Tammy Richardson, of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe, is a multimodality technologist at VCU Health CMH. She administers X-rays, ultrasounds, nuclear medicine and computed tomography. She is married to Ivory Richardson, who we previously featured. Here is her story:

Tell us what you know about your ancestry.

“My dad is white, and my mom is Haliwa-Saponi. I grew up in a tight, small community of about 3,000, half of which lived in Halifax and Warren counties. Our tribe is a hodgepodge of native tribes. Most Native Americans were sent out west and a lot died along the way, so there’s a few of this tribe and few of that tribe. A lot of the lineage is lost because birth certificates just list mulatto. What we know is by talking to people and knowing whose grandparent is Native. Oral history has played a big part.”

Share something about your culture.

“We are a very superstitious people. Owls are not welcome. They are harbingers of death and doom. We don’t like them. We don’t want to see them. We love feathers. Bird feathers, like eagles, get your prayers closer to God. A lot of our dances mimic certain birds. There’s a dance called the crow hop. If you watch a crow hop from place to place, that’s what the dance looks like. Traditions are formed around what you have available. There’s a chicken dance now that started in the west and migrated east. It has a very small bustle, or grouping of feathers, compared to the large bustles in more traditional dances. You’re creating new traditions.”

How has your background impacted your career?

“From a very young age, my mom always took care of people. That has been a part of my life for as long as I remember. Here at work I treat everyone like family because that’s how I was raised. I’ve never met a stranger. I’m a very welcoming and outgoing person. Knowing your story helps me figure out how I can help you better. If I can make you more comfortable, you’re more likely to stay still for the imaging tests.”

If you are interested in learning more about the local tribes in the area, the 55th Annual Powwow is scheduled for April 14-16, 2023. Visit haliwa-saponi.org for details.