|
The Powhatan (also spelled Powatan and Powhaten) were a very powerful tribe
of Native Americans, speaking an Algonquian language, who lived in what is now Virginia at the time
of the first European-Native encounters. Powhatan was originally the name of the town that the chief Wahunsunacock came from. When this
chief created a powerful empire by conquering much of Virginia, he called his lands Powhatan and titled himself Chief
Powhatan.
In 1607, when John Smith arrived, he was captured by Opchanacanough, the younger brother of Chief Powhatan. According to Smith's account (which in the late 1800s
was considered to be fabricated, but since is believed to be mostly accurate—although several highly romanticized popular
versions cloud the matter), Pocahontas, Powhatan's daughter, is said to have
prevented her father from executing Smith. It is believed that this was a ritual intended to adopt Smith into the tribe.
After Smith left Virginia because of an injury sustained in a gunpowder accident, the nervous tribe attacked and killed many
of the Jamestown residents. The residents fought back, but
only killed twenty. When Smith came back, he made peace and the past was forgotten.
However, within a few years both the Chief and Pocahontas were dead from disease. The Chief died in Virginia, but Pocahontas
died in England, having been captured and married to the tobacco planter John
Rolfe. Meanwhile, the English continued to encroach on Powhatan territory. After Wahunsunacock's death, his younger brother
Opchanacanough became chief, and in 1622 and 1644 he
attempted to force the English from Virginia. These attempts invited strong reprisals from the English, ultimately resulting in
the destruction of the tribe.
The Powhatan language is now extinct, although approximately 3000 Powahatan people remain in Virginia.
External links
|