Pamunkey reservation in Virginia

Joyce Krigsvold, right, is among Pamunkey Church members leaving Sunday worship. It’s the oldest Native American church in Virginia.

Kathy Davis and others visit the graves of their ancestors after Sunday service at Pamunkey Church in Virginia.

Mikayla Deacy, 4, and her dog Dakota swim in the Pamunkey River. Mikayla will be eligible for scholarships and other benefits now that the Pamunkey have received federal recognition.

Kathleen Brown moved to the Pamunkey reservation eight years ago with her husband, Brad, a descendant of tribal members. The couple is pursuing a farm-to-table lifestyle, with chickens and a garden.

Catfish are plentiful on the Pamunkey River. A fisherman catches one and throws it back. The river surrounds the reservation almost like a moat.

Ethan Brown, 27, left, and cousin Jamie Atkins, 29, carry chickens they’ve raised. Only about a fourth of the Pamunkey tribe’s 208 members live on the reservation.

John Henry Langston, 84, is the oldest tribal member living on the Pamunkey Indian Reservation. He rides his bike around the reservation on most days.

John Collins, 56, returned to live on the reservation and enjoys kayaking on the local waters.

Brad Brown, left, and his wife, Kathleen, enjoy a picnic with cousin Jamie Atkins. “We were a tribe here before the U.S. government existed,” says Brad.