G. Anne Nelson Richardson (born 1956) is a Rappahannock woman and the first woman Chief to lead a tribe in Virginia since the 18th century.

Biography

Nelson was born in 1956 to Chief and Mrs. Captain Nelson of Indian Neck, Virginia. Anne was elected Assistant Chief to her father in 1980. She served in that position for eighteen years. In 1989, Anne helped to organize the United Indians of Virginia, which was established as an intertribal organization represented by all tribal Chiefs. In 1991, Richardson became executive director of Mattaponi-Pamunkey-Monacan, Inc., that provides training and employment services for

Virginia Indians The Native American tribes in Virginia are the indigenous tribes who currently live or have historically lived in what is now the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States of America. All of the Commonwealth of Virginia used to be Virgini ...

. In 1998, Anne was elected the first woman Chief to lead a tribe in Virginia since the 18th century, by the

Rappahannock Tribe The Rappahannock are a federally recognized tribe in Virginia and one of the eleven state-recognized tribes. They are made up of descendants of several small Algonquian-speaking tribes who merged in the late 17th century. In January 2018, they ...

. She is a fourth generation chief in her family. Under her tenure as Chief, in 1998, the Tribe purchased to establish a land trust, retreat center, and housing development. The Tribe also built their first model home and sold it to a tribal member in 2001. The Rappahannocks are currently engaged in a number of projects ranging from cultural and educational to social and economic development programs, all geared to strengthen and sustain their community. In 2005, Chief Anne was ordained by Pastor Sally Beckman at Living Waters Fellowship. She, also, became chair of the Native American Employment and Training Council. She was elected as Chairman of the Council, working with the Secretary to further the goals of 'Indian Country through Labor Programs'. In 2006, she was invited, along with other Virginia natives, to attend the various ceremonies leading up to the English 2007 events, commemorating the anniversary of the founding of the first permanent English settlement in America in Jamestown, Virginia. Also in 2006, Anne Richardson launched Restoring Nations International, a ministry whose mission is "to restore honor and human dignity by facilitating reconciliation and bringing healing to Native American and other indigenous nations around the world through ministering God's love, purpose and destiny for those nations." Richardson was named one of the

Virginia Women in History Virginia Women in History was an annual program sponsored by the Library of Virginia that honored Virginia women, living and dead, for their contributions to their community, region, state, and nation. The program began in 2000 under the aegis of th ...

for 2006.

News articles

Speaker Biography: Chief G. Anne Richardson

BBC Radio interview: Chief G. Anne Richardson

Virginia's First People - Profile

References

External links

Rappahannock Tribal Website

Restoring Nations International
* , Virginia Women in History 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, G. Anne 1956 births Living people Female Native American leaders Religious figures of the indigenous peoples of North America Native American activists People of the Powhatan Confederacy American clergy People from King and Queen County, Virginia Rappahannock people Activists from Virginia 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women