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West Virginia
Indian Tribes
Moneton. Meaning "Big Water"
people.
Connections. The Moneton
belonged to the Siouan linguistic family; their nearest connections were
probably the Manahoac and Monacan of Virginia and perhaps Ofo of Ohio and
Mississippi.
Location.-Probably on the
lower course of Kanawha River.
History. The Moneton were
first mentioned by Thomas Batts in 1671. (See Alvord and Bidgood, 1912.)
Three years later they were visited by Gabriel Arthur, an indentured
servant of the trader Abraham Wood, and this is the last we hear of them
as an independent tribe. They probably united with the Siouan people in
the Piedmont region of Virginia.
Population. Unknown. Arthur calls the principal
Moneton settlement "a great town."
Cherokee
(see Tennessee),
Conoy
(see Maryland),
Delaware
(see New Jersey), Honniasont and
Susquehanna (see Pennsylvania), and
Shawnee
(see Tennessee) settled in various parts of West Virginia from time to
time, but none of them was established there at an early date for an
appreciable period except perhaps the Conoy, whose name appears to be
perpetuated in that of the Kanawha River. There is no information
regarding the Moneton residence there other than the
preservation of their name.
Additional West Virginia Indian Resources
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