Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-22
Washington Site ths Headquarters
of an Indian Nation.
RELICS OF TRIBE AT SMITHSONIAN
Weapons, Implements aad Utensils
in w. Ha||ett Phillips Collection.
A RARE AdGREG ALTON

the Smithsonian Institution. 1t is known
as the w. Hallett Phillips collection, and
was made by the gentleman of that
name. who was the victim Of drowning
accident some time ago. The collection is
one of the largest of relics of aboriginal
man ever gotten together by any one COL
lector, and is one of which any museum
or institution would be proud. 1t has been
carefully arranged ard tabulated, and will
soon be placed on exhibition in the hall
of the Smithsonian Institution, where it
will doubtless prove of great attraction to
students of anthropology and visitors in
general. Besides being of such great in
terest, it is an unusually large collection,
comprising altogether about 10000 specf-
mems.
According to the students Of anthropol-
ogy. Washington is not the first capital
which has been located on this site. Hun
dreds of years ago the locality was the
head of the nation of the aboriginal tribes
cooking utensils which are comprised in
this collection, and which are of great his
torical value, showing the difference be-
tween the resources of the aboriginal tribes
and those of the inhabitants of the capital
at present.
Algonquin Capital.
Washington was undoubtedly, from it's
position on the Potomac the center of
location Of the noted Algonquin tribe which
occupied this section when 1t was explored
by Captain John Smith and long previous
to that time. The tribe which was located
here was composed chiefly Of the Powha-
tans, ruled over by that chieftain by whom
Captain Smith was captured, and but for
whose daughter, Pocahontas, he would
undoubtedly have been put to death.
The capital of the powerful Algonquin
tribe was composed Of many villages.
grouped together. One of these was on the
present site Of Anacostia, and it is from the
name Of the tribe located there that the
place received it's name. 1t was known as
Nacotchant. or Nacoctank, from which the
name Anacostia was evolved. A battle was
fought with these people by the English,
and they were driven to the hills.
Evidences of this tribe are present all
about and around Washington. Relics and
antiquities have at different times been
collected by those interested in these sub
jects, and they now fill many Of the mu-
scums in this country and are shown in
those of others. while, as is natural. the
National Museum and Smithsonian 1nsti-
tuition have received their share.
1t is thought that the present collection,
for which Mr.. Phillips spent, more than
twenty years of time and trouble, Is the
most complete ever obtained by any mu-
scum .s+.-'
Prof. w. H. Holmes, head curator of the
department of anthropolegy of the mu-
scum, in his treatise on the aboriginal
lTlDeS OIL SeCtiOH, uetCEnJSu, " SOuS CA
tent, the material embraced IN the coIlec-
ton, and has given illustrations Of the
different specimens.
Living in Washir gton, as he did. Mr.. Phil
make his collection. The location of the
various Indian villages around. and prob
ably on this site, is told by Prof. Mooney of
the bureau of ethnology, in a paper on the
aborigines Of the lower Potomac Capt.
John Smith speaks of several Of them.
Location of the Tribes.
Toags. which appears on Smiths map as
Tauxenent, was at or near Mount Vernon,
seventeen miles below Washington on the
Virginia side of the Potomac river. Moy-
aones appears, from the same map, to have
been directly opposite. on. the Maryland
side. just below the mouth of the Piscata-
way, while Nacotchtant or Nacochtank,
was on the same side, just below the East
ern branch ard within the present limits of
the District. On either side of Nacochtank
was a smaller settlement, marked but not
named on the map the three forming a
continuous line of fields and cabins along
the east bank Of the Eastern branch, from
its entrance into the District to some dis
tance below Giesboro' point.
On the Virginia side, directly across the
Long bridge, opposite Washington, was an
other small settlement, called Namerough-
Mount VernCn) were two Others, known
respectively as Assaomeck (about AleXan-
dria) and Namassingakent (below Alexan-
dria). Several other small settlements are
Indicated or the map, on the Maryland
side, about the mouth of the Piscataway,
but none are marked on either side of the
river above Washington, although arch
aeologic researches tend to show the for
mer existence of a considerable settlement
about two miles above Georgetown and
within the present limits of the District.
Nacochtank, which was the residence of
a chief and contained eighty warriors, was
yftfh or I'D nir
ing the District. The .Jesuits, who came
out later with Lord Baltimore latinized the
name as Anacostan, whence we get Ana
costa, the modern name of the Eastern
branch at Washington, and of the post
office at Uniontown. on its southeast bank.
and perhaps also Analostan, the name OF
the island opposite Georgetown.
The natives were of the great Algonquian
stock. and spoke the language of the Pow
hatan confederacy. which occupied tide
water Virginia from the waters of Abe
marie sound to the Potomac, and probably
also the basin OF the Patuxent.
Scope OF Researches.
Mr.. Phillips pursued his Investigations
and researches all about thistsection, down
the Potomac. the Pataxent fiverTas well,
and along the Chesapeake, Up as far as
Little Falls he worked. ONT the Eastern
branch as far as Benning,e and in and
around Anacostia, where many of his spec
linens were secured. Out toward Ben
ing also many were collected. About
three miles north of the, city, near Con-
necticut avenue extended, and In many
other parts OF the District, he worked
When Mr.. Phillips met with his untimely
death the collection went to Mr.. Thomas
Lee. hts intimate friend. who had the OPP
ton OF disposing of it as he might see fit.
The result Is that the Smithsonian has now
this magnificent collection, peculiarly In
teresting from its local associations.
The collection. which is being held few
days for final arrangement before being
placed In the cases made for the speci-
mems. was shown to Star reporter Mr..
Phillips was most systematic worker,
and the specimens were carefully kept by
him. So systematic was he that all the OBJ
jects collected FROM any. partirniar site
were Kept separate. md the. yaluesof the
whole was greatly enhanced ,thesebE
Contents OF Collie etioA.
There are srear and arrow points, per-
fectly shaped. by the thousands, formed of
quartz and quartzite. or one kind there
are more than in all the other known col
lections. While some OF these specimens
were discovered on sites near here. the