Fones Cliff: Return to Sacred Ground
The Great Homecoming
Fones Cliffs represents one of the most significant cultural and spiritual victories in modern Indigenous rights movements. After 350 years of separation from their ancestral homeland, the Rappahannock Tribe's acquisition of these sacred cliffs demonstrates the enduring power of place in Indigenous identity and the possibility of healing historical wounds. This stunning four-mile stretch of white diatomaceous cliffs rising more than 100 feet above the Rappahannock River is now home to one of the most remarkable conservation and cultural restoration stories in American history.
🕊️ Sacred Ground of the Ancestors
As Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson explains, "My people have lived here since the beginning." These towering white cliffs served as sacred ceremonial grounds, strategic lookout posts, and communication centers where the acoustics carried drumbeats between villages along the water. The cliffs were chosen for their proximity to the creator, where eagles—messengers from the spirit world—nested and soared.
"We believe that there are specific portals in the earth that are connected to the spirit world, and I believe the cliffs are one of those places. You can feel it, so powerfully when you get there." - Chief Anne Richardson
🏺 The Three Ancient Towns
When Captain John Smith navigated the Rappahannock River in 1608, he documented three thriving Rappahannock towns positioned strategically atop Fones Cliffs. These settlements, whose names have been restored through the tribe's cultural revival, represent the heart of Rappahannock civilization:
**Wecuppom** - The Northern Settlement
The largest of the three towns, now covering 969 acres that were reclaimed by the tribe in 2024. This was the primary village where tribal governance and major ceremonies took place.
**Matchopick** - The Central Hub
Covering 252 acres, this town served as a strategic communication center. Its name has been restored to honor the original Rappahannock heritage, and it now forms part of the National Wildlife Refuge.
**Pissacoack** - The Sacred Ceremonial Ground
The 465-acre spiritual center where healing ceremonies and sacred rituals took place. Returned to tribal ownership in 2022, it will feature an educational center and reconstructed 16th-century village.
🦅 Eagle Nation: A Global Important Bird Area
The National Audubon Society has designated Fones Cliffs as an Important Bird Area with "global significance" due to its hosting one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles on the entire East Coast. The cliffs serve as a convergence point for three distinct eagle populations:
- Resident Population: Year-round eagles that nest in the towering trees atop the cliffs
- Winter Migrants: Up to 20,000 eagles from New England and Canada that arrive each fall to feed on shad, herring, and blue catfish
- Summer Visitors: Post-breeding eagles from Florida that migrate north for the warmer months
The eagles hold profound spiritual significance for the Rappahannock people. As Chief Richardson notes, "The eagles had great spiritual significance for the tribe—they were the messengers from the creator to the people. The eagles remain there to this day and I think they're waiting for our return. When we come out, they always come to visit."
📹 Witness the Return to the River
The emotional homecoming as the Rappahannock Tribe reclaims their ancestral homeland at Fones Cliffs
The conservation partnership that made the historic land return possible
🔍 The Story of Indian Peter: Survival and Resistance
One of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries at Fones Cliffs is evidence of "Indian Peter," a Rappahannock man who was enslaved and "owned" by a colonist but was manumitted in 1699. Court records from 1697 show that Angelo Jacobus granted freedom to "my Indian boy, Peter," along with a horse, saddles, clothes, and other provisions.
Archaeological evidence suggests Indian Peter lived near Fones Cliffs from 1700-1730, in what was once called "Indian Peter Swamp." Artifacts found include:
- Modified Wine Glass: A piece of colonial stemware that was skillfully flaked into a crystal point, demonstrating traditional Native American toolmaking techniques
- Sacred Crystals: Found both at the cliff site and across the river at Beverly Marsh, indicating continued spiritual practices
- Colonoware Pottery: Native-made ceramics showing the blending of traditional and colonial-era technologies
- House Foundation: Evidence of an 18th-century dwelling structure
Indian Peter represents the resilience of Indigenous people who found ways to remain connected to their ancestral lands even under colonial oppression. As Chief Richardson observes, "We only knew about the locations of the towns but we never knew there were survivors there."
📜 Timeline of Loss and Recovery
Captain John Smith encounters the Rappahannock Tribe at the three clifftop towns. The tribe launches an attack to defend their homeland, with warriors disguised as bushes among the sedge.
Colonial expansion forces the Rappahannock people from Fones Cliffs. Treaties are consistently broken, and tribal lands are systematically taken.
The tribe is forcibly relocated to Portobago Indian Town, further up the river, where they serve as "human shields" against Iroquoian raids from the north.
Indian Peter, a freed Rappahannock man, lives near Fones Cliffs, maintaining traditional spiritual practices while adapting to colonial life.
Diatomite Corporation of America acquires the property for mining the silica-rich sediments, used in industrial applications like beer purification and cement additives.
Multiple development proposals threaten the cliffs, including plans for 47 residential lots and later a massive golf resort with luxury condos. Conservation groups and the tribe fight these proposals.
Chesapeake Conservancy donates one acre to the Rappahannock Tribe for their "Return to the River" program. Illegal land clearing by Virginia True Corporation causes 800 feet of cliff face to collapse.
The Rappahannock Tribe receives federal recognition through the Thomasina E. Jordan Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act.
The Conservation Fund purchases 252 acres (Matchopick) and transfers it to the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge with $4 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
In an emotional ceremony attended by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the Rappahannock Tribe reacquires 465 acres (Pissacoack) through a donation by Chesapeake Conservancy, creating the first partnership of its kind in National Wildlife Refuge System history.
The Conservation Fund purchases and transfers 969 acres (Wecuppom) to the Rappahannock Tribe, completing the return of nearly 1,500 acres of ancestral homeland.
🔬 Archaeological Discoveries and Spiritual Connections
Chief Anne Richardson works alongside archaeologists Julie King and Scott Strickland to uncover the hidden history of Fones Cliffs, using both oral traditions and scientific methods. Their discoveries include:
🔮 Sacred Crystals and Spiritual Practices
Crystals found at the dig site and across the river at Beverly Marsh provide tangible evidence of the cliffs' spiritual significance. As Chief Richardson explains, "We know that the crystals were used both in spiritual ceremonies and for healing... places that those crystals would have been used for a sacred ceremony... to communicate with the other realm, the supernatural realm."
📿 The Leedstown Connection
A tiny but significant discovery—a compound bead made of opaque red glass with a translucent green core—connects Fones Cliffs to the major Rappahannock town of Leedstown upriver. This same type of bead was first discovered in 1937, linking the sites across time and space.
🌿 The Return to the River Program
The Rappahannock Tribe's "Return to the River" initiative trains tribal youth in traditional river knowledge and practices while educating other communities about Indigenous culture. Planned developments include:
- Educational Center: A facility where tribal members can share their history and Indigenous conservation approaches
- 16th-Century Village Replica: A reconstruction that will demonstrate traditional Rappahannock life and serve as a teaching tool
- Hiking Trails: Public access routes that respect both conservation and cultural values
- Observation Deck: Planned construction overlooking the cliffs with views of the Rappahannock River and Beverly Marsh
- Sacred Ceremony Spaces: Areas for traditional spiritual practices and healing ceremonies
🌊 Geological Wonder: The White Cliffs
The distinctive white color of Fones Cliffs comes from diatomaceous earth—silica that once coated marine algae (diatoms) living in the Atlantic Ocean over five million years ago. These sediments were deposited when sea levels were higher and the Coastal Plain was underwater. Modern diatoms are still so common that they produce 20-30% of the oxygen on earth.
🤝 A Model for Indigenous Land Recovery
The partnership between conservation organizations, government agencies, and the Rappahannock Tribe has become a national model for Indigenous land recovery. The innovative approach involves non-government organizations purchasing land, establishing conservation easements with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and then transferring fee title to the tribe.
Key partners in this historic achievement include:
- Chesapeake Conservancy: Facilitated major land acquisitions and tribal transfers
- The Conservation Fund: Purchased properties at bankruptcy auctions and during legal challenges
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Manages conservation easements and refuge additions
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Provided grant funding through Walmart's Acres for America Program
- Land and Water Conservation Fund: Supplied federal conservation dollars
- Private Donors: Including the Angle family and Virginia Warner (daughter of Senator John Warner)
🔮 Looking Forward: Healing and Stewardship
As Chief Anne Richardson reflects on the significance of this return: "Going back to those places is very healing for you... It feels like you're coming home from a long, long journey. That you're coming home again. And that's such a healing... from all of the rejection and the racism and the marginalization and all of those things that we carry in our DNA."
The Rappahannock Tribe's vision for Fones Cliffs balances cultural restoration with environmental conservation. As Chief Richardson emphasizes, "We're not interested in doing development on the river. We're interested in keeping it the way that it is and having it for people to be able to experience and enjoy. If nothing is ever done to it except for our people can go there and have ceremony. It's a very important place for the tribe."
The Eagles Are Waiting
"The eagles remain there to this day and I think they're waiting for our return. So when we come out they always come to visit." - Chief Anne Richardson
The return of the Rappahannock people to Fones Cliffs represents more than land acquisition—it's a restoration of the sacred relationship between Indigenous communities and their ancestral territories, witnessed by the eagles who have kept watch through centuries of separation.