Piscataway-Conoy Tribe of Maryland

The Official Piscataway Conoy Tribe of Maryland Inc.
Type501(c)(3) organization
46-2190498
HeadquartersBryans Road, Maryland
Location
  • United States
Official language
English

The Piscataway Conoy Tribe of Maryland is a Native American tribe recognized by the state of Maryland. They identify as descendants of the Piscataway people. It is one of two state-recognized Piscataway tribes in Maryland, along with the Piscataway Indian Nation and Tayac Territory. Neither is a federally recognized tribe.[1]

History

Prior to European contact, the Piscataway tribe was a part of a confederacy of tribes occupying the areas between the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River watershed.[2] The tribe's traditional territory included present-day Charles, Prince George's, St. Mary's, and Baltimore counties, as well as the foothills of the Appalachians.[3] The Piscataway were some of the first Native Americans to make contact with European settlers. Colonial expansion led to a 1666 treaty between tribal leadership and Lord Baltimore, resulting in the establishment of a reservation called the Piscataway Manor.[4] During this time many Piscataway people converted to Catholicism.[5] To escape persecution by settler society, some of the Piscataway migrated to settlements along the Susquehanna River into Virginia and Pennsylvania,[6] where the Iroquois gave them the name 'Conoy'.[4] In 1974 Turkey Tayac, a leader of the Piscataway revival, incorporated a non-profit organization called the "Piscataway-Conoy Indians."[7]

Revitalization: 20th-21st century

In 1995, the Piscataway Conoy Tribe began petitioning for formal state recognition as a tribe. The Piscataway Conoy tribe, along with the Piscataway Indian Nation, were recognized by the Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley on January 9, 2012.[8] The Executive Order granted Maryland Indian status but did not affect rights to land or gaming rights.[9] As part of the negotiation for state recognition, the Piscataway Conoy tribe renounced any plans to open casinos.[10] In 2021, St. Mary's College of Maryland launched an initiative to acknowledge the land on which the College sits as the ancestral home of the Yacocomico and Piscataway Peoples.[11] In November 2021, the University of Maryland announced the name of its new dining hall would be Yahentamitsi in honor of the state’s Piscataway Conoy Tribe.[12]

Notable members

See also

References

  1. ^ "Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  2. ^ "Culture". Piscataway Conoy Tribe. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  3. ^ "Piscataway-Conoy: Rejuvenating ancestral ties to southern parks". Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  4. ^ a b "History". Piscataway Conoy Tribe. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  5. ^ "Religion and the Founding of the American Republic". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  6. ^ "An Indigenous tribe conserves its ancestral landscapes". Chesapeake Bay Program. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  7. ^ "Piscataway Conoy tribe loses bid for state recognition". Indian Country Today. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  8. ^ "Culture". Piscataway Conoy Tribe. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  9. ^ "Executive Order - Recognition of the Maryland Indian Status of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe". Casetext. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  10. ^ "O'Malley formally recognizes Piscataway tribe". Capital Gazette. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  11. ^ "St. Mary's College of Maryland Initiates Land Acknowledgment and Pledge". The Southern Maryland Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  12. ^ "University of Maryland names hall to honor the Piscataway". WTOP News. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
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