Virginia Governor Salutes Tribes’ Decades of Deer Hunting to Feed the Homeless

RICHMOND, Va.—Gov. Glenn Youngkin honored a 348-year-old treaty with two indigenous tribes on Nov. 26 and commended them for providing millions of servings of venison to Virginia’s homeless people over the past three decades.

Youngkin referred to efforts by the Mattaponi and the Pamunkey tribes, the only two tribes that reside on reservations in the Commonwealth of Virginia according to terms of the Treaty of Middle Plantation in 1677, made with Virginia’s colonial governor. Under that treaty, the tribes retain their land in exchange for a symbolic tax, which is “paid” every year by presenting to the governor two stags hunted on tribal lands and exhibited at the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond.

“I want to especially thank … the entire ‘Hunters for [the Hungry]’ team,” said Youngkin, referring to an organization made up of Mattaponi and Pamunkey members that processes deer hunted in the state and turns it into venison donated to feed homeless people.

“They’ve been doing this for 34 years, and … they have provided nearly 33 million servings of venison. … That’s over 8 million pounds,” said Youngkin on X. “What an amazing statement.”

Hunting on tribal lands is usually easier than outside them, as indigenous tribes are allowed to set their own rules and regulations, as well as follow traditional practices to conserve the stag populations on those lands. The sovereignty of tribes over their lands also allows them to operate special enterprises such as casinos.

After remarks, each tribe presented the governor with a stag. The stags were tied on sticks and laid on the ground before Youngkin. The ceremony, an annual tradition, has been performed 348 times by various royal, colonial, and modern governors, and is usually done before Thanksgiving Day.

The tribal chiefs also presented individual gifts to the governor and his wife. A basket and earrings were given to First Lady Suzanne Youngkin, while the governor was presented with a corn necklace and rattle. A traditional dance was then performed around the courtyard in front of the Governor’s Mansion to the beat of a traditional drum.

Youngkin, in his remarks, invoked the “spirit of Virginia,” which has been the theme of his political career since taking office in 2022. His principal political action committee, also known as a “Super PAC,” bears that name, and he has used it to raise funds for campaigns in the state.

“The very spirit of Virginia coursed through [the tribes’] veins long before we became a commonwealth. … I give thanks to this spirit,” said Youngkin, a Republican. “[It] makes Virginia the very best place in the world to live, and to work, and to raise a family.”