The Nansemond are the indigenous people of the Nansemond River, a 20-mile long tributary of the James River in Virginia. The name "Nansemond" meaning "fishing point" in Algonquian), harvested oysters, hunted, and farmed in fertile soil.
They gained state recognition from Virginia in 1985. They gained federal recognition in 2018 after Congress passed a bill. Many members of the tribe still live on former ancestral lands in Suffolk, Chesapeake, and surrounding cities.
The Nansemond are the indigenous people of the Nansemond River, a 20-mile long tributary of the James River in Virginia. The name "Nansemond" meaning "fishing point" in Algonquian), harvested oysters, hunted, and farmed in fertile soil.