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• The Piscataway Conoy Tribe of Maryland
• Silver & Gold Partners and Sponsors
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc
• Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc
• Chaney Enterprises
• Charles County Department of Health
• Charles County Sheriff's Office
• Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Swann Construction Inc
• TFG Technology Solutions

Why We're Running

As one of several Native American tribes indigenous to Maryland, the Piscataway are among the oldest communities in the state. We have lived along the banks of the Potomac - from the Choptico village in southern Maryland, to the Nacotchtank village in present-day Washington D.C. (from which the Anacostia River derives its name) - where we have celebrated our heritage and preserved our lifeways for thousands of years. Today's Piscataway live under a strange circumstance in which the Maryland Government does not officially recognize any Native American tribes indigenous to the state. A little-known fact is that without official 'Maryland Indian Status', Piscataway people - and indeed all Maryland Indians - are, in the eyes of the law, not considered minorities. As such, we are ineligible for most of the programs that benefit other minorities. This includes everything from minority scholarships to minority contracting setasides and minority health services. We Piscataway have taken it upon ourselves to sponsor programs that not only bridge the gap left by a lack of minority status, but also serve the greater Maryland community in which we live. Below are a few of the initiatives we are pursuing currently:

• The PACE (Piscataway Academic and Cultural Enrichment) and PEARL (Piscataway Entrepreneurship, Advancement, Readiness, and Leadership) youth programs give our youngest children a much needed leg up in the classroom, and give our older youth the professional/entrepreneurial skills they will need to succeed in the workplace and develop businesses that create jobs to drive the state's economy.

• The Piscataway have spearheaded numerous successful environmental and historic preservation efforts. Most notably, the Piscataway Tribe and the Broad Creek Historical Society partnered to save 21 acres of waterfront property at Tent Landing (a site that once housed a Piscataway village and a Revolutionary War battlefield) from being turned into a private luxury housing development. The land has now been converted into a park for all to enjoy.

• The Argentine Newman Scholarship Fund is a new program being pursued to provide tribal youth with the college scholarships they are so often denied due to lack of Maryland Indian status granted by the state. In addition to strong grades and rigorous course loads, candidates for the scholarship must also demonstrate a dedication to serving both the Piscataway community and the larger communities in which they live. The scholarship is named in honor of a Piscataway Tamaquaa Clan elder.

By participating in the Piscataway 5K, you will be supporting programs like those above, performing an invaluable service to both the Piscataway people and the state of Maryland that our people have supported since its inception. Today we ask for your help, whether great or small, to breathe continued long life into our vibrant tribal community. Taquiechen, kschamehhellan! Wanishi! (Join us, and run! Thanks!) Linda Heard
Coordinator, 2010 Piscataway 5K Run/Walk

Collage of images from the 2009 Piscataway Green Corn Festival and Homecoming.   Clockwise from top left: Fancy Feather Dancer, Potato Dance, procession of Piscataway Princesses, child interrupts his mother during an Eastern Blanket Dance, Piscataway drummers and singers, a picture of the festival emcee, spectators watching the Potato Dance, Snake Dance.