Ani-Stohini/Unami

The Ani-Stohini/Unami is a cultural heritage group based in Virginia.

Ani-Stohini/Unami

Type	unrecognized tribe
Location	Fries, Virginia[1] Ivanhoe, Virginia[1]
Membership	350[citation needed]

In the 1960s, the group took the name Ani-Stohini/Unami.^{[citation needed]} Their original petition for federal recognition in 1968 was lost during the take over of The Bureau of Indian Affairs by the American Indian Movement in 1972 ^{[citation needed]} according to Holly Reckord, the former director of BAR.^{[citation needed]}

While they identify as being Native American, they are an unrecognized organization. They are neither state-recognized nor federally recognized as a Native American tribe.^[2]

The 2010 US Census listed Tla Wilano and Ani-Stohini among its potential American Indians tribes, which was used in the census' 2020 consultation meetings.^[3] The US Census is self-reported,^[4] meaning there is no independent verification of an individual's claim of Native identity.

Petition for federal recognition

Misty Dawn Thomas submitted a letter on behalf of the Ani-Stohini/Unami Nation of intent to petition for Federal Acknowledgment of Existence as an Indian Tribe through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in the Department of the Interior that was received in 1994.^[1] They were listed as petitioner #150;^[5] However, the organization never followed through with the petition for federal recognition and their address was marked as invalid.^[6]

State-recognition

The State of Virginia does not recognize the organization as a Native American tribe.^[7]

Activities

Leaders of the Ani-Stohini/Unami attended six White House meetings for non-federally recognized tribes during the Clinton Administration. ^{[citation needed]} This group worked with southwest Virginia U.S. Congressman Rick Boucher on several environmental issues and also during the application process. ^{[citation needed]} Senator John Warner wrote letters to the Interior Department on the tribe's behalf. ^{[citation needed]} In addition, the tribe lobbied the US Department of the Interior to protect the Appalachian Mountain Bog Turtle.^[8]