Piscataway Conoy Tribe honors victim of Navy Yard shooting

Thursday, September 26, 2013  

Kenneth Bernard Proctor Sr., a member of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe of Maryland who was killed in the Navy Yard shooting in Washington, D.C., was laid to rest on Wednesday.

Proctor, 46, participated in the Piscataway Conoy Dance troupe as a child. He was able to trace his tribal ancestry to 1734, The Washington Post reported.

“We always perform an honor song for tribal members when they cross over to the spirit way,” Chairwoman Mervin Savoy told the paper, referring to an honor song at Proctor's funeral.

Proctor, who worked for the federal government for more than 20 years, was buried with pouches containing corn, beans and squash, tobacco, sage and other important cultural items, the paper said.

After a long battle, the tribe gained state recognition in January 2012.

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Piscataway tribe honors Navy Yard shooting victim Kenneth Bernard Proctor (The Washington Post 9/26)