what was the powhatan's geography like?
Answers
Archaeologists believe the American Indians were the first people to arrive in North America,
perhaps having migrated from Asia more than 16,000 years ago. During this Paleo time period,
these Indians rapidly spread throughout America and were the first people to live in Virginia.
During the Woodland period, which began around 1200 B.C., Indian culture reached its highest
level of complexity. By the late 16th century, Indian people in Coastal Plain Virginia, united
under the leadership of Wahunsonacock, had organized themselves into approximately 32 tribes.
Wahunsonacock was the paramount or supreme chief, having held the title “Powhatan.” Not a
personal name, the Powhatan title was used by English settlers to identify both the leader of the
tribes and the people of the paramount chiefdom he ruled. Although the Powhatan people lived
in separate towns and tribes, each led by its own chief, their language, social structure, religious
beliefs and cultural traditions were shared. By the time the first English settlers set foot in “Tsenacommacah,
or “densely inhabited land,” the Powhatan Indians had developed a complex culture
with a centralized political system.
Living With the Indians is a story of the Powhatan people who lived in early 17th-century Virginia—
their social, political, economic structures and everyday life ways. It is the story of individuals,
cultural interactions, events and consequences that frequently challenged the survival of the Powhatan
people. It is the story of how a unique culture, through strong kinship networks and tradition, has endured and maintained tribal identities in Virginia right up
to the present day.