RICHMOND, Va. - The eight chiefs of the state-recognized Virginia Indian tribes stood in line near the Capitol steps May 3, awaiting the visit of Queen Elizabeth II of England.
The occasion made history since the event, set to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Jamestown's founding, included Virginia Indians as dignitaries invited to meet the queen as well as the state's General Assembly - and marked the first time Virginia tribes were represented in a Jamestown anniversary.
As Queen Elizabeth II approached the Capitol steps, Chief Ken Adams of the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe welcomed her.
''Your majesty, the descendants of the sovereign Virginia Indian nations who greeted your people in 1607 extend a warm welcome to you today,'' Adams said. ''We have the profound privilege of renewing and strengthening our common bonds of history. Just as your people recently greeted us with such honor and dignity, we now return that honor with the Virginia Indian Intertribal Drum and dancers' song of welcome.''
After the welcome, the queen shook hands with the eight chiefs. Chief William Miles of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe gave the queen a broche encased in a clam shell. The broche was a replica of one that Pocahontas wore when she visited England.
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