The Powhatan Confederacy.
In one of my prior blogs I did an overview of the Powhatan people. I am going to continue to dig deeper into the culture of one of my ancestors. On today's blog I am going to discover the Powhatan nation.
The Powhatan Confederacy is a group of at least 30 Algonquin speaking indigenous people who lived in most of the tidewater area of Virginia and the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The various tribes had lived separately in the region for over 12,000 years.
The Confederacy was formed by the powerful chief Powhatan shortly before the settlement of Jamestown in 1607. The different tribes of people would support each other militarily and used food, pelts, copper and pearls to pay taxes to Powhatan.
The Powhatan Confederacy considered Ahone as the creator from whom all life flowed and order was maintained. Ahone would cause the sun to rise in the morning and the crops to grow to feed the people. All of nature had to be treated with respect.
The Powhatan believed the Earth was alive and would speak to the people letting them know its needs. The people would also speak to the Earth, trees and their crops explaining their needs and encouraging growth and health.
When the English started the Jamestown settlement, Chief Powhatan ordered his people to provide food and supplies to the colonists. But between 1607 and 1609 the people of the Powhatan Confederacy had to deal with their supplies being stolen by the starving colonists of Jamestown.
John Smith got involved with trying to maintain peace between the people. That is where we get the false story of Smith being saved by Powhatan's daughter Pocohontas. What had happened is that Powhatan did a death and rebirth ritual on Smith. The goal was to make him born again as a tribal chief and subject to the rules of the Confederacy. But Smith did not understand and the Virginia Company ordered him to make Powhatan an English prince and subject to the authority of King James I. Powhatan didn't understand this either and after the battle to try to control each other things changed. In 1609 Powhatan cut relations with the colony and ordered the settlers to remain inside its walls. His warriors were told to kill any settlers found on Powhatan lands.
The Jamestown settlement would prove to be the beginning of the end of the Powhatan Confederacy. Many were killed by the diseases the Europeans brought with them to the colony. Others were killed by the Anglo-powhatan wars. Those who survived were moved from their ancestral homes to reservations. In the present day only the Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes still retain their 17th reservation rights.
The very first Powhatan chief and Pocohontas' father was named Wahunsenacah. He would die in 1618. His half brother Opchanacanough would now become chief. He set out to try to drive the English from their lands. This was called the 2nd Powhatan war (1622-1626). This resulted in defeat and the loss of more land for the Powhatan. He would try once again in the 3rd Powhatan war (1644-1646) but would end up losing this war. During the loss of the war he was captured, imprisoned and then shot in the back and killed by one of his guards.
After the death of Opchanacanough, Necotowance would now become chief of the Powhatans. He would sign a peace treaty in 1646 which dissolved the Powhatan Confederacy.
In 1677 the Virginia government enacted the Treaty of Middle Plantation and pushed the remaining Powhatans onto reservations. They also reintroduced the headlight system which gave 50 acres of land to colonists who drove indigenous people off the land. As a result, and with the European diseases killing off the Powhatan, the English Colonies of Virginia and Maryland would become more densely populated.
This blog has gone deeper into the history of the Powhatan people. Today there's still a movement to recognize the Powhatan tribe. A tribe, a culture of people that played a pivotal role in the creation of the American continent. One of the first cultures of indigenous people to experience European colonialism on the North American continent. One of the first indigenous cultures to be driven from their lands and put on reservations.
In future blogs I will continue to explore the culture and beliefs of the Powhatan people. The more we can learn about the different cultures and civilizations throughout history, the more we can discover the similarities many of us share.
The Powhatan Confederacy, a culture who loved and respected the Earth. A culture driven from their land that they loved and respected. A common theme throughout history.
Thank you for reading, thank you for your support. Journey with me in future blogs to discover more about the universe.
Blessings!
By Michael Walters
The Ancestor's Fire
Writing the voices of the unheard
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