The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-05-30
POWHATAN'S TRIBE.
LAST REMNANT EXISTS IN THE pa.
muNkEY INDIANS OF VIRGINIA.

"
"hito Persons rs Equals, but VIII Have
Nothing to DO with Negroes.
HOW strange it seems that q remnant
OF tho once powerful oonfederacy of
Powhatan. should actually exist ut this
gay not so very far from Washington?
Inns last fragment of q nation, which.
fG ule tlmo of tho landing of Columbus.
occupied all of the region heroahont
lncluding largo part Of Virginia and
duryiand' consists Of about l 10 individ-
uals' They call themselves the Pamun-
Keys and dwell at what is known as ''In-
dlantown," which is situated on and
comprises the whole Of curiously
shaped neck of land extending into Pa
muhkcy river and adjoining King Will
nam county, Va, on the south. Tho
town consists Of 800 acres and is al
most entirely surrounded by water, be-
ing connected with tho mainland by a
narrow strip. The comparative safety
afforded by the situation In time of war
ps doubtless accountable for tho presence
or the tribe in this spot Very likely
their survival is duo to tho protection
thus given
On tho death of Powhatan ho was sue
ceeded by Opechancanough chief Of the
Pamunkeys. Tho tribe was at that time
the most powerful Of tho 80 warlike
tribes which composed tho oonfederacy
Inc cntlro nation bad 2, 400 warriors,
and comprised about y 600 individuals.
VI this population 1000 were of tho
Pamunlley contingent
Powhatan was a chief Of remarkable
ind M
organized under the direction of his
savage genius was one Of tho most not
able among the many unions Of native
American tribes. The prominence Of
this aboriginal nation in the early his
tory OF this country is partly due to tho
fact that Captain John Smith was q
writer as well rs an explorer. Opechan-
canough himself was man Of unusual
ability. His leadership In tho massacre
OF 1929 made him tho most dreaded en-
envy ever encountered by the oolonists
of that period
Tho Pamunkcy Indians, whose dis
tinction it is to be the only Virginia
tribe that has survived tho encroactment
OF civilization, have excited tho inter
est OF tho bureau OF ethnology, which
has issued a bulletin describing them
Oddly enough, their number has va
ricd hardly at all during the last cen
fury. Jefferson, writing i'll 1881, csti-
mated the population of Indiantown at
100, and How, nearly 20 ycars later,
placed 1T at the same figure. No Nom
Der of tho tribe is of full blood While
the copper colorcd skin and the straight,
coarse hair of the aboriginal American
Nv in ;,-,J
there arc others whose origin would not
he detected by the ordinary observer
There has been considerable intermix-
ture of white blood and not little of
that of the negro though the laws of
the tribe now strictly forbid marriage
with persons of African descent
The Pamunkeys have great deal of
race pride. Though they acknowledge
the whites rs equals, they consider the
blacks far beneath their social level.
Their feeling toward the negro is illus
trated by their recent indignant refusal
to accept n colored teacher who was
sent to them to conduct tho FREQ school
which the state of Virginia provides for
them. They are very anxious to keep
their blood free from further mingling
with that OF other races and how to nc
cOmpllsh this purpose is a serious prob
lem Of theirs, inasmuch as they rccog-
nizo the danger of too frequent mar
riages within the pale of consanguinity.
To obviato this difficulty the chief mcn
have been trying to devise n plan by
which they may induce immigration
from the Cherolleos of North Carolina
Tho Pamunlley Indians are not par
ticularly strong and robust perhaps
because of frequent marriages between
relatives. They are temperate, moral
and peacoable. There is good feeling
between them and their white neigh
bors. They are exceedingly proud of
their lineage and love to tell how bravo
ly and stubbornly their forcfathcrs re-
sisted tho encroachments of tho whites.
Opechanoanough is their hero They
take great delight in reciting the famil-
lar story of how this noted chief, when
old and infirm, was carried Oh litter
to battle that his presence might inspire
his men to deeds of bravery. Aside from
their mode of subsistence there is moth
ing peculiar in their manners and Gus
toms unless it be an inclination to OK
cessive use Of gaudy colors in their at
liIe. IuelT llOiucS tuo COIlllOrldDlO ana
we'll kept. They all belong to the Bap-
fist denomination and attend church on
the reservation every Sunday
They obtain their living for the most
part in true aboriginal style Their
chief occupations are hunting and fish
ing, primitive dugout canoes being used
Farming they do on a small scale but
for manual labor they entertain truly
aboriginal dislike, frequently hiring ne
groes to attend to their little truck