THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 28, 1994 TAG: 9408270100
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 111 lines
THE NANSEMONDS' annual Pow-Wow last weekend was dedicated to honoring the tribe's chief. And in his 80-plus years of life, he has seen his people's culture change with the people, who go from sometimes suppressing their native American heritage and to embracing it, old and young alike.
Take 9-year-old Eric Bass of Portsmouth, the chief's grandnephew. Powwows are nothing new to him. The native American gatherings have been part of his life for as long as he can remember. But the powwow Aug. 19 at Lone Star Lodge in Chuckatuck was the best one yet for Eric.
Not only did he have a new outfit to wear as he danced in the sacred circle of the dance arena with his friends and relatives, he also bought his first bow and arrow.
Eric's enthusiasm and pride in his heritage brought a nod of approval from his great-uncle, Earl L. ``Running Deer'' Bass, chief of the Nansemond tribe and the man to whom the powwow was dedicated.
Chief Running Deer, who celebrated his 85th birthday Saturday, has led the Nansemonds since he succeeded his father in 1960. He lives in Chesapeake's Deep Creek section.
``I remember back in the 1920s when they said there were no Indians left in Virginia, but there were plenty of them,'' Running Deer said. Virginia's native Americans were for decades an almost invisible minority, according to the chief, who has been to only about as many powwows as Eric.
``Indians used to come to my daddy's house when he was chief, but we never had powwows like this back then.''
The Nansemond tribe today numbers about 300 members, but there is no such thing as a full-blooded Nansemond in the tribe. Each of the Nansemonds is descended from the 1638 marriage of an Englishman, John Bass, to a Christian Nansemond woman named Elizabeth, daughter of the Nansemond chief.
Although there are Nansemonds scattered across the country, the greatest concentration is found in Hampton Roads.
The Nansemonds began hosting traditional powwows six years ago at Lone Star Lodge here in Chuckatuck, in northern Suffolk, not far from the tribe's ancestral home near Reid's Ferry, just to the south. The gatherings were started to educate the public about native American culture and as a social gathering for the Nansemonds and their seven sister tribes in the United Indians of Virginia.
At this year's powwow, a large dance arena was roped off along the shore of the Nansemond River in front of a drum arbor decked with pine branches. Men, women and children - dressed in traditional regalia, sometimes with their own individual flair - performed old and newer tribal dances.
Around the perimeter of the powwow area, vendors offered snacks ranging from traditional fried bread and buffalo burgers to crabcake sandwiches. Other booths offered everything from alligator teeth to ceramic teepee night lights.
The powwow, which draws thousands of visitors each year, also has become popular with folks trying to trace their native American lineage.
``In our fathers' time, you didn't tell people you were a native American,'' said Earl L. Bass II, Nansemond tribal council member and powwow organizer. ``A lot of people suppressed it and put it away forever, only to have their kids come along and want to research their history.''
Earl Bass is Eric's father and Chief Running Deer's nephew. And while their family may not have been as active in native American affairs years ago, they did not turn their backs on their heritage.
``The native American people themselves are more active in public, and the public has become increasingly sympathetic to things Indian,'' said Helen Rountree, professor of anthropology at Old Dominion University. ``There is a dozen times more interest in the native American culture now than 20 years ago, both from native Americans and from others.''
Rountree, an honorary member of the tribe, has researched the Nansemonds and other tribes throughout her career and was a speaker at the powwow.
Nokomis Fortune Lemons, a member of the Rappahannock tribe, helped to emcee the Nansemond gathering. Powwows are a family affair for the Fortunes. Lemons' parents operate the Morning Star fried bread concession, and other relatives make up the Rappahannock American Indian Dance troupe.
``This is what we do every weekend from February to December,'' she said. ``I guess you could call it the powwow circuit.''
Lemons says she also has seen a dramatic increase in public interest in native American culture in the past five or six years.
``People want to know more about our culture and tradition. They have a real interest - and, of course, curiosity plays a part in that.''
Consider the Jenkins family. Vacationing in Chuckatuck from their home in Erie, Pa., they were among the curious spectators. Dave Jenkins, 41, said he believes he had some Cherokee and Sioux ancestors, and he was eager for his six children to learn more about their native American heritage.
``My dad always tried to deny our Indian background, so I have been picking up some knowledge about it since I left home.''
It was the family's first visit to a traditional powwow, and the idea of native Americans in their family intrigued Jenkins' daughters.
``I was really excited to come out here because I like considering myself Indian,'' said Becky Jenkins, 15.
Eric Bass shares that feeling. He is so proud of his ancestry that he invited his great-uncle, Chief Running Deer, to come to his school, James Hurst Elementary, to tell his class all about the Nansemonds.
``Everyone in the school knows I am a native American,'' Eric said. ``My friends think it's cool.'' MEMO: Sidebars on page 15.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff color photo on cover by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Earl L. ``Running Deer'' Bass, chief of the Nansemond tribe, was
honored at the recent powwow in Chuckatuck.
Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Nansemond Indians begin the formal procession at their annual powwow
at Lone Star Lakes.
KEYWORDS: NANSEMOND INDIANS by CNB