Dear Friend of the Mattaponi,

When I was a boy in the early fifties, my father, Chief Webster Little Eagle Custalow, would bring me on a crisp spring morning to the banks of the Sandy Point tract on the Mattaponi River. I still feel the thrill of seeing the river flowing, the herons fishing, and ducks nesting in the marshes. Occasionally an eagle or an osprey would soar overhead. I used to long for this large piece of our original Homeland to become part of our Reservation again. The fish, wildlife and bird habitat make Sandy Point an especially sacred site for our Tribe.

When I returned to the Reservation and became Assistant Chief of the Tribe, I had this vision of a modem Hatchery, a beautiful three story Cultural Center built over the water and a Living History Village to study and teach our culture to tribal members and the general public alike.

We now have the opportunity to re-acquire this 2050 acre piece of our Homeland, known as the Sandy Point Tract, for an estimated 3 million dollars. At first, I felt overwhelmed as I considered the large sum of money needed. I didn’t know how we were going to raise this kind money. Then I realized we could not turn this opportunity down.

The vision for my beloved Reservation, the beauty of it all and the chance to protect rich Virginia natural resources, forests, meadows and wetlands, while strengthening our cultural heritage, gave me the will to hope.

We may have only six months in which to purchase the first 550 acre parcel. How can I even begin to express what this land means to us? It used to be part of our Reservation. It has a sacred and very special meaning to us. This land is our natural heritage and the way for us to realize our vision.

On the present 150 acre Reservation, the Church still stands. The old School House is now a Community Center. One of the oldest Shad Hatcheries in the Nation has been replaced with a newly equipped modem one. The Mattaponi River flows unchanged, much as it did in the 1600’s. Last year, the Tribe returned an estimated 8 million endangered Shad to the river.

We have struggled to maintain our identity for over 350 years. We have endured. The Mattaponi have been described by historians as a people who have refused to give up. I won’t give up. I am determined to raise the funds necessary to re-acquire our Homeland.

This place is in our hearts. We need your help to place it safely in our stewardship. Please help us to realize our dream. What I seek to do, I can not do without you. It is critically important that you be with us in our quest. We have our work cut out for us. Can I count on you again for help in returning Pocahontas’ Homeland – our Homeland – to our Tribe?