The Native American tribe involved in the Norfolk casino project is leveraging its political influence in Virginia to safeguard the land where Chief Powhatan was born nearly 500 years ago.
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe achieved federal recognition in 2015, yet this small community in King William County is known as one of the oldest and most historically significant Indigenous groups in America.
The tribe is currently constructing a $750 million casino resort on the Elizabeth River, adjacent to Norfolk’s Harbor Park Minor League Baseball stadium, with plans to launch its first phase by late 2027.
The Pamunkey people assert that they have lived in the area east of Richmond for 13,000 years and were integral to the influential Powhatan Chiefdom.
Chief Powhatan was born at Tree Hill Farm, a sprawling property of over 500 acres that overlooks downtown Richmond in Eastern Henrico County.
The scenic farmland and wooded area is being eyed for a mixed-use development by BGRE, the real estate branch of Brookfield Asset Management, a global investment management firm with over $1 trillion in assets.
Tribal leaders are advocating to protect Tree Hill Farm, emphasizing its sacred significance.
“It would be like constructing a mall at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.”
Pamunkey Tribal Chief Kevin Brown
“They [BGRE] must engage with us to halt this development immediately and reconsider the entire project,” Brown stated to WTVR Richmond. “Once it’s damaged, it’s lost forever.”
BGRE has expressed its commitment to honoring the land’s heritage, allocating 6.5 acres in their plans for a “Native American commemorative site.”
The company claimed in a statement that it has held over a dozen meetings with tribal officials since February 2025, though tribal leaders argue that communications have recently ceased, pushing them to seek media intervention.
The Powhatan Chiefdom
Under Chief Powhatan, whose true name was Wahunsenacawh, the chiefdom encompassed over 30 Algonquian-speaking Indigenous tribes in Southeast Virginia’s Tidewater Region. This coalition formed as early English settlers arrived and established Jamestown in the early 1600s.
Powhatan led his people through the challenges posed by colonial incursion. Initially, he sought peaceful relations and trade with the colonizers, providing them with food and supplies. However, relations soured when Captain John Smith failed to honor the terms of trade. As the English settlement expanded, Powhatan grew increasingly distrustful of the newcomers.
Powhatan passed away in 1618. His daughter, Pocahontas, is known for her interactions with the Jamestown settlers, eventually marrying colonist John Rolfe in 1614. Pocahontas died a year before her father at just 21, possibly due to pneumonia, tuberculosis, or severe dysentery.
Norfolk Casino Initiative
Following Virginia’s approval of a commercial casino bill in 2020, Norfolk was earmarked for gaming development, subsequently appointing the Pamunkey Indian Tribe as its “exclusive gaming developer.”
This designation raised eyebrows.
While other cities partnered with major gaming corporations like Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International, and Rush Street Gaming, Norfolk chose a small Indigenous tribe lacking any prior gaming or hospitality expertise. This decision is linked to the Pamunkey’s collaboration with billionaire Jon Yarbrough on a proposed casino resort in the region. Yarbrough made his wealth through developing bingo-style, slot-like Class II gambling machines for tribal casinos.
Boyd Gaming acquired Yarbrough in September 2024 following multiple legal and financial disputes between the city and him. Boyd and the Pamunkeys launched a temporary modular casino, named The Interim Gaming Hall, on the project site in November 2025.