Name: Lecture | Land, Liberty and Loyalties: Virginia Indian Participation in the Revolutionary War
Start: 2026-11-10
End: 2026-11-10

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Join us for a free lecture presented by anthropologist Ashley Spivey, Ph.D., and historian Katie Gibson, M.A., about the individual choices tribal citizens made in aims to protect their land, defend their liberty and question their loyalties during the Revolutionary War.

Spivey and Gibson will explore the complex choices Indigenous peoples in Virginia faced during the Revolutionary War and how these decisions shaped their communities. They will examine treaty relationships and political alliances of Virginia tribes in the 18th century and analyze why some supported the Patriots while others sided with the British or remained neutral. The talk will also consider the war’s aftermath, including land bounties granted to Indigenous veterans and pension claims by widows. Examples of Pamunkey participation in the war include the stories of Brafferton Indian School students Robert Mush and George Sampson, and John Collins and his wife, Jane, who served on the front lines. These narratives reveal how tribal citizens navigated loyalty, liberty and survival amid profound social and political pressures.

This event is part of the Library’s programming commemorating Virginia's role in the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Spivey is an historical anthropologist specializing in the archaeology and culture of Powhatan Algonquian communities located in Tidewater Virginia. Her academic and professional experience has centered on supporting tribal sovereignty through tribal cultural and natural resource management and tribal historic preservation. She has worked with tribes, universities, museums and federal and state agencies to support and implement historic preservation as well as cultural and natural resource management programs that incorporate the needs of tribal communities. As a member of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, Spivey has a close connection to the Indigenous communities of Virginia, including developing Indigenous-led cultural heritage and natural resource management strategies and facilitating administrative capacity building through consultation on program development and implementation.

Gibson is a public historian with experience in research, archives, genealogy and federal acknowledgment. She has worked in different capacities with her local historical organizations and is interested in the historic preservations of underrepresented histories. She has previously worked as an archive and collections specialist with the Mattaponi Indian Reservation on their petition for federal acknowledgement.

This event is free, but registration is required. Limited free parking is available underneath the Library at 800 East Broad Street. For more information, contact education@lva.virginia.gov.

Lecture | Land, Liberty and Loyalties: Virginia Indian Participation in the Revolutionary War

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