HJ 768 — Commending the Brafferton Indian School.

SESSION INTRODUCEDENROLLED 23105320D I HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO.

768 OfferedE February 20, 2023 N Commending the Brafferton Indian School.

TN Patron––Batten R ––––––––––Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 21, 2023 Agreed to by the Senate, February 23, 2023 O WHEREAS, since the founding in 1693 of The College of William & Mary in Virginia, colonial OL officials encouraged Native American tribes that signed treaty agreements with the English to sDndsend L young men to be educated in reading and writing, the arts and sciences, and Christian theology;

and WHEREAS, for more than 65 years between 1723 and 1790, the Brafferton Building at The College ofE William & Mary served as the primary residential and instructional building for Native AmeriCan students;

andMary served as the primary residential and Governorinstructional Alexanderbuilding Spotswoodfor beganNative American D WHEREAS, most tribes were hesitant to remitsend annualstudents tributeto paymentsthe forinstitution, tribesand thatit maintainedwas aLt.not until Lt.

Governor Alexander Spotswood began to remit annual tribute payments for tribes that maintained a student or two in residence that the number of students attending the school increased;

and D WHEREAS, by 1712, The College of William & Mary hosted 24 students from multiple tribes, and during the following decades, Native American students consistently made up a substantial percentage of the total student population;

andandive American students consistently made up a substantial percentage of WHEREAS, between 1705 and 1716, when the main college building, now known as the Sir H Christopher Wren Building, was being reconstructed due to a fire, all students were taught and housed 7 in auxiliary facilities in Williamsburg;

when the Wren Building reopened in 1716, there may have been hall8 separate residential quarters for Native and classroomsnon-Native instudents, but evidence indicates that the Wrendining BuildingR werehalWHEREAS, spacesto sharedbetter byaccommodate allthe students;growing population of Indigenous students, the Brafferton Building was constructed in 1723;

andndicates that the dining WHEREAS, to better accommodate the growing population of Indigenous students, the BraffertonJ Building was constructed in 1723;

and WHEREAS, the Brafferton Building took its name from the Brafferton Estate, an agricultural manor in Yorkshire, England, that supported the construction and ongoing funding of the Indian School at The CollegeColWHEREAS, ofin William1732, &the MaryBrafferton andBuilding similarunderwent schoolsrenovations, inand half the colonies;second floor was outfitted as a library for use by all students and faculty;

andstudents' WHEREAS,dormitories infor 1732, the BraffertonIndian BuildingSchool underwentwere renovations, and half the second floor was relocated to the third floor of the building;

anddand faculty;WHEREAS, Brafferton Indian School alumni were emissaries and interpreters for Virginia governors and military officers, most notably George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson;

students'and dormitoriesSeven forYears War, the IndianAmerican SchoolRevolution, were WHEREAS, Brafferton Indian School alumni were emissaries and interpretersUnited forStates Virginiahistory, governorsacting andas militarywarriors, officers,guides,the mosttranslators, notably George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Thomasliaisons; Jefferson;

and WHEREAS, during the Revolutionary War, funding from the Brafferton IndianEstate Schoolwas alumniwithheld madeand significantthe contributionsIndian toSchool, Virginiaalong society,with the :entire college closed temporarily;

35and SevenWHEREAS, Yearsafter War,the conclusion of the Americanwar, Revolution,The andCollege Unitedof StatesWilliam history,& actingMary astook warriors,legal guides,action 36in translators,was unsuccessful, and liaisons;the school closed permanently;

and 37 WHEREAS, during the Revolutionary War, funding from the Brafferton Estate was withheld and the 38 Indian School,School; along with the entire college closed temporarily;

andhowever, Englandin to1790 reinstatethe lawsuit WHEREAS, the Brafferton Estate'sBuilding fundingwas forsubsequently therepurposed Indianas School;a dining hall, faculty residence, dormitory, and classroom building;

however, in 1790 the lawsuit was unsuccessful, and the school closed permanently;

and WHEREAS, the Brafferton Building was subsequently repurposed as a dining hall, faculty residence, dormitory, and classroom building;

and WHEREAS, over the course of its history, the Brafferton Indian School at The College of William & Mary hosted students from Virginia's Powhatan Chiefdom, such as the Pamunkey, Chickahominy, andandiam Seneca,& andNansemond; Tuscarora;

and those of the Six Nations (Haudenosaunee) Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora;

and WHEREAS, in 2023, The College of William & Mary will commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Brafferton Building's legacy by engaging with the heritage of the Indian School and the role it played in early American history through cross-disciplinary scholarship and applied research and further strengthening ties with the tribal community;

now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend The College of William & Mary in Virginia on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the construction of the Brafferton Indian School on its campus;

and, be itheit 300th anniversary of the HJ768 2 of 2 RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to The College of William & Mary in Virginia as an expression of the General Assembly's appreciation for the important historical legacy of the Brafferton Indian School and the institution's ongoing work to contextualize its early history and strengthen relationships with Native communities.