DATE: Friday, March 7, 1997                 TAG: 9703070656

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NIA NGINA MEEKS, staff writer 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   65 lines

CHESAPEAKE INDIANS' REMAINS TO COME HOME FOR BURIAL IN BEACH. REMAINS OF CHESAPEAKE INDIANS TO BE BROUGHT HOME FOR SACRED BURIAL

Oliver Perry got the word this week: the remains of 64 Chesapeake Indians will be reburied here next month, ending a decade-long quest to bring them home.

The remains have sat at the state Department of Historic Resources in Richmond for years. Local archaeologists unearthed many of them in the '70s and '80s.

The Chesapeake remains date between 800 B.C. and 1600 A.D., Perry said. The Chesapeake lived in what is now the Great Neck area, not far from where the first English settlers landed on the shores of Cape Henry in 1607.

The eight recognized tribes of Virginia authorized Perry to take the lead on the matter. He has worked with others for the past 10 years on the project.

``It's something that should be done,'' said Perry, chief emeritus for the Nansemond tribe. ``If you stop and think in terms of people who died overseas, be they soldiers or civilians, they are returned home and given a dignified, respectful burial.''

Such was not the case for the Chesapeake. Archaeologists found them, but other tribes, such as the Potomac, were discovered by developers. In most cases, bones and other artifacts were boxed and stored like tax returns.

The respect now accorded the remains of these Chesapeake Indians brings a sense of pride and joy, said Michael Butler, a member of the Virginia Council on Indians. That feeling extends beyond the American Indians of this region and reaches out to the larger family, Butler said. While he migrated to Virginia Beach some years ago, he is a member of Wisconsin's Ojibwe tribe.

At least 2,000 other American Indians reside in the Beach today, Butler said.

The Chesapeake reburial April 26 will be simple, yet sacred, in the First Landing/Seashore State Park. Only the invited will participate, Perry said.

He had dropped notes to members of the region's tribes around Christmas, telling them to keep a spring date open.

Perry, 74, is not like retirees who kick back and relax after putting in 30 years on a job. With his extra time, he began to research his roots.

That led him to the first reburial of American Indian remains in Virginia a few years back. Then, members of the Paspahegh found a resting place in Williamsburg.

Since the Nansemond were neighbors and allies to the Chesapeake and the Chesapeake no longer exist, the Nansemond adopted the remains.

Initially, Perry looked at Cape Henry as a final resting place. Beach erosion and other details soon scrapped that plan. He turned his sights to First Landing.

He lobbied city, state and federal entities as he led the charge to bring the Chesapeake bones to Virginia Beach.

``Everything worked according to plan,'' Perry said. ``Everyone was completely cooperative and understanding. Without their support and attitude, it would have never come off.''

The final paperwork still has to be filed, but all looks to be a go.

``It will be very nice to see these efforts come to fruition,'' said Catherine Slusser, a state archaeologist who has worked on the project with Perry.

``The burial site itself can become a focus on the awareness that Native Americans lived throughout this area - the very land we are today,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo TAMARA VONINSKI/File photo

Oliver Perry, chief emeritus for the Nansemond tribe, worked for 10

years to bring the remains of the Chesapeake back to the area. KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE INDIANS

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