At 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 2,2009 the first businesses to be established at Bending Water Park will be open to the public. These will include canoeing on Lake Accohannock and Tull's Branch Creek, with Water Trails and rough camping surrounding the lake. There will also be an American Indian Trading Post, offering authentic hand-crafted American Indian arts & crafts, light snacks, and trail supplies.

A new dock & launching ramp, built by Taylor & Sons of Frenchtown, MD last fall, now allows easy access to Tull's Branch Creek. Water-trail tours offered by the Tribe begin at Tull's Branch and can continue into East Creek, Pocomoke Sound, and the Chesapeake Bay.

For further details, contact the Accohannock tribal office at 410-623-2660.

When completed, the business complex at Bending Water Park will consist of a welcoming center, gift shop, snack bar, museum, a variety of small retail stores where visitors may purchase authentic American Indian items, and a walking tour of a re-constructed traditional Eastern Shore Native American "living village". This enterprise will not only provide tourist-related income for the Tribe, but will also offer employment opportunities for tribal members and other residents in the Somerset County area.

Clarence Tyler Elected Tribal Council Chairman

Mr. Clarence N. Tyler, formerly tribal interim treasurer, was elected Tribal Council Chairman in a special election February 25. This election was necessary because the Tribe has received several substantial grants recently, and tribal bylaws as well as grant regulations state that the tribal council chairman (formerly, Chief Rudy T. Hall, Sr.) cannot hold that position and at the same time act as a paid grant administrator. There were 65 eligible registered voters, of whom 27 (42%) cast a ballot, with all 27 voting in the affirmative for Mr. Tyler (running unopposed). We congratulate Mr. Tyler, and wish him success in his new position.

Official Tribal History

In the past, various individuals have questioned the legitimacy of the Accohannock as a bona fide Maryland American Indian tribe. For this reason, the Tribe arranged with the research staff at the Eastern Shore Public Library in Accomack, Virginia to study the historical record of the Tribe and prepare an authoritative document presenting their findings. As a result of the efforts of Research Librarian Ms. Rachelle Luttig and Director of Information, Dr. Brooks Miles Barnes, in cooperation with tribal historian Michael Hinman, a report entitled: Documented History of the Accohannock's Forgotten Past: 1608-Present was compiled and written. This document provides the evidence showing that the Accohannock Tribe was, indeed, an American Indian tribe, part of the Powhatan Nation and indigenous to what is now Somerset County. A copy of this document will be placed in the Edward H. Nabb Research Center at Salisbury University.

Upcoming Events

>> May 2-- Opening of the first businesses at Bending Water Park.
>> October 17-18-- The Accohannock Sixteenth "Healing of All Nations" pow-wow at Bending Water Park. Make your plans to attend this exciting weekend festival.
>> Oyster sandwich sales are held every other Saturday at the Tribe's sandwich booth in Marion

Accohannock Meeting of the Members

Accohannock Tribal meetings of members are held the first Wednesday of every month beginning at 7 p.m. at the tribal office annex, located across from the Marion Volunteer Fire Dept. All members of the Tribe are encouraged to attend and participate in the discussions and decisions regarding tribal issues. If we haven't seen you in a while, please know that you are missed. Come out and be a part of all the exciting things that are happening and are about to happen! To verify that a meeting has not been postponed or rescheduled, please call us at 410-623-2660.

We will be known forever
By the tracks we leave

(American Indian Proverb)

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