Cherokee. This tribe
claimed territory in the extreme southwestern part of the State. If not
actually occupied by them, it at least formed part of their hunting
territories. (See Tennessee.)
Manahoac. Meaning "They are very merry,"
according to Tooker (1895), but this seems improbable. Also called:
Mahocks, apparently a shortened form.
Connections. The Manaboac belonged to the Siouan
linguistic family; their nearest connections were probably the
Monacan, Moneton, and
Tutelo.
Location. In northern Virginia between the falls
of the rivers and the mountains east and west and the Potomac and North
Anna Rivers north and south.
Subdivisions
Subtribes or tribes of the confederacy as far as known
were the following:
Hassinunga, on the headwaters of the Rappahannock River.
Manahoac proper, according to Jefferson (1801), in Stafford and
Spottsylvania Counties.
Ontponea, in Orange County.
Shackaconia, on the south bank of the Rappahannock River in
Spottsylvania County.
Stegaraki, on the Rapidan River in Orange County.
Tanxnitania, on the north side of the upper Rappahannock River in
Fauquier County.
tegninateo, in Culpeper County, at the head of the Rappahannock
River. Whonkentia, in Fauquier County, near the head of the
Rappahannock.
Villages: Mahaskahod, on
the Rappahannock River, probably near Fredericksburg, is the only town
known by name.
History. Traditional
evidence points to an early home of the Manahoac people in the Ohio
Valley. In 1608 John Smith discovered them in the location above given and
learned that they with the Monacan but at war with the
Powhatan Indians and the
Iroquois (or perhaps
rather the Susquehanna).
After this they suddenly vanish from history under a certainly
recognizable name, but there is good reason to believe that they were one
of those tribes which settled near the falls of the James River in 1654 or
1656 and defeated a combined force of Whites and coast Indians who had
been sent against them. They seem to have been forced out of their old
country by the Susquehanna. Probably they remained for a time in the
neighborhood of the Monacan proper and were in fact the Mahock encountered
by Lederer (1912) in 1670 at a point on James River which Bushnell seems
to have identified with the site of the
old Massinacack town, the fact that a stream entering the James at this
point is called the Mohawk rendering his case rather strong. Perhaps the
old inhabitants had withdrawn to the lower Monacan town, Mowhemencho. In
1700 the Stegaraki were located by Governor Spotswood of Virginia at Fort
Christanna, and the Mepontsky,
also placed there, may have been the Ontponea. We hear of the former as
late as 1723, and there is good reason to believe that they united with
the Tutelo and
Saponi
and followed their fortunes, and that under these two names were included
all remnants of the Manahoac.
Population. Mooney (1928)
estimates that there were 1,500 Manahoac in 1600 but this is probably
rather too high, since their numbers and those of the Tutelo together seem
to have been 600-700 in 1654. However, it is possible that these figures
cover only the Manahoac, while Mooney's include part of the Saponi and
Tutelo.
Connections. The Meherrin
belonged to the Iroquoian linguistic family, their closest connections
probably being the Nottaway.
Location. Along the river
of the same name on the Virginia-North Carolina border.
History. The tribal name
Meherrin first appears in the form "Maharineck" in the account of an
expedition by Edward Blande and others to North Carolina in 1650, and next
body Indian census taken in 1669. Later they seem to have adopted a body
of Conestoga or Susquehanna fleeing from Pennsylvania after account
dispersal by the Iroquois about 1675. This is the only way to account for
the fact that they are all said to have been refugee Conestoga. They were
living on Roanoke River in 1761 with the southern bands of
Tuscarora and Saponi,
and the Machapunga,
and probably went north in the last Tuscarora removal in 1802. (For
information regarding another possible band of
Meherrin see "Nottaway.")
Population. Mooney (1928)
estimates the Meherrin population at 700 in 1600. In 1669 they are said to
have had 50 bowmen, or approximately 180 souls. In 1755 they were said to
be reduced to 7 or 8 fighting men, but in 1761 they are reported to have
had 20.
Connection in which they have
become noted. Meherrin River, an affluent of the Chowan, running
through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, and a Virginia
town perpetuate the name of the Meherrin.
Monacan.
Possibly from an Algonquian word signifying "digging stick," or "spade,"
but more likely from their own language. Also called:
Rahowacah, by Archer, 1607, in Smith (1884).
Connections. The Monacan
belonged to the Siouan linguistic stock. Their nearest connections were
the Manahoac, Tutelo, and Saponi.
Location. On the upper
waters of James River above the falls at Richmond.
Villages (Locations as determined by D. I. Bushnell, Jr.)
Massinacack, on the right bank of James River about the mouth of
Mohawk Creek, and a mile or more south of Goochland.
Mohemencho, later called Monacan Town, on the south bank of James
River and probably covering some of "the level area bordering the
stream in the extreme eastern part of the present Powhatan County,
between Bernards Creek on the east and Jones Creek on the west."
Rassawek, at the confluence of the James and Rivanna Rivers and
probably "on the right bank of the Rivanna, within the angle formed
by the two streams."
Two other towns are sometimes
added but as they afterward appeared as wholly independent tribes, the
Saponi and the Tutelo, it is probable that their connection with the
Monacan was never very intimate. They seem to have been classed as Monacan
largely on the evidence furnished by Smith's map, in which they appear in
the country of the "Monacans" but Smith's topography, as Bushnell has
shown, was very much foreshortened toward the mountains and the Saponi and
Tutelo towns were farther away than he supposed. Again, while Massinacack
and Mohemencho are specifically referred to as Monacan towns and Smith
calls Rassawek "the chief habitation" of the Monacan, there is no such
characterization of either of the others.
History. Capt. John Smith
learned of the Monacan in the course of an exploratory trip which he made
up James River in May 1607. The people themselves were visited by Captain
Newport the year following, who discovered the two lower towns. The
population gradually declined and in 1699 some Huguenots took possession
of the land of Mowhemencho. The greater part of the Monacan had been
driven away some years before this by Colonel Bornn (Byrd?). Those who
escaped continued to camp in the region until after 1702, as we learn from
a Swiss traveler named F. L. Michel (1916). It is probable that the
remnant finally united with their relatives the Saponi and Tutelo when
they were at Fort Christanna and followed their fortunes, but we have no
further information as to their fate.
Population. The number of
the Monacan was estimated by Mooney (1928) at 1,200 in 1600 including part
of the Saponi and Tutelo, but they can hardly have comprised over half as
many. In 1669 there were still about 100 true Monacan as they were
credited with 30 bowmen.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The name Monacan is perpetuated by a small place called
Manakin on the north bank of James River, in Goochland County, Va.
Nahyssan. A contraction of
Monahassano or Monahassanugh, remembered in later times as Yesan.
Connections. The Nahyssan
belonged to the Siouan linguistic stock, their nearest relatives being the
Tutelo, Saponi, and probably the Monacan and Manahoac.
Location. The oldest
known location of the Nahyssan has been identified by D. I. Bushnell, Jr.
(1930), within very narrow limits as "probably on the left bank of the
James, about 1½ miles up the stream
from Wingina, in Nelson County."
History. In 1650 Blande
and his companions noted a site, 12 miles south-southwest of the present
Petersburg, called "Manks Nessoneicks" which was presumably occupied for a
time by the Nahyssan or a part of them, since "Manks" may be intended for
"Tanks," the Powhatan adjective signifying "little." In 1654 or 1656 this
tribe and the Manahoac appeared at the falls of James River having perhaps
been driven from their former homes by the Susquehanna. They defeated a
force of colonials and
Powhatan Indians sent against them but did not advance further into
the settlements. In 1670 Lederer (1912) found two Indian towns on Staunton
River, one of which he calls Sapon and the other Pintahae. Sapon was, of
course, the town of the Saponi but it is believed that Pintahae was the
town of the Nahyssan Indians, though Lederer gives this name to both
towns. Pintahae was probably the Hanathaskie or Hanahaskie town of which
Batts and Fallam (1912) speak a year later. About 1675 the Nahyssan
settled on an island below the Occaneechi at the junction of the Staunton
and Dan Rivers. Before 1701 all of the Siouan tribes who had settled in
this neighborhood moved into North Carolina, and it is thought that the
Nahyssan followed the Saponi and Tutelo to the headwaters of the Yadkin
and that
their subsequent fortunes were identical with those of these two. (See
Saponi and Tutelo.)
Population.-(See Saponi
and Tutelo.)
Nottaway.
Meaning "adders," in the language of their Algonquian neighbors, a common
designation for alien tribes by peoples of that linguistic stock. Also
called:
Cheroenhaka, their own name, probably signifying "fork of a stream."
Mangoak, Mengwe, another Algonquian term, signifying "stealthy,"
"treacherous."
Connections. The Nottaway
belonged to the Iroquoian linguistic family, their closest connections
probably being the Meherrin, Tuscarora, and Susquehanna.
Location. On the river of
the same name in southeastern Virginia.
History. The Nottaway
were found by the Virginia colonists in the location given above. Though
they were never prominent in colonial history, they kept up their
organization long after the other tribes of the region were practically
extinct. In 1825 they are mentioned as living on a reservation in
Southampton County and ruled over by a "queen." The name of this tribe was
also applied to a band of Indians which appeared on the northern frontiers
of South Carolina between 1748 and 1754. They may have included those
Susquehanna who are sometimes confounded with the Meherrin, and are more
likely to have included Meherrin than true Nottaway although they retained
the name of the latter (see Swanton, 1946).
Population. The number of
Nottaway, exclusive of those last mentioned, was estimated by Mooney
(1928) at 1,500 in the year 1600. In 1709 Lawson reported one town with 30
fighting men, but in 1827 Byrd estimated that there were 300 Nottaway in
Virginia. In 1825, 47 were reported. The band that made its appearance on
the frontiers of South Carolina was said to number about 300.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The name of the Nottaway is preserved by Nottoway River,
Nottoway County, and two towns, one the county seat of the above, the
other in Sussex county. There is a Nottawa in St. Joseph County, Mich.
Occaneechi.
Meaning unknown.
The Botshenins, or Patshenins, a band associated with the
Saponi and Tutelo in Ontario, were perhaps identical with this tribe.
Connections. The
Occaneechi belonged to the Siouan linguistic stock; their closest
connections were probably the Tutelo and Saponi.
Location. On the middle
and largest island in Roanoke River, just below the confluence of the
Staunton and the Dan, near the site of Clarksville, Mecklenburg County,
Va. (See also North Carolina.)
History. Edward Blande
and his companions heard of them in 1650. When first met by Lederer in
1670 at the spot above mentioned, the Occaneechi were noted throughout the
region as traders, and their language is said to have been the common
speech both of trade and religion over a considerable area (Lederer,
1912). Between 1670 and 1676 the Occaneechi had been joined by the Tutelo
and Saponi, who settled upon two neighboring islands. In the latter year
the Conestoga sought refuge among them and were hospitably received, but,
attempting to dispossess their benefactors, they were driven away. Later,
harassed by the Iroquois and English, the Occaneechi fled south and in
1701 Lawson (1860) found them on the Eno River, about the present
Hillsboro, Orange County, N. C. Later still they united with the Tutelo
and Saponi and followed their fortunes, having, according to Byrd, taken
the name of the Saponi.
Population. Mooney (1928)
estimates that there were 1,200 Occaneechi in the year 1600. There is no
later estimate, but in 1709 this tribe along with the Shakori, Saponi,
Tutelo, and Keyauwee were about 750.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The name Occaneechi is associated particularly with the
Occaneechi Trail or Trading Path, which extended southwest through North
and South Carolina from the neighborhood of Petersburg, Va.
Saponi. Evidently a corruption of Monasiccapano or Monasukapanough,
which, as shown by Bushnell, is probably derived in part from a native
term "moni seep" signifying "shallow water." Paanese is a corruption and
in no way connected with the word "Pawnee."
Connections. The Saponi
belonged to the Siouan linguistic family, their nearest relations being
the Tutelo.
Location. The earliest
known location of the Saponi has been identified by Bushnell (1930) with
high probability with "an extensive village site on the banks of the
Rivanna, in Albemarle County, directly north of the University of Virginia
and about one-half mile up the river from the bridge of the Southern
Railway." This was their location when, if ever, they formed a part of the
Monacan Confederacy. (See also North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, and
New
York.)
Villages. The principal
Saponi settlement usually bore the same name as the tribe or, at least, it
has survived to us under that name. In 1670 Lederer reports another which
he visited called Pintahae, situated not far from the main Saponi town
after it had been removed to Otter Creek, southwest of the present
Lynchburg (Lederer,
1912), but this was probably the Nahyssan town.
History.-As first pointed
out by Mooney (1895), the Saponi tribe is identical with the
Monasukapanough which appears on Smith's map as though it were a town of
the Monacan and may in fact have been such. Before 1670, and probably
between 1650 and 1660, they moved to the southwest and probably settled on
Otter Creek, as above indicated. In 1670 they were visited by Lederer in
their new home and by Thomas Batts (1912) a year later. Not long afterward
they and the Tutelo moved to the junction of the Staunton and Dan Rivers,
where each occupied an island in Roanoke River in Mecklenburg County. This
movement was to enable them to escape the attacks of the Iroquois, and for
the same reason they again moved south before 1701, when Lawson (1860)
found them on Yadkin River near the present site of Salisbury, N. C. Soon
afterward they left this place and gravitated toward the White settlements
in Virginia. They evidently crossed Roanoke River before the Tuscarora War
of 1711, establishing themselves a short distance east of it and 15 miles
west of the present Windsor, Bertie County, N. C. A little later they,
along with the Tutelo and some other tribes, were placed by Governor
Spotswood near Fort Christanna, 10 miles north of Roanoke River about the
present Gholsonville, Brunswick County. The name of Sappony Creek in
Dinwiddie County, dating back to 1733 at least, indicates that they
sometimes extended their excursions north of Nottoway River. By the treaty
of Albany (1722) the Iroquois agreed to stop incursions on the Virginia
Indians and, probably about 1740, the greater part of the Saponi and the
Tutelo moved north stopping for a time at Shamokin, Pa., about the site of
Sunbury. One band, however, remained in the south, in Granville County, N.
C., until at least 1755, when they comprised 14 men and 14 women. In 1753
the Cayuga Iroquois formally adopted this tribe and the Tutelo. Some of
them remained on the upper waters of the Susquehanna in Pennsylvania until
1778, but in 1771 the principal section had their village in the territory
of the Cayuga, about 2 miles south of Ithaca, N. Y. They are said to have
separated from the Tutelo in 1779 at Niagara, when the latter fled to
Canada, and to have become lost, but a portion, at least, were living with
the Cayuga on Seneca River in Seneca County, N. Y., in 1780. Besides the
Person County Indians, a band of Saponi Indians remained behind in North
Carolina which seems to have fused with the Tuscarora, Meherrin, and
Machapunga and gone north with them in 1802.
Population. The Saponi
and the Tutelo are identified by Mooney (1928) as remnants of the Manahoac
and Monacan with an estimated population of 2,700 in 1600. In 1716 the
Huguenot Fontaine found 200 Saponi, Manahoac, and Tutelo at Fort
Christanna. In 1765, when they were living on the upper Susquehanna, the
Saponi are said to have had 30 warriors. The main North Carolina band
counted 20 warriors in 1761, and those in Person County, 14 men and 14
women in 1755.
Connection in which they have
become noted. A small place called Sapona, in Davidson County, N. C.,
east of the Yadkin River, preserves the name of the Saponi. Shakori. They
seem to have lived in the State at one time. (See
North Carolina.)
Shawnee.
Indians of this tribe were settled for a time in the Sbenandoah Valley.
(See Tennessee.)
Tutelo. Significance unknown but used by the Iroquois, who seem to
have taken it from some southern tongue. Also called:
Kattera, another form of Tutelo.
Shateras, a third form of the name.
Connections. The
Tutelo belonged to the Siouan linguistic family, their nearest connections
being the Saponi and probably the Monacan.
Location. The oldest
known town site of the Tutelo was near Salem, Va., though the Big Sandy
River at one time bore their name and may have been an earlier seat. (See
also North Carolina,
New York, and
Pennsylvania.)
History. In 1671 Fallam
and Batts (1912) visited the town above mentioned. Some years later the
Tutelo moved to an island in Roanoke River just above the Occaneechi, but
in 1701 Lawson found them still farther southwest, probably about the
headwaters of the Yadkin (Lawson, 1860). From that time forward they
accompanied the Saponi until the latter tribe separated from them at
Niagara as above noted. In 1771 they were settled on the east side of
Cayuga Inlet about 3 miles from the south end of the lake. This village
was destroyed by Sullivan in 1779, but the Tutelo continued to live among
the Cayuga sufficiently apart to retain their own language until 1898,
when the last individual who could speak it fluently died. A certain
amount of Tutelo blood flows in the veins of some of the Iroquois. (For
further information, see Swanton (1937).)
Population. (See Saponi.)
In 1701-9, according to Lawson (1860), the
Tutelo,
Saponi,
Keyauwee,
Occaneechi, and
Shakori numbered together
about 750. In 1715 Governor Spotswood reported that the Indians at Fort
Christanna, including the Tutelo, Saponi, Occaneechi, and
Manahoac, numbered
300. In 1763 the Tutelo, Saponi, Nanticoke, and
Conoy had 200 men,
probably less than 1,000 souls.
Connection in which they have become noted.-The Tutelo are noteworthy
chiefly as the principal body of Siouan Indians from Virginia to retain
their integrity and preserve a knowledge of their language late enough for
a permanent record of it to be made.
