Historic Accord: Naval Weapons Station Yorktown and Federally Recognized Native American Tribes Sign Landmark NAGPRA Agreement

By Max Lonzanida Public Affairs Officer, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown

Yorktown, Va. (October 22, 2026). Naval Weapons Station (WPNSTA) Yorktown entered into a historic Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Comprehensive Agreement during a formal signing event with leadership from federally recognized Native American tribes in the region on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The landmark agreement was signed by Capt. Dan Patrick, WPNSTA Yorktown’s Commanding Officer alongside Chief Keith Anderson of the Nansemond Indian Nation, Chief Tribal Administrator Stephen Adkins and First Assistant Chief Wayne Adkins both respectively of Chickahominy Indian Tribe.

The agreement also formalizes an enduring compact with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, Rappahannock Tribe and the Upper Mattaponi Tribe. It marks the first NAGPRA Comprehensive Agreement established and signed by any U.S. Navy installation within the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Area of Responsibility; and creates a unified and dignified standard for proactive consultation between the U.S. Navy and federally recognized tribes.

During the brief ceremony, Capt. Patrick noted that safeguarding the nation’s defense and honoring ancestral grounds are not opposing priorities, but deeply intertwined callings.

“Our primary mission is clear, we provide critical ordnance, logistics and support to ensure the readiness and lethality of the United States Navy,” said Capt. Patrick. “We secure peace by being prepared to defend our nation. But true leadership and true security requires us to be exemplary stewards of the land we are entrusted to protect. National defense and cultural preservation are not in conflict; instead, they are deeply reinforcing duties.”

Capt. Patrick also stressed that the signed agreement goes far beyond procedural paperwork, and cemented long-term trust and reverence.

“The federally recognized Native American tribes of Virginia have cared for and maintained a profound connection to these lands since time immemorial,” Patrick remarked. “Today, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown formally pledges to honor that enduring connection with dignity and the respect it deserves. This ceremony does not mark the conclusion of a project; it marks the formal start of an active and enduring partnership.”

The agreement was developed pursuant to the Native American Graves Preservation and Repatriation Act of 1990 (25 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq.) and 43 CFR Part 10. It establishes clear protocols across all lands managed by WPNSTA Yorktown and Cheatham Annex. At the center of the agreement is a foundational principle: preservation in place. Discovered ancestral remains and cultural objects will be left undisturbed in the earth whenever possible.

Should an inadvertent discovery occur during military training, infrastructure work or archaeological surveys, the agreement dictates immediate and respectful actions. This entails instantly ceasing work in the affected area, rapid consultation with federally recognized Native American tribes, protective care and an opportunity for tribes to have private access to the affected area to conduct traditional religious ceremonies pursuant to the agreement.

Additionally, the agreement moves beyond theory by embedding cultural preservation directly into base operations. Its stipulations are now required appendices in future ground disturbance contracts and work permits, making cultural protection a required topic at every pre-construction briefing. If environmental conditions or missing constraints require items to be moved to avoid imminent destruction, recoveries will be minimally invasive, guided by traditional knowledge and led by reburial as close as possible to the original site of discovery with consultation and participation by the tribes.

“We are proud to set a standard here in Yorktown for other installations in the region to follow,” concluded Capt. Patrick. “We do not just share geography; we share a commitment to mutual respect and open communication, and we look forward to walking this path of stewardship together.”

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