| SEVEN OF THE EIGHT STATE RECOGNIZED VIRGINIA TRIBES THAT WERE PART OF THE HISTORIC POWHATAN CONFEDERACY Chickahominy Chief Stephen Adkins 82 Lott Cary Road Providence Forge, VA 23140 Eastern Chickahominy Chief Marvin Bradby 12111 Indian Hill Lane Providence Forge, VA 23140 Mattaponi (Reservation) Chief Carl "Lone Eagle" Custalow 1467 Reservation Circle West Point, VA 23181 Nansemond Chief Barry W. Bass P.O. Box 2515 Suffolk, VA 23432 Pamunkey (Reservation) Chief William P. Miles Route 1, Box 2220 King William, VA 23086 Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson HCR 1 Box 402 Indian Neck, VA 23148 Upper Mattaponi Chief Kenneth Adams 13383 King William Road King William, VA 23086 The following tribe is Siouan-speaking, and was not part of the Powhatan Confederacy. Monacan Indian Nation Chief Kenneth Branham P.O. Box 1136 Madison Heights, VA 24572 |
| The Powhatan's language is not dead. Algonquian was the language of the first indigenous Americans to intimately interact with the English. Their words below survive in the English language. Caucus: From corcas. From caucauasu or "counselor". First recorded by Captain John Smith. Today, it is a political meeting to make decisions. Chipmunk: From chitmunk. Hominy: Corn. Honk: From honck or cohonk, Canadian goose. Also associated with the sound made by the bird. Also associated with winter and year. The Powhatans called the "Potomac" River "the River of the Cohonks" for the noise made by the yearly arrival of the geese there. To honk, honky, and honky tonk all come from cohonk. Match coat: From matchcores, skins or garment. Maypop: From mahcawq, a vine with purple and white flowere that has an edible yellow fruit. Moccasin: From mohkussin, a shoe. Muskrat: From mussascns. Opossum: Also possum. From aposoum, or "white beast". Papoose: An infant or young child. Pecan:From paccan. Persimmon Poke weed: From pak, or pakon, blood + weed. Pone (Corn Pone): From apan, "baked". Powwow: From pawwaw. An Algonquian medicine man. A dance ceremony used to invoke divine aid in hunting, battle, or against disease. Now used as a Pan-Indian word for a social dance festival. Racoon: From aroughcun. Susquehanna: From suckahanna, water. Terrapin: From toolepeiwa. Tomahawk: From tamahaac, tamohake, a weapon. From temah- (to cut off by tool) + aakan (a noun suffix). Tump (tump line): A strap or string hung across the forehead or chest to support a load carried on the back. |
| Powhatan Warriors The table below is a 1607 English count of Powhatan warriors and their tribal capitals. The recorded names of the tribes are not Algonquian pronunciations, instead, they are how the words sounded to English ears. The English estimate here shows only a total of 2,355 warriors in Powhatan's confederation of tribes whose territory covered an estimated 16,000 to 19,250 square miles. This is a conservative count from only 28 of 30 named tribes. There were considerably more warriors that the English missed. For example, Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. alone had over a dozen village sites that were more than 4,000 years old. Among the warriors who also carried clubs and tomahawks, archers were the most feared. Why did archers concern the 17th century Englishmen who were equipped with cannons and muskets? A musket could only fire one shot while the bowman could get off more arrows than a 17th century musket. It was recorded that the queen of the Appamattocs in Chesterfield county asked her English visitors for a firearms demonstration. She seemed to be impressed with the sound of the gunpowder that the Chinese (other Asiatics) had invented. |
| TRIBES |
COUNTY |
CHIEF TOWNS |
WARRIORS |
| Tauxenent (Dogue) |
Fairfax |
About General \\'ashington’s |
40 |
| Patowomekes |
Stafford, King George |
Paotowmac Creek |
200 |
| Cuttawomans |
King George |
About Lamb Creek |
20 |
| Pissasecs |
King George and Richmond |
Above Leeds town |
? |
| Onaumanients |
Westmoreland |
Namony River |
100 |
| Rappahanocs |
Richmond County |
Rappahanoc Creek |
100 |
| Moraughtacunds |
Lancaster and Richmond |
Moratico River |
80 |
| Secacaonies |
Northumberland |
Coan River |
30 |
| Wighcocomicoes |
Northumberland |
Wicocomico River |
130 |
| Cuttawomans |
Lancaster |
Corotoman |
30 |
| Nantaughtacunds |
Essex and Caroline |
Port Tobacco Creek |
150 |
| Mattapoments |
Mattapony River |
----------------------------------- - |
30 |
| Pamunkies |
King William |
Romuncock |
300 |
| Werowocomicoes |
Gloucester |
About Rosewell |
40 |
| Payankatooks |
Piankatauk River |
Turk’s Ferry and Grimesby |
55 |
| Younghtanunds |
Pamunkey River |
----------------------------------- - |
60 |
| Chickahominies |
Chickahominy River |
Orapaks |
250 |
| Powhatans |
Henrico |
Powhatan and Mayo’s |
40 |
| Arrohatocs |
Henrico |
Arrohatocs |
30 |
| Weanocs |
Charles City |
Weynoke |
100 |
| Paspaheghes |
Charles City and James City |
Sandy Point |
40 |
| Chiskiacs |
York |
Chiskiac |
45 |
| Kecoughtans |
Elizabeth City |
Roscows |
20 |
| Appamattocs |
Chesterfield |
Bermuda Hundred |
60 |
| Quiocohanoes |
Surry |
About Upper Chipoak |
25 |
| Warrasqueaks |
Isle of Wright |
Warrasqueock |
? |
| Nansamunds |
Nansamond |
Mouth of West Branch |
200 |
| Chesapeaks |
Princess Anne |
About Lynhaven River |
100 |
| Accohanocks |
Accom and Northampton |
Accohannoc River |
40 |
| Accomacks |
Northampton |
About Certon’s |
80 |
