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Afte rmore than 400 years, Paramount Chief Powhatan can rest in peace because Werowocomoco, his seat of spiritual and secular authority, is in the hands of respectful stewards of the land. Bob and Lynn Ripley have kept the promise made in 2009 when 25 Intertribal Women’s Circle members visited the site.

When asked if he was ever tempted to sell or develop the land, Mr. Ripley said, “This is like a trust. You have to do the right thing.”

On June 21, 2013, he kept his word. Mr. and Mrs. Ripley, the Chiefs of the Powhatan tribes in Virginia, The Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources held a ceremony to dedicate Werowocomoco “to permanent conservation in honor of Virginia’s rich Indian past, present and future.”

The Honorable Douglas Domenech, Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources, welcomed the crowd to an event “both solemn and joyous.” He invited us to feel the “power of this place.”

Chief of the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, Ken Adams, offered the opening prayer. He asked God to be with us so those who rest here will not have lived in vain.