The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-10-26
TRIBE OF pAMUNKEl.
RECORD OF A REMARKABLE IN
DIAN RACE.

Is stated mat a Nain""'' ~ 4
now offered 10 the Association for the ITO
seryation Of Virginia Antiquities, has s"g-
cestcd few more words in the same d'fee-
ton.
IL matter Of surprise how few memo
rails NJ this ever mysterious race are no"
10 he found amongst us. Arrow-heads anu
other implements of war and the chass
used nv them, remind us Of an age which
mos, nrobably annotated their appearance
an This continent. IL is not aOsoiuteif
certain even that these remains
~ the stone-age were made by inc
rod men of North America, lnasihuSn
as they are found In other paris ol 'uo
world heretofore unknown 10 and never DC
',,r;ca Inv that race. They have lett no
r,ins Of buildings except those that "las'
iii doomsday" From cut their graNt'
come evidences of the most prlmluNc
ctyiIization. TO these tradition adds lts I'M
certain testimony while the rltcs ana Ger
monies practised by them aiiord Dut ,VOu I"'
speculation as TO their origin ana his'oi3
nj. then, 80 little Of their primeNai SNis'eu,
in the land they so long possesseu - III, ,%a,
Ia, ma retain what remains Oh the paI' lhcl
haye acted since first they saw the race V' /
a. white man. bc IL good or bad. lhls ~
as mucn mart OF the lauer's history AZ AZ -
of the Indians. I'LL. ,ol;c uo,y
The reference TO the valuable reilc 10"
oaared for sale 10 the descendants OF those
who first saw the red men OF NHslnIa
furnishes a reason why something nlVio
should be said OF the particular trioe WIN
which IL has so long been assoclaleu'
A POWERFUL RACE.
Long before the ships Of our English an
cestors. or those Of any other European eN-
nlorers' had disturbed the waters OF inc an,
cieot powbatan. an indian nation had heiu
49, .a,ri,orv living on the north side Of the
pam,nkey river. in what is now hihe
WuIiam county. 1t was the most
powerful of the savage tribes cOl-
nosing the confederacy over Whlch tlo
,,reat Chief POwhatan ruled as en-
peror. 1t could bring the greatest huinpsi
of warriors into the field, couio suPpo,V
them longer there, and by It's pecuil"I &c
graphical situation cJulu Oiteh hdhc 49,
the arbiter in matters Of doubtful lssue'
whether of peace OF Of war. IL was 'heIe-
Gore AN important step in any adventure
that the favor of the Pamunkeys shouid III
conciliated.
OPECANCANOUGH.
When the English settlers first became
known 30 this powerful tribe they were gov
nr,eJ by n noted chiefS Opecancanough
,yas by FAR the most remarkable OF all the
savage rulers who played part in the carry
history os Virginia. Although acAnoW-
edpine allegiance 10 IOwhatan, MS lnliu-
ence over the adjacent nations, especlclaIIl
his immediate nelghDOfs' inc NhiON"''''''
MES, was potential. - 90
In was n mself that made his people so
powerfuI. lie was OF immense stature OF
dauntless courage. great native sagacitl
and totally given over TO dupllcity I'D an hIs
dealings and intercourse with the whites
lie was sad to be brother to King foWha-
tan. and ON this account 1t was though.
presumed upon his high consanguinity III
The contrOl Of the affairs OF his tribe. but
there is much doubt as TO his lineage. some
saw he came originally from the lar oOulh,
west. was of "A different race of Indians ana
rose 10 mower by his own force OF character
having been elected by his people 10 nc
their ruler The word "brother' was COM
monty applied by the Indians To elmer d
coadiutOr or an independent ruler Oh
neigbboring tribe, and did not necessarily
imply blood relationship.
THE POwHATANs.
The Powhatans, over whom the chlei ol
that name ruled rs emperor, were "a very
numerous and powerful people. Ihey oc-
cupjed all the territory lying between the
Atlantic ocean and the falls OF the great
river. and were composed OF seven dlsllhcl
tribes Their old emperor hau hNeu 10
GREAT ace. and died only eleven years after
the landing at jamestown. His own bfOlher
succeeded him i'm power, but when SNORT
time after he had been removed by
death, the ambitious ana trucucnt
Onecancapough took control Of the
nation. He always hated the Lngll7l,
although ever protesting to be Their irleho'
ON one occasion, after he had risen 10 SUI
preme power, he sent To the chief OF the TO
hgfn
friendly white man who had gone To ihe
former on mission of peace. Opecanca-
nough had at first been king of the Chlcka-
homineys, hence his influence over lhat ma
tion after he became sachem of the Pamun-
KEYS, How long he had reigned over them
does not appear. His treacherous ana tur-
bulent nature was the cause oil his ulli-
mate fall. For more than thirty years tle
whites had managed TO keep the peace WIN
the deceitftll and dangerous neighbOr. In
the meantime he had seen with Jealousy the
power of the English gradually increase.
WAR TO THE KNIFE.
AT length instigated by himself, about the
wear lsll an attempt 10 surprise and mas
sacre the entire English population was
made. An Indian war ragged Tor several
wears. during which Opecancanough ana his
chiefs killed. about five hundred OF the
property. Every effort made to capture the
chief of this insurrection had failed. Al
length Governor Berkeley, in person. headed
n body of mounted men, and after an active
ana persistent pursuit OpecancanOugh was
oyertaken and captured, with remnant oil
his warriors, at u retreat hlgh mp the
country. He was taken 10 jamestown
The sturdy old chief had now reached the
age of nearly a hundred years. But the hre
.ss UaTeglN
querable heart.
Although his gaunt and worn frame was
bent by Years and suherings, his dauntless
spirit never yielded to his misiortunes. 10
the last he maintained the dignity OF his
position, and when his noble captor had a.,
lowed him 10 become spectacle To be gazed
at by the pOpulace at jamestown ne qua
not hesitate TO remind the Governor that II
Sir William Berkeley had become his pr.
soner he should never have been treated
with such ignomiuy.
Although kept under guard as state
prisoner. a short time after his capture ne
was assassinated by an Infatuated soldier.
TO Governor Berkeley's disgrace be 1t said.
the cowardly murderer was never brought
10 justice.
In his last encounters with the whites
Opecancanough, although nearly blind and
decrepit from age, always accompanied uls
hand when on the war path. lie caused
himself 10 be borne on a litter at the head
of his men, giving them counsel and en-
couragement 10 the last against the enemies
of his country.
WHO WAS QUEEN ANN !
We have given this hasty sketch OF the
great Pamunkey sachem TO show To what
Importance that famous tribe had grown at
the fall OF their leader. Opecancanough
having been succeeded by weak and in
efficient chief, the nation soon lost its pres
tige. Indeed the recent successes OF the
whites against the sayages had so broken
their power that comparative quiet pre-
vailed even down TO the period when Bacon
found 1t necessary TO take up arms for the
defense OF the people.
And now we may with interest inquire
ms to who was the Queen Ann, who
so long after the events just recorded
ruled over the Pamunkeys. and whose
silver crown is now attracting the attention
of antiquarians. Was she lineal descend
- Of the great OpecancanoGgh or
Mas she merely one OF line Of
his successors elected by her sub
iects 10 be their ruler This was common
....,t,.a a,anue, tho A. "A N a az tho Pow hatan