According to the document requirements for federal recognition, the petitioning tribe must have maintained a continuous community from historical times to the present. Current members of the group, as a whole, must descend from a historic tribe or a tribe that miscegenated.

Members of the current Schaghticoke Nation assert that since the 1800s, the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation has been a presence in the community, conducting tribal meetings, powwows, rattlesnake hunts, naming ceremonies, and other community activities.

Schaghticoke members also insist that the current membership of the nation is based on three unbroken lineages descending from the historical tribe.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has already confirmed the state’s reversal. The tribe’s fate now lies in the hands of Peter C. Dorsey, the U.S. District Judge considering the appeal.

An activist in the making, Velky plans to develop a blog that will feature articles on Schaghticokes and their effort to gain federal recognition. It will also feature articles on the tribe’s history, information about tribal events and contact information for the tribe’s leadership. The launch date has yet to be determined; however supporters can contact Velky through

www. Schaghticoke.com.

Velky plans to complete her law degree this year and return to Connecticut to assist her tribe in their efforts.

While acknowledging that federal recognition will require more than just Internet support, Chief Richard Velky applauds his daughter’s efforts. “It is about preserving and restoring our historic reservation. It is about securing the future of our tribal elders. It is about ensuring our tribe’s continued existence,” he says.

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