7/10/2025
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Powhatan's Mantle
Tribal Truths
Powhatan's Mantle is considered a sacred artifact by Tribes in Virginia. So, how did it end up in a British museum?
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Tribal Truths
Native communities in Virginia have listened to others tell our stories. Now it's our turn. We're debunking myths and legends with fact, teaching about tribal cultures and current issues. This is Tribal Truths. The pilot episode was produced with financial support from Virginia Humanities.
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Episodes
6/26/2025
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Indigenous veterans: The hidden battle in Virginia by Indigenous men during WWII
Tribal Truths
During the Second World War, Indigenous men in Virginia were not allowed to identify as Native Americans. Some fought back.This episode Includes the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe - Eastern Division, the Rappahannock Tribe, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, the Monacan Indian Nation and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe.
View original6/12/2025
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The power of Indigenous women and the Patawomeck Indian Tribe
Tribal Truths
Indigenous women lost their power to colonization. As keepers of ancestral stories, the Patawomeck Quilters are making sure that never happens again.
View original5/29/2025
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Indigenous schools in Virginia and The Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe
Tribal Truths
During the Jim Crow Era, Indigenous children were forced to leave Virginia to get their diplomas.
View original5/19/2025
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New episodes coming soon
Tribal Truths
A new season of the Tribal Truths podcast series is coming May 29th.
View original7/27/2023
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Mini-episode: Eel pot making
Tribal Truths
Eel pots are a traditional eel trap made out of white oak splits that we’ve used for generations in our Tribe, in the Potomac Creek and along the Potomac River.
View original7/20/2023
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Mini-episode: Story quilts
Tribal Truths
I create story quilts and the story quilts are about our Tribe, our history, my personal life.
View original7/13/2023
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Mini-episode: Traditional cooking
Tribal Truths
Bertie Branham cooks cornbread, deer meat and squash on a stone over an open fire.
View original7/6/2023
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Mini-episode: The dreamcatcher
Tribal Truths
The dreamcatcher as become a kind of universal symbol of Native American crafting and art.
View original6/29/2023
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Mini-episode: Making a bark bag
Tribal Truths
Tanya Stewart explains how she learned to make a bark bag and the steps involved.
View original6/22/2023
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Mini-episode: The story of the corn husk doll
Tribal Truths
Deborah Wilkinson explains the legend behind the corn husk doll and how to make one.
View original6/1/2023
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Monacan Indian Nation: Saving Rassawek – How historical racism is still with us
Tribal Truths
This is a complicated story of a history of white supremacy that tried to erase Indigenuity in Amherst County and how that carries forward today as Tribes in Virginia are left out of the permitting and decision process for development and other land disturbing uses throughout the state that affect ancestral lands and remains.This episode was made possible by a grant from Virginia Humanities.And a content warning: There are stories of trauma and racial slurs in this episode.
View original5/25/2023
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Nansemond Indian Nation: Looking for Ancestors in the Great Dismal Swamp
Tribal Truths
The Nansemond Indian Nation has a deep connection to the Great Dismal Swamp. Oral histories date back to the late 1800s but then disappear from colonial pressures to assimilate. Still, tribal members who grew up by the Swamp maintain ancestral hunting and trapping traditions. But there is someone who has discovered ancient Indigenous artifacts in the Great Dismal Swamp, some dating back 8,000 years.
View original5/18/2023
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Mattaponi Tribe: An ancient tradition is threatened by the loss of the American shad
Tribal Truths
Calvin and Mac Custalow take their niece, Dawn Custalow, fishing on the Mattaponi River at their reservation. The traditional Easter Sunday service breakfast of shad and shad roe now relies on other fish as the American shad continues to puzzle scientists as to what is causing its decline.
View original5/11/2023
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New Season Coming Soon
Tribal Truths
The new season of Tribal Truths starts May 18th.
View original4/6/2022
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Rappahannock Tribe takes ownership of ancestral town on Fones Cliffs
Tribal Truths
Nearly 400 years after the Rappahannock Tribe was forced from their lands, they will finally return as owners to one of their towns on Fones Cliffs.Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, herself a member of the Pueblo Laguna Tribe, spoke during the ceremony.
View original1/21/2022
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Ancient cliffs are revealing lost tribal histories
Tribal Truths
There's a place along the Rappahannock River in eastern Virginia, not far from the Chesapeake Bay, where the Rappahannock Tribe once lived along the copper-white cliffs that rise vertically from the river. The tribe has a deep connection to this place, now known as Fones Cliffs. Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson and a team of archaeologists are bringing history to the surface, but it's a race against time, development and climate change.Narrated by Steven Nelson, a citizen of the Rappahannock Tribe.This episode was produced with support from Virginia Humanities.
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