RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and first lady Anne Holton stood outside the Executive Mansion today to preside over a Thanksgiving tradition that dates to the late 1600s — Virginia’s Indian tribes paying tribute to the governor with an offering of wild game.
On a damp and gray but mild morning, Kaine received two freshly killed buck deer and a turkey. He welcomed about 200 people, including members of several generations of Native Americans dressed in traditional attire, as well as Capitol Square tourists and the families of state workers.
The annual gift of wild game commemorates the peace treaty with Virginia’s Indian tribes that was signed by England’s Lord Charles II and royal governor Herbert Jeffreys in 1677.
Kaine thanked tribe members, “the first Virginians,“ whose ancestors greeted the first European settlers to Jamestown in 1607.
And the governor, who during his term has been an ardent supporter of efforts by the tribes to gain federal recognition, expressed optimism that it would happen before he leaves office in mid-January.
A bill to recognize the tribes has cleared the U.S. House and passed a Senate committee on a voice vote. The legislation is scheduled to be reported out of the committee and sent back to the House for review before coming up for a final vote.
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