On the day before Thanksgiving 2002, Chief Swift Water paid a visit to the Governor's Mansion on Capitol Square in downtown Richmond. To fulfill a 356-year-old compact between two sovereign nations, Bill Miles of HUD's Richmond Field Office - also known as Chief Swift Water of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe - helped deliver tribute to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Pamunkey Tribe's obligation - originally to the King of England - dates back to 1646.

While it dates back to America's colonial times, today the annual visit is one part genuine obligation and one part honored tradition. HUD's Miles met with Governor Mark Warner but, under the Middle Plantation Treaty of 1677 (the original treaty was signed in 1646), in another era, a Pamunkey chief would have met with a representative of the King of England. In the Seventeenth Century, the tribute paid to the King of England was in the form of beaver skins. In modern times, the obligation has evolved to the presentation of fresh, wild game [On a cool misty morning several days before the ceremony, the tribe hunted deer on its reservation to present to the Governor (above). After the ceremony the wild game is donated to a non-profit organization to feed the needy.]

From colonial days and even earlier, the Pamunkey Tribe, a part of the Algonquin Nation, was considered the strongest of the Powhatan Confederacy tribes. Most Americans have heard of or read about the most famous member of the tribe: Pocahontas, the daughter of Chief Powhatan. Chief Swift Water - HUD's Bill Miles - was proud to play his role and pay tribute on the part of the tribe. By continuing to honor the treaty obligation, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe maintains its historic status and its sovereignty, and a government-to-government relationship with the Commonwealth of Virginia. Miles also believes we all should know and be proud of our roots and heritage, and find ways to give back to the community.