At UVA, we are working as a community to engage in meaningful and reciprocal relations with sovereign Indigenous Nations and Tribal communities, especially the 11 sovereign nations of Virginia.
The Tribal Liaison position was created to serve two interconnected needs: one, to act as a resource for Tribal communities, especially the sovereign Nations, in their relationships with UVA, and second, to coordinate initiatives relating to Native American and Indigenous peoples across departments, schools, and administrative units at UVA. This includes building relationships and raising awareness in support of student, faculty, staff, and tribal community success.
Connect with the Tribal Liaison via email or phone.
Watch the Welcome to Monacan Country Video
The Monacan Nation Cultural Foundation partnered with the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection and Virginia Humanities to produce a video to acknowledge the Monacan Nation. Below is the 90-second Welcome to Monacan Country video.
If you are interested in screening this video, please email the Monacan Nation Cultural Foundation at minculturalfoundation@gmail.com. You can learn more about acknowledging indigenous custodians by visiting the Kluge-Ruhe website.
Join the Tribal Relations Mailing List
Upcoming Events
- November 7, 2025 | Symposium: Nuclear Colonialism and The Art of Resistance, Harrison/Small Auditorium, UVA
November 7th, 2025 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Learn more and register here: https://kluge-ruhe.org/events/symposium-nuclear-colonialism-and-the-art-of-resistance/
- November 12, 2025 | Enabling Difficult Conversations Series: Migratory Immortality, Contemplative Sciences Center, UVA
November 12th, 2025 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Learn more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/enabling-difficult-conversations-quemar-las-patas-del-imperio-tickets-1902205631249?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl
- November 13, 2025 | VIHNE Webinar: Tribally-Led NAGPRA Compliance in Kansas, Virtual
Thursday, November 13th 4:00 PM
Hosted by the Virginia Indigenous Nations in Higher Education Collective. Learn more and register here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=qeUKYsFOoE-GQV2fOGxzCYCaxgqUMvpPnNWb_pkefy5UM0hDTENMMkRHSTBEQU9CS1lBNFc2V1pXVy4u&route=shorturl
- November 13, 2025 | UVA Teaching Kitchen: World Flavors to Savor Cooking Class - Three Sisters Soup with Blue Cornbread Student Health and Wellness, UVA
Thursday, November 13th, 2025 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Free registration for all UVA students, staff, and faculty. Learn more and register here: https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2le7vCZpUkIEK1w
- November 19, 2025 | UVA Beading Workshop Wednesday, Latinx Student Center, UVA
November 19th, 2025 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
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- November 20, 2025 | The Australian First Nations Film Program; VMHC, Richmond, VA
Event starts at 1:00 PM and will be co-sponsored by the Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival and Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia; the selected films are free and open to the public: Watandar, My Countryman (2023) @ 1:00 PM; Limbo (2024) @ 2:15 PM.
Learn more here: https://pocahontasreframed.com/2025-festival/
- November 22, 2025 | Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival's Family Day Powwow, Richmond, VA
Hosted by and at VMFA, Richmond, VA; 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM. This powwow event is free and open to the public.
View the full powwow schedule here: https://pocahontasreframed.com/2025-festival/family-day/
- October 16-November 23, 2025 | Library of Virginia’s Indigenous Perspectives: Traveling Exhibition, Massanutten Regional Library, Harrisonburg (Central Library)
View the full travel schedule and see online resources here: https://www.lva.virginia.gov/events/exhibitions/indigenous
- November 20-23, 2025 | Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival at VMHC & VMFA, Richmond, VA
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Tickets are on sale now!
Purchase here: https://pocahontasreframed.com
Further details to follow.
Opportunity Spotlight
Understanding Tribal Relations
- Federal and State Recognized Tribes in Virginia
To learn more about each of the federally or state-recognized tribes in Virginia, you can visit their websites for more information.
- Indian Country 101
Our team is working on assembling resources to help our community connect to our specific context. While that work is in progress we wanted to share information on a free online course related to tribal engagement from Conservation Training. If you are interested in learning more access their courses:
- IC 101 (a): Crash Course in Native History in the U.S.
- IC 101 (b): Tribal Governments Today
- IC 101 (c): Identity, Citizenship, and Culture
You can also learn more about some of the history specific to Virginia and UVA through the following:
- Library of Virginia Indigenous Perspectives - Tribal Voices
- Monacan Nation Receives Federal Recognition
- The Language Ghost: Linguistic Heritage and Collective Identity Among the Monacan Indians of Central Virginia
- UVA Morven Farm/"Indian Camp" Property
- Monacan Millennium: A Collaborative Archaeology and History of a Virginia Indian People
- Excerpt on Jefferson's Legacy and the "Doctrine of Discovery"
- Indigenous Peoples in Virginia (Virginia Encyclopedia)
- Resources for Educators
Leaders and citizens of tribal nations in Virginia have communicated an important goal of having opportunities for students in Virginia to engage with tribal histories, current tribal affairs, and the many contributions tribal nations are making toward a prosperous future for everyone in the Commonwealth.
The following resources may be of specific interest to current and future educators:
- Virginia Tribal Education Consortium - Teacher's Corner
- National Museum of the American Indian - Native Knowledge 360
- Indigenous Peoples in Virginia (Virginia Encyclopedia)
- Untold Stories: Maverick's Monacan Homeland - a children's book about the Monacan Indian Nation
- Library of Virginia's Indigenous Perspectives Exhibition
- Indigenous Studies and Education at UVA
The University of Virginia has undergraduate and graduate programs centering indigenous studies as well as several programs and centers that relate to supporting the advancement of Native American and Indigenous life at UVA.
- Indigenous Studies Minor (Undergraduate)
- Indigenous Studies Research Cluster (Graduate)
- Mellon Indigenous Art Program
- Black Indigenous Feminist Futures Institute
- Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection
- Native American Student Union
- Native and Indigenous Relations Community @ UVA
- UVA Native/Indigenous Student Resources
- UVA Library American Indian and Indigenous Studies Guide
- SCHEV Virginia Indigenous Nations in Higher Education Collective
UVA is participating in a new effort through the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV). VINHE is a new collective convened by SCHEV that will serve as a conduit of communication and collaboration between higher education and the Commonwealth’s Tribal Nations. The collective is dedicated to supporting Indigenous access and equity in higher education through collaborative instruction, research, engagement, and capacity building activities. Members of the collective include representatives from tribal nations, higher education institutions, and other stakeholders and organizations.
There are currently six focus areas for the collective:
- Land and Watershed Management and Conservation
- Cultural Resources: History, Archives, Justice
- Preparation for, Access to, and Success in Higher Education
- Legal Issues, Infrastructure, and Business Development
- Embracing Tribal History in K-12 Education Standards
- Tribal Community Health
- National Native American/Indigenous Resources
- National Indian Education Association (NIEA)
- National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO)
- Southeastern Tribal Alliance for Repatriation and Reburial (STARR)
- Bureau of Indian Affairs
- Bureau of Indian Education
- Indian Health Service
- U.S Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network
- Global Indigenous Data Alliance
- Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums
- WeRNative.Org - For Native Youth, By Native Youth
- NIH Ethical Research Involving American Indian/Alaska Native Populations
Community Spotlight
Virginia teachers, a new children’s book about the Monacan Indian Nation is now available!
Untold Stories: Maverick’s Monacan Homeland tells of the Monacan Nation’s history from the current Elders’ perspectives. Students will learn about Virginia’s Native history while the main character Maverick learns about his own history from his great-grandmother, a Monacan Tribal Elder.
This book provides critical information on history, culture, identity, and policy, all told from a Monacan perspective and without perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Alongside Maverick’s journey of discovery, students will learn about how Indigenous people are still here...” – Teaching Literature for Liberty Designed for upper elementary students (grades 4–5), this free open educational resource was developed through a collaboration between Monacan citizens and UVA faculty and students.
Access the book and lesson plans: Teachers and students can explore Untold Stories here, along with accompanying lesson plans aligned with the Virginia Social Studies Standards of Learning here. Want to learn more about Monacan Nation? Visit the Monacan Nation tribal website here, and plan a visit to their cultural museum here. Be sure to mark your calendar for the annual Monacan Powwow, scheduled for June 6–7, 2026. Stay tuned for upcoming flyers and powwow information here.