The Pocomoke Indian Nation is a cultural heritage organization of individuals who identify as descendants of the
Pocomoke people
The Pocomoke people were a historic Native American tribe whose territory encompassed the rivers Pocomoke, Great Annemessex, Little Annemessex, and Manokin, the bays of Monie and Chincoteague, and the sounds of Pocomoke and Tangier.
History
...
. They formed a
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
, the Pocomoke Indian Nation, Inc., in
Eden, Maryland
Eden is a census-designated place (CDP) in Somerset County, Maryland, United States. The Eden zip code (21822) also includes parts of Wicomico and Worcester counties. The population was 793 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Salisbury, ...
.
[
The Pocomoke Indian Nation is an unrecognized organization. Despite having the word "nation" in their name, this organization is neither a ]federally recognized tribe
This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
nor a state-recognized tribe
State-recognized tribes in the United States are organizations that identify as Native American tribes or heritage groups that do not meet the criteria for federally recognized Indian tribes but have been recognized by a process established under ...
.
Nonprofit organization
The Pocomoke Indian Nation, Inc. registered as nonprofit corporation
A nonprofit corporation is any legal entity which has been incorporated under the law of its jurisdiction for purposes other than making profits for its owners or shareholders. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, a nonprofit corporation may ...
in 2011.[ He uses the title "paramount chief."]
Activities
Norris Howard Sr. and his son "Buddy" Howard have fought against state recognition of the Accohannock Indian Tribe
The Accohannock Indian Tribe, Inc. is a state-recognized tribe in Maryland and a nonprofit organization of individuals who identify as descendants of the Accohannock people.
The Accohannock Indian Tribe is not federally recognized as a Native A ...
,[ based in ]Marion Station, Maryland
Marion Station, also known as Marion, is an unincorporated community in Somerset County, Maryland, United States. It is located at the northern intersection of Maryland routes 413 and 667. After the arrival of the Pennsylvania Railroad arm kno ...
.
The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore donated a $5,000 grant to the Pocomoke Indian Nation in 2015 to support its educational, outreach, and marketing programs. Members provide living history demonstrations and storytelling. For example, the group has provided programming for the Delmarva Discovery Museum in Pocomoke City, Maryland
Pocomoke City, dubbed "the friendliest town on the Eastern Shore", is a city in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Although renamed in a burst of civic enthusiasm in 1878, the city is regularly referred to by its inhabitants simply as P ...
.
See also
* List of unrecognized tribes in the United States
Unrecognized tribes in the United States are organizations of people who claim to be historically, culturally, and/or genetically related to historic Native American Indian tribes but who are not officially recognized as Indigenous nations by the ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Pocomoke Indian Nation
Cultural organizations based in Maryland
Non-profit organizations based in Maryland
2011 establishments in Maryland
Somerset County, Maryland
Unrecognized tribes in the United States