table of CONTENTS

About the Cover

“Grandma’s Cape,” a painting by Trudith Dyer (Upper Mattaponi), is among the featured art in the “Reign & Rebellion” special exhibition. Read inside to learn more about how the piece is inspired by her great-grandmother Mollie Holmes Adams, an Upper Mattaponi tribal leader. Dyer shares the motivation behind her work in a special guest feature.

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10 Spring Renewal for Tribal Communities Springtime heralds the start of a new reciprocal cycle between Virginia’s tribal communities and the natural environment.

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Lilly Endowment Supports ‘Religion and Early America’ Through a grant award from Lilly Endowment Inc., JYF launches a new “Religion and Early America” initiative.

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VA250 Kicks Off With ‘A Common Cause to All’ Learn about the March signature event that invites everyone to connect with the momentum of VA250.

New Season for Director’s Series

A new season of the Director’s Series launched in January 2023 with a sold-out crowd to hear renowned interpreter Bill Barker and insight to his longtime portrayal as Thomas Jefferson. Read about the riveting program, see how you can view it at home and get ready for a full season of captivating conversations.

Archival Preservation of

History

Discover how JYF has preserved its history over the past 60+ years and the ongoing efforts to sustain the archive and enhance access to this unique collection.

Loyalty To The King

“REIGN & REBELLION” illuminates the English Civil War and Divine Right of Kings. Despite Charles I’s execution in 1649, support for the monarchy continued. Intricately crafted in gold, diamond, turquoise and enamel, this mourning ring features his portrait, but its hinged lid allowed the wearer to keep their political loyalties secret until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

Mourning rings were a common form as far back as the Middle Ages, giving comfort to the wearer and by suggesting everlasting life through memory.

The Maryland Center for History and Culture, which loaned the tiny ring for the exhibition, notes in its description: "The tradition became widely popularized after the execution of King Charles I in 1649. Royalists showed their loyalty by wearing rings and pendants bearing enameled miniature portraits of their respected leader."

Reign /rān/

verb: prevail, dominate; hold office, as in king or queen noun: the period during which someone or something is predominant or preeminent

Re-bel-lion /rǝ'belyən/

noun: the action or process of resisting authority, control or convention When we look at objects, the brain sees what it wants to see. Implicit biases, untruths and our own cognitive dissidence shape how we interact with objects.

“Reign & Rebellion” acts as a snapshot, forcing our focus on an era that had perhaps even more to do with the evolution of a nation than the American Revolution itself.

Historic documents, portraits, material culture and contemporary art unite to tell a more complete history of the Indigenous Virginians, West Central Africans and Europeans converging in Tsenacommacah and Virginia and their legacies today.

—Katherine Egner Gruber, Curatorial Manager