Evening star., 1928-03-18
BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR.

y OW very interesting ii is TO Teas
every now and then the traoi
tons and legends regarding
/ 4 the American Indians wht
cllce lived on or near the SITE
Of the District of Columbia. Indeed. i
is manifeStly evident that those whC
repeat the stories read by them, or giver
10 them oy others. pass them along en-
tirely without investigation. adding per-
hapS Il,St a little here and there in an
effort to make the legend even more ro-
mantle and beautiful in the telling.
With the human family. this seems
10 be tl,orpughly natural. 70. even in"
nocent remarks sometimes made OF one
another will BE- 50 added TO ''Een ie-
Deated that the maker will hold up his
hands in horror when confronted by the
enlarged and distorted statement, Ma0c
perhaps. only few days before,
Fortunately. the local Indian legends
Go no particular harm. except 10 aSitate
:llc mind Of the historian, and keep fim
ever active in trying to prove or dis
prove some possible or impossible story,
as the case may be; always with an idea
toward putting the public straight
where ii might otherwise be miSled.
With this view IN mind, the writer
s;rcnt some time recently in trying 10
set at the bottom of the widows Mite
story. no doubt familiar to many read
CTS Of The Star IT has been going slle
rounds for many years i'll slightly varied
forms. One version given tells US;
Where Washington now stands, more
than leo years ago. there was a vast
forest inhabited By the AnacoSta Indian
r site for his wigwam near a young
and powerful oak. situated on an cici-
nence. from which he could Rave an ex-
tended view Of the surrounding country.
Tradition tells US that among the
many cap:iveS taken by this Indian
chief was a young mother and her
c:auci.ter Cpon her refusal TO become
his Souaw. the chief spared her life, but
set forth a decree that under penalty
@: death she must not wander beyond
tha shade O: the oak which overspread
the hut in which she lhed.
Years passed the mothers only de-
!.Sht being in the pleasure OF her child
Gwawa. a name meaning hope Short
II after the death Of the chief. the
Father Of Our Country selected the
tract Of ground now covered by the
City of Washington. as the site for the
Capital City. and the treaty for its pur-
chase from the Indians was signed IN.
Ger this majestic oak, whose branches
had served as the prison bars for this
wonan's captivity.
Freed now from her bondage, sew
eral homes were offered her. but, faith
fl! 10 the love of home, be it ever so
humble she preferred 10 lemain be-
meath the shelter Of the sturdy oak.
IN appreciation of her sufferings. Il
tract OF ground i7ie acres in extent was
- 80 An-
and TO this day, this property, as well
as that OF several blocks about it. traces
back its deeds 10 the Widows Mite
little later an offer was made to pur-
chase this slightly hill as q location for
tn. Z S. Capitol. but the widow chung
10 her own until her death, when she
w1lie3 il to her daughter, with the re-
guest that the splendid tree be regarded
aS a special relic, to be forever cher
iS!2ed III memory of the protection
which it had afforded the widow and
the orphan"
INSTEAD of saying. more than a
hundred years ago" 1t would be
correct 70 say more than 800 years ago,
Ghc District Of Columbia was inhabited
b. the Indians. True, they were the
Aaaeostan Indians. or. more properly,
the Necotchtank. who are said 70 have
been tribe or band probably of the
Conoy, and who formerly lived on the
AnSccstia branch Of the Potomac River.
2n the District Of Columbia Their
principal village was near our present
AnRcostta. the name being q corruption
Of the name Of the tribe from which
also is taken the word +Analostan." the
name OF tbs island on the Virginia side
ot the Potomac Just this side OF the
Aqueduct Bridge, also known as Masons
Island
The late James Mooney who prob
ably knew the history of the Indians
OF this locality better than any other
man. tells US that the Nacotchtank In
clans we're OF the great Algonquin
stock and spoke the language Of the
Powhstan confederacy. OF which Poca-
hontas Tas celebrated daughter. and
which occupied Tidewater Virginia,