The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-05-10
A Free Tribe OF Indians.

4 Jamestown (Va.) correspondent
of the Chicago Record writes
On the banks Of the Pamunkey
river, in King William county, about
25 miles from Richmond and mile
east Of the historic ;'White House, :
the home Of John cambridge, where
George Washington married the lovely
widow Custis, dwells community OF
10 Indians, the lingering remnants OF
the nation which met the English col
ony with friendly greetings when it
arrived on the banks Of the Chesapeake
bay.
The records Of those times refer to
Powhattan as "the Emperor Of the
Potomac, and from Relation Of
Capt. John Smith we may Judge that
be had about $500 warriors under his
command. By the last census they
were reduced to SO, and since then the
birth rate has been SO much greater
than the death rate that they have
increased their total by II. The place
where they live is little peninsula,
a bottle-shaped neck of land compris-
ing about 800 acres, Of which 25O
acres is under cultivation. The re-
mainder is thickly wooded with the
virgin forest, swampy and uninhabited.
It abounds in game, which is one of
their chief sources of subsistence.
This tractis secured to the Pamunkey
Indians by an act Of the colonial leg
islature. They hold it in common,
are prohibited from alternating the
title and are exempt from taxes, al
though under an ancient law they are
required to supply the governor Of the
Virginia colony annually with GER
tain amount Of wild game. This prac-
tice still continues, and during the
shooting season, spring and fall, they
are in the habit now and then of send
ing the governor, by the conductor of
the train, bunch Of wild ducks or
haunch Of venison.
|1DThe Pamunkeys have no relation
with the United States government.
They receive no annuities and their
names are not upon the rolls Of the
Indian Office. The State Of Virginia
annually appoints five trustees to look
after their interests, but the Offices
are sinecures, as the Indians are per-
fectly capable of looking after them
selves. They elect their chief and
council Of four, who exercise execu-
tive, legislative and judicial functions.
Every member Of the tribe is allowed
to vote, an6 on the day appointed they
meet at the council house, with usually
two candidates to choose from. Those
in favor Of one indicate their choice
by dropping grain of corn into the
ballot box; those who prefer the other
indicate it by dropping bean in the
same place. These native officials
take care Of the tribe, punish all Of
fenses except felonies, over which the
! =
State courts have jurisdiction, and
conduct cooperative merchandise
store, which is patronized by white
people in the neighborhood as well as
the members Of the tribe.
The Indians are temperate, moral,
peaceable and industrious. Very few
Of them are full blooded. During the
three hundred years Of contact with
the whites and Negroes around them
they have been unable to preserve
their racial integrity, although the
laws of the tribe prohibit cohabitation
or marriage with persons of African
descent. They are exceedingly proud
Of their lineage, and while they would
probably acknowledge the white aris-
tocracy Of Virginia as their equals,
they decline to have anything to do
with the blacks. and some years ago
raised miniature rebellion because
mulatto woman was placed in charge
of public school upon their reserva-
tion.
Realizing that continual intermar-
riage has impaired the physical con-
dition Of the tribe, they have recently
appointed committee to treat with
the remnant of the Cherokee Indian
nation Of North Carolina on this sub
ject.
The Pamunkeys are not only thor
oughly civilized, but are quite inclin-
ed to be religious. The best building
on their reservation is Baptist
Church, at which nearly every member
Of the tribe attends service twice on
| Sunday under the administration of
native preacher.