“From the Archives” Thomasina Elizabeth Jordan

A unique parishioner in Saint Mary’s more recent history was Thomasina Elizabeth Jordan, also known as “Red Hawk Woman.” She was an American Indian activist and one of the first Native Americans to serve in the U.S. Electoral College. She was well known as a tribal story teller who – in her own words – devoted her life to “further the advancement of the whole American Indian people.”

Mrs. Jordan was a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the tribe that met the Mayflower. She grew up on tribal lands on Cape Cod where she was raised by her grandparents after being orphaned as a child. After her marriage to Wendell Jordan, she moved to Alexandria and became a member of Saint Mary Church. For many years, Mrs. Jordan was a familiar figure at Sunday Mass at Saint Mary, proudly wearing her distinctive Indian clothing and jewelry. She earned undergraduate degrees at Bishop Lee College in Boston. She also studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and later at Harvard University. She also received a doctorate in special education from the Catholic University of America.

Red Hawk Woman especially loved children and used puppets, songs, music and stories to teach them about Native American customs and history. A frequent speaker, her fundraising efforts enabled many Native Americans to travel to Europe and China to share their cultural heritage at international folk festivals. She chaired the annual American Indian Folk Festival in Alexandria. In 1991, she was presented the Medal of Honor from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Governors of Virginia appointed her chair of the Virginia Council on Indians in 1994 and again in 1997.

For many years, Mrs. Jordan worked diligently to get the Chickahominy, Nansemond and six smaller tribes in Virginia officially recognized by the state and federal governments. The Chickahominy and Nansemond made her an honorary member of their tribes, which reportedly moved and humbled her greatly.

Mrs. Jordan never stopped her advocacy work. Just days before her death on May 23, 1999, after a long battle with cancer, she was still busy lobbying members of the U.S. Congress for the introduction of a bill granting federal recognition to Virginia’s tribes. That measure, the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribe Recognition Act, was eventually introduced in Congress and enacted into law in 2018.

– Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

Throughout 2020, the Basilica of Saint Mary will present “From the Archives.” It is a weekly feature online and in our bulletin spotlighting the history of the parish. All of our “From the Archives” features are located here.