Thank you, Daily Progress, for the recent articles and editorials covering the pumping station controversy at Rassawek/Point of Fork.
For those unfamiliar with the topic, Rassawek was the capital of the Monacan Indian Nation several centuries ago. Located at the confluence of the Rivanna and James rivers, the site still bears traces of the civilization that occupied it: pottery, cracked quartz, graves.
The James River Water Authority has targeted this site because it is the cheapest option for a water intake and pumping station. While the desire to save taxpayer dollars is understandable, it should be outweighed by Rassawek’s historic and modern significance, especially to Monacan residents of the area today.
In the light of this issue, my privilege as a settler of European descent is palpable. Imagine the impossibility of a permit being under review to build a pumping station or similar construction at Jamestown or at Monticello.
Some people might argue that the remnants of the Monacans’ height of power are so subtle and represent so little of what once was that we as a community should be content to let the JWRA make use of its burial permits and construction plans to irreparably damage what is left of Rassawek. But imagine the consternation and horror that would rise up if a project were proposed, God forbid, on a site significant to the long-defunct Confederate States of America!
Read the entire article at the Daily Progress.