have been reckoned with  in 19th century Southampton County. Today as 21st century Nottoway people, Turner's fighting Iroquoian spirit continues  to dwell within us. Nuwaswekum translation-“They speak, it is their role”. Therefore, it is  the role of Nottoway people to speak the truth, and speak of our rich  historical past, present, and future for the next 7 Generations.


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