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Powhatan Indians |
A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia Theodor de Bry, 1528-1598, ed.
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A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia Theodor de Bry, 1528-1598, ed. |
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Powhatan Indians One group of natives who lived in Virginia were known as the Powhatan. The Powhatan men hunted, fished and fought in wars. The women were the farmers, crafters and home-builders. These Indians were living in Virginia when the English first made contact in 1607. Politically, the Powhatans were united under one chief, known as Powhatan. Powhatan ruled over a large area of land and other tribes, each tribe had its own local ruler. The other tribes were ruled by Powhatan and had to pay a tribute in his honor. Most Powhatan Indians resided in longhouses called "yehakins" with wooden frames for sleeping lining the inside walls of the houses which would house one family. An indoor fire was used for warmth and for cooking in bad weather. Larger villages where chiefs lived, had a chief’s house, a temple and storage buildings. The villages were mostly located along the inlets and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay so the Powhatan could transport goods, fish and spot enemies approaching from the river. Most of the village activities centered on supporting daily life. During the spring and summer months, women and children spent most of their time in the fields, planting and weeding crops of corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers. In the early fall, the crops were harvested with many being dried for later use. Throughout the winter months, the Powhatans relied heavily upon gathering of edible wild plants, roots, nuts, berries and grains. Along with farming and gathering, the Powhatan tribe depended upon Powhatan men fishing with spears, traps, and nets made of cordage. In 1644, less than fifty years after the arrival of the English, the Powhatan confederacy was destroyed by weapons and by disease. The first Indian Reservation was established near the Jamestown settlement in 1651 with the few Powhatan Indians who were still alive. 1. You are a Powhatan living in your village around 1605. Write a paragraph describing your life. 2. You are a Powhatan living on an Indian Reservation in 1651. Write a paragraph describing how your life is similar and different to your life before the arrival of the Europeans. |
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