Rockbridge County Monicans Seek Tribal Status

This is a good article from the cover of today's Roanoke Times. Apparently the Monican tribe has applied to the U.S. Congress for sovereignty, and they think that the 400th anniversary of Jamestown may be their last chance to push it through. The opponents are mainly (and justifiably, in my view) afraid of sovereignty breeding casinos. Meanwhile, accoring to the article, Monacan Chief Kenneth Branham "accuse[s] sovereignty opponents of racism, greed and hypocrisy." Mr. Branham is quoted as follows: "Millions of dollars are going into this [Jamestown] thing and what do we get -- nothing," he said. "We aren't going to take trinkets anymore like in Colonial times. We want the world to know how indigenous people are being treated today. This is the showdown."