Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-25
POWHATAN'S MEN YET LIVE
Its Last Remnant Still Exists in the Pa
munkey Indians Of Virginia
They Preserve the Aboriginal Customs
OF Their MISUNDERSTANDING and
Fishing for a Livelihood.

How strange it seems that a remnant of
the once powerful confederacy of Pow
hatan should actually exist at this day not
SO very far from Washington! This last
fragment or nation, which, at the time
OF the landing of Columbus, occupied all of
the region hereabout, including a large part
OF virginia and Maryland, consists of about
ITO Individuals. They call themselves the
Pamurkey, and dwell at what is known as
lndiantown," which is situated on and
| comprises the whole of a curiously shaped
neck of land extending into Pamunkey
river and adjoining King William county,
Va. on the south. The town" consists of
soo acres, and is almost entirely surround
ed by water. being connected with the
mainland by narrow strip. The compar-
alive safety afforded by the situation in
time Of war is doubtless accountable for the
preset ce of the tribe in this spot; very like
ly their survival is due to the protection
| thus given.
On the death of Powhatan he was sue
| ceeded by Opechancanough chief of the
| Pamunkey. The tribe was at that time the
most powerful of the thirty war-like tribes
which composed the confederacy The en-
tire nation had 2,4OO warriors and compris-
ed about 5000 individuals OF this popula-
ton 1000 were of the Pamunkey contin-
gent The disastrous attacks on the early
settlers Of Virginia by the savages. under
Powhatan, are well known to history.
Powhatan was a chief of remarkable
valor and judgment. The confederacy or
gained under the direction of his savage
genius was one of the most notable among
the many unions of native American tribes
The prominence of this aboriginal nation
history NJ
iy due to the fact that Capt. John Smith
was writer as well as an explorer. Ope-
chancanough himself was a man of un-
usual ability. His leadership in the mas
sacre OF 1922 made him the most dreaded
enemy ever encountered by the colonists of
that period
only Surviving Virginia Tribe,
Inc Pamunkey Indians. whose distinction
1t is to be the only Virginia tribe that has
survived the encroachment of civilization.
have excited the interest of the bureau of
ethnology, which has just issued a bulletin
describing them
oddIy enough, their number has varied
naruly at all during the last century JEFF
iersoh' writing In lIsl, estimated the pop
ulatlon OF lndiantown at 100. and Howe
nearly seventy years later. placed a. q, ,hs
same hgure No member of the tribe Is OF
fuli blood. While the copper-colored skin
anu the straight, coarse hair of the alb
oflSiai American show decidedly in Some
individuals, there are others whose ORIGIN
would not be detected by the ordinary oh
server There has been Considerable inter
,hat ~ %, % whlte blood and not a little OF
.nat OF the negro. though the laws OF the
lripe now strictly forbid marriage with nsr
sons of African descent
Inc Pamunkeys have a great deal of race
prioe. Enough they acknowledge the whites
as equals, they consider the blacks far ne
heath their social level. Their feeling To-
ward the negro is illustrated by Their re-
,eac,i llnoishant refusal to accept a colored
teacher' VINO was sent to them to conduct
the free school which the state OF Vir
Shia provides for them. They are very
I ,hor s 70 Keep their blood free from fur
ther mlnsling with that OF other races ana
now 10 accomplish this purpose is a serious
picOiem OF theirs, lnasmuch as they recog-
me . the danger OF too frequent marriage
within the pale of consanguinity. To Oh
Niate this difflculty the chief men have been
Trying TO devise a plan by which they may
induce immigration from the Cherokees OF
North Carolina The Indian blood IN ,ha
Pamunkey tribe is estimated ar fro,a -. e
n1th 10 three-fourths of the whole
Inc Pamunkey Indians are not nartic,,
larry ea strong ana robust perhaps because of
frequent marriages between relatives rrhav
are temperate, moral anu peaceable There
Is good FEELING between them and their
white neighbors. They are exceedingly
pIouo OF tneir lineage ana love to tell how
bravery and Jtubbornly their forefathers re-
sisted the encroachments of the whites
Opechancanough is their hero They taE.
great delight In relating the familiar story
OF now this noted chief. when old and in
hrm was carried on a litter to battle that
MS presence might inspire his men to deeds
OF bravery. Aside from their mode of sub-
sistehce' presently TO be described, there is
hothihg peculiar in their manners and GUS
TOMS unless IT be an inclination TO exces
slve use of gaudy colors in their atrtra
nher homes are comfortable and well kent
They all belong to the Baptist denoninatton
fh.a 81
Sunday. every
In True Aboriginal style.
Ihey obtain their living for the most mart
IN true aboriginal style. Their chief occu-
pations are hunting and fishing primitive
oug-out canoes being used. Farming thew
90 on small scale. but for manual labor
they entertain truly aboriginal dislike
frequently hiring negroes to attend to their
little truck patches. Considerable numbers
or raccoons, muskrats, offers and even deer
are captured on the reservation The skins
are sold In richmond and Baltimore. as well |
as many OF the fish they catch. They take
shsd, bass, herring and other fishes in large
numbers by means of seines
In the autumn they hunt reedblrds in a |
very curious fashion. They have what they
call a "sora horse" resembling a peach ha q
ket IN size and shape and made OF strips of /
non. Before they had iron clay was util-
lzed as the material The horse" is mount |
upright in a boat At night a fire is kim
died inside of 1t. The light attracts the
reedbirds, and they fly around it. while the |
Indians knock them down with paddles
Every year white hunters visit the reservs-
ton for the purpose OF shooting reedbirds
employing the Pamunkeys as guides
These Indians raise a few horses cattla
sheep and hogs. general merchandise
store is conducted by joint stock company
composed OF members of the tribe There /
Is no individual ownership of land The
chief and council allot a parcel of cleared /
ground OF about eight acres TO the head of l
each family. The holder usually retains the
land for life, and at his death IL goes hack
to the tribe, to be reallotted, unless the de-
funct should leave helpless descendants In |
which case the acres are rented for their
benefit. The Pamunkey are not taxed but
they pay an annual tribute by presenting
to the governor of Virginia a number of |
wild ducks or other game The state an
points five trustees to look after their in
terests.
The chief was formerly elected for life
but now both he and the members Of the /
council are chosen every four years by vote /
Their method of balloting for chief is
unique. The council names two candidates
Those favoring candidate number one indi-
cate their choice by depositing a grain OF |
corn in the ballot-box at the school house
while those who prefer the other man de-
post bean in the same place. The former
or the latter candidate is declared chosen
according as the grains of corn or the beans
predominate The chief and council are the
Judge and jury to try all persons who break
the laws and to settle disputes between