The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-06-14
POWHATAN's TRIBE.
LAST REMNANT EXISTS IN THE PA
MuNkEY INDIANS or VIRGINIA.

ATown OF o Acres with no ~rnllabisants.
Proud or Their Lineage. They Accept
White Persons as Equals, but wiai Have
Nothing to DO with Negroes.
How strange it seems that d remnant
Of the once powerful confederacy Of
Powhatan should actually exist at this
day not so very far from Washington?
This last fragment of o nation, which,
at the time of the landing of Columbus,
occupied all of the region hereabout,
including o large part OF Virginia and
Maryland, consists of about Ito individ-
uals. They call themselves the Pamun-
keys and dwell at what IL known 81 SIN
diantown," which liz situated ON and
comprises the whole OF q curiously
shaped neck Of land extending into Pa
munkey river and adjoining King Will
liam county, Va, ON the south. The
town consists of 800 acres and is al
most entirely surrounded by water, be-
ing connected with the mainland by a
narrow strip. The comparative safety
afforded by the situation In time of war
is doubtless accountable for the presence
Of the tribe in this spot. Very likely
their survival is due to the protection
thus given.
On the death of Powhatan he was sue
ceeded by Opechancanough, chief of the
Pamunkeys. The tribe was at that time
the most powerful of the 30 warlike
tribes which composed the confederacy.
The entire nation had 2. 400 warriors,
and comprised about {, 900 individuals.
Of this population 1000 were Of the
Pamunkey contingent
Pcwhatan was o chief of remarkable
valoY and Judgment. The confederacy
organized under the direction of his
savage genius was of the 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 the
fact that Captain John Smith was a
writer as well as an explores. Opechan-
canough himself was q man OF unusual
ability. His leadership in the massacre
of 1924 made him the most dreaded en-
envy even encountered by the colonists
VA eA1S pc11OAs
The Pamunkey Indians, whose dis
tinction 1t is TO be the only Virginia
tribe that has survived the encroachment
of civilization, have excited the inter
est of the bureau OF ethnology. which
has issued q bulletin describing them.
Oddly enough, their number has va
ried hardly at all during the last CEN
fury. Jefferson, writing In 178I, est
mated the population OF Indiantown at
100, and How. nearly 10 years later,
placed it at the same figure. No mem
Der of the tribe liz of full blood While
the copper colored skin and the straight,
coarse hair of the aboriginal American
show decidedly in some individuals,
there are others whose origin would not
be detected by the ordinary observer.
There has been considerable intermix-
ture of white blood and not D little Of
that of the negro, though the laws Of
the tribe now strictly forbid marriage
with persons of African descent.
The Pamunkeys have a great deal of
race pride. Though they acknowledge
the whites as 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 q colored teacher who was
sent to them to conduct the free 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 ac-
complish this purpose is q serious prob
lem of theirs, inasmuch as they reoog-
nize the danger of too frequent mar
Tiages within the pale Of consanguinity.
TO ohsiate this difficulty the chief men
have been trying to devise . plan by
which they may induce immigration
from the Cherokees Of North Carolina
The Pamunkey Indians are not par
ticularly strong and robust, perhaps
because Of frequent marriages between
relatives. They are temperate. moral
and peaceable. There il good feeling
between them and their white neigh
bors. They are exceedingly proud OF
their lineage and love to tell how brave
~ and stubbornly their forefathers re-
sisted the e~ncroachments Of the whites.
Opechancanough is their hero. They
take great delight I'm reciting the famil-
lar story of how this noted chief, when
old and infirm, was carried ON a 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 ex-
cessiye use Of gaudy colors in their at
tire. Their homes are comfortable and
well kept. They all belong to the Bap-
list 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 dugont canoes being used.
Farming they do ON o small scale, but
for manual labor they entertain q truly
aboriginal dislike, frequently hiring me-
groes to attend 20 their little truck
patches. Considerable numbers OF rae
coons, muskrats. offers and even deer
are captured on the reservation. The
skins are sold In Richmond and Balti-
49,