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90-519: Werowocomoco was a village that served as the headquarters of Chief Powhatan , a Virginia Algonquian political and spiritual leader when the English founded Jamestown in 1607. The name Werowocomoco comes from the Powhatan werowans ( weroance ), meaning "leader" in English; and komakah (-comoco), "settlement". The town was documented by English settlers in 1608 as located near the north bank of
180-461: A European collection. It likely belonged originally to a Native American of high social status, as it was decorated with numerous valuable native shell beads. In his 1906 work Lives of Famous Chiefs , Norman Wood provided a description of Powhatan, based on reports from English colonists. He was said to be a "tall, well-proportioned man with a sower looke, his head somewhat gray, his beard so thinne that it seemeth none at all, his age neare sixtie, of
270-644: A battle near what is now Philadelphia , stopped at the Big Spring on Sligo Creek (present-day Takoma Park, Maryland , near Washington, DC ) to recuperate from his wounds in the medicinal waters there. Modern historians have dismissed this tale as lacking credibility; nonetheless, a commemorative sculpture of Powhatan has stood at the site since 1985. In A True Relation of such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Happened in Virginia (1608), Smith described Powhatan thus: "[...] their Emperor proudly [lay] upon
360-481: A bedstead a foot high upon ten or twelve mats, richly hung with many chains of great pearls about his neck, and covered with a great covering of Rahaughcums [raccoon skins]. At his head sat a woman, at his feet another, on each side, sitting upon a mat upon the ground, were ranged his chief men on each side [of] the fire, ten in a rank, and behind them as many young women, each a great chain of white beads over their shoulders, their heads painted in red, and [he] with such
450-455: A commercial alliance with them. This forced the settlers into close quarters, behind fortified walls, severely limiting their ability to farm the area and trade with other Indian tribes. Various attempts at farming led to kidnappings and killings by the Powhatans , while expeditions to establish relations with other Native Americans resulted either in the emissaries being ambushed and killed by
540-493: A drought earlier in 1609 during the normal growing season had left the fields of the colonists of Virginia barren. Combined with the lack of trade with the Native Americans and the failure of the third supply to arrive with expected supplies, the colony found itself with far too little food for the winter. A diet of only maize (corn) results in vitamin deficiency (causing pellagra and scurvy , which likely worsened
630-673: A few days later, they were surprised to find the house unfinished and the entire town abandoned, for which they blamed the Germans. More likely, Powhatan had decided to move to an area less accessible to the troublesome colonists. Initially, Powhatan made Orapakes his new headquarters; it was located in a swamp at the head of the Chickahominy River (near the modern-day interchange of Interstate 64 and Interstate 295 ). Subsequently, between 1611 and 1614, he moved further north to Matchut , in present-day King William County on
720-533: A grave a majestical countenance as drove me into admiration to see such state in a naked savage." "Powhatan's Mantle" is the name given to a cloak of deerskin , decorated with shell patterns and figures, held by the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford . It allegedly belonged to Powhatan, although the evidence is questionable. The Mantle is certainly one of the earliest North American artifacts to have survived in
810-464: A house built by Smith for Powhatan at the latter's regional village. For this reason, English settlers and their descendants called the area Werowocomoco. Its name was changed to a shorter version, Wicomico, by the US Post Office for ease of use when a post office was established at the village. In 1977, Daniel Mouer, an archaeologist at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), identified as
900-599: A large residential community. The Research Group has also recovered numerous English trade goods, produced from glass, copper , and other metals, which came from Jamestown. This conforms to colonists' accounts of trading at Werowocomoco; they noted that Powhatan was very interested in English objects, particularly copper, during the early days of the Jamestown colony. In 2004, researchers discovered two large earthworks : curving ditches, each more than 200 feet (61 m) in length and located about 1,000 feet (300 m) from
990-550: A portion of the property. Initial testing included digging 603 test holes, each 12 to 16 inches (410 mm) deep and 50 feet (15 m) apart. They found thousands of artifacts throughout the site, indicating that it had integrity and had not been much disturbed. These finds included a blue bead possibly made in Europe for trading . Because these findings showed substantial, extended 50-acre (200,000 m) settlement and accorded with historical descriptions, they suggested this farm
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#17327840132371080-421: A sacred area. Continuing discoveries from excavations are helping scholars understand Virginia Indian-European relations. The period of interaction at this site was brief in relation to the many hundreds of years of prior indigenous settlement. This project is notable because archaeologists and other researchers have carefully incorporated consultation about planning and executing the excavations with members of
1170-405: A short time before, the archaeologists who studied the case conclude that she might rather have been "a maidservant for a gentlemen's household" – her diet was not as good as typical for upper-class people, but better than usual for the lower classes. Jane's cause of death is unknown. There are no traces of violence preceding her death, but she could have been murdered in a way that left no traces on
1260-994: A very able and hardy body, to endure any labor." Powhatan gained control of six tribes when he became chief. He inherited them from his father, whose name is unknown. Those six tribes included: • Arrohattoc (Arro-hattoc/Arrohateck) • Appomattoc (Appomattox) • Mattaponi (Mattapa-nient) • Pamunkey • Youghtanund • Powhatan Through his chiefdom, Powhatan obtained the following tribes known as The Powhatan Confederacy (Tsenacommacah): • Accohannock • Accomac • Chesapeake • Chickahominy • Kiskiack ( Chiskiack ) • Cuttatawomen • Kecoughtan • Moraughtacund (Morattico) • Nandtaughta-cund • Nansemond • Opiscopank ( Piscataway ) • Paspahegh • Piankatank • Pissaseck • Patawomeck (Potomac) • Quiyoughcohannock • Rappahannock (Tappahannock) • Sekakawon (Secacawoni) • Warraskoyack (Warrascocake/Warwick-squeak) • Weanoc ( Weyanock ) • Werowocomoco , • Wiccocomico ( Wiccomico ). Starving Time The Starving Time at Jamestown in
1350-435: Is confirmed by four other accounts of the famine time. A further account does not mention her but states that dead settlers, as well as one Native American who had died in a fight, were eaten. It is possible that Jane was the murdered wife – she was young, but, according to the customs of the time, not necessarily too young to be married. However, based on her age, her diet, and the fact that she had apparently arrived only
1440-702: Is near this location. Sometime between 1611 and 1614, Powhatan moved further north to Matchut, in present-day King William County on the north bank of the Pamunkey River , near where his younger brother Opchanacanough ruled at Youghtanund. By the time Smith left Virginia in 1609, the fragile peace between colonists and Algonquians was already beginning to fray. Soon conflict led to the First Anglo-Powhatan War , and further English colonial settlement beyond Jamestown and into Powhatan's territory. The colonists effectively destroyed two subtribes,
1530-471: The Colony of Virginia was a period of starvation during the winter of 1609–1610. There were about 500 Jamestown residents at the beginning of the winter; by spring only 61 people remained alive. The colonists, the first group of whom had originally arrived on May 13, 1607, had never planned to grow all of their own food. Their plans depended upon trade with the local Powhatan to supply them with food between
1620-546: The Fall Line near present-day Richmond. Through diplomacy or force, he had formed the Powhatan Confederacy from about 30 tribes by the early 17th century. The confederacy included an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people. In December 1607, English colonizer John Smith , one of the Jamestown colony's leaders, was captured by a hunting expedition led by Opchanacanough , the younger brother of Powhatan. Smith
1710-579: The Kecoughtan and the Paspahegh , at the beginning of this war. Powhatan sent Nemattanew to operate against English colonists on the upper James River, though they held out at Henricus . With the capture of Pocahontas by Captain Samuel Argall in 1613, Powhatan sued for peace. It came about after her alliance in marriage on April 5, 1614, to John Rolfe , a leading tobacco planter. John Rolfe
1800-609: The National Park System . Under this proposal, Werowocomoco would be formally opened to public visitation under the management of the National Park Service. The National Park Service completed acquisition of the property in the summer of 2016. Thane Harpole and David Brown, two Gloucester-based archaeologists, have been instrumental in the work at the Purtan Bay site since 2002. Starting that year,
1890-795: The Sea Venture as vice admiral. Also aboard the flagship were the Admiral of the Company, Sir George Somers , Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Gates , William Strachey and other notable personages in the early history of English colonization in North America. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the convoy transporting 500 new colonists and supplies ran into a severe tropical storm, possibly a hurricane , which lasted for three days. The Sea Venture and one other ship were separated from
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#17327840132371980-482: The Sea Venture who arrived at Jamestown in May 1610, and were turned back by Lord Delaware, was a young Englishman named John Rolfe . His wife and young daughter had perished during the journey and delay at Bermuda. While it can be said that Lord Delaware literally turned the colonists around, it could be equally said that Rolfe (among the group sent back to Jamestown on June 9) was the individual most responsible for turning
2070-420: The Sea Venture ). In the colony, there was no word of the fate of the Sea Venture , its supplies, passengers, or the leaders. Captain Samuel Argall , commanding one of the ships of the third supply which made it to Jamestown, was among those who hurried back to England to advise of Jamestown's plight. However, no further supply ships from England arrived that year nor the following spring of 1610. At Jamestown,
2160-519: The York River in what is now Gloucester County . It was separated by that river and the narrow Virginia Peninsula from the English settlement of Jamestown, located on the James River . Powhatan's Chimney at Wicomico , a site of historical ruins associated with a house purported to have been built for Powhatan, was long thought to have been the site of this capital. Its probable true site
2250-502: The "second supply". On board were the colony's first two women— Mistress Forrest and her maid Anne Burras —as well as more supplies and additional settlers, including craftsmen trained to make glass. Among the leaders, Captain John Smith had emerged as most capable of successfully trading with the indigenous population. Over the first several months of settlement, the survivors (including Smith) had gained sufficient intelligence of
2340-568: The (relatively few) bones that have been found, or she might have died of hunger or illness. On Bermuda, the survivors of the Sea Venture spent nine months building two smaller ships, Deliverance and Patience , from Bermuda cedar and materials salvaged from the Sea Venture . Then, leaving two men to maintain England's claim to the archipelago, the remainder sailed to Jamestown, finally arriving on May 23, 1610. Led by Gates and Somers,
2430-532: The 17th century. Scholars believed West Point (a town established at the confluence of the Pamunkey and Mattaponi rivers at the headwaters of the York River) seemed to meet a description of the Powhatan village in the writings of colonist John Smith: Fourteene myles from the river Powhatan is the river Pamunkee, which is navaginable 60 or 70 myles, but with Cathes and small Barkes 30 or 40 myles further. At
2520-547: The English and the Powhatan Confederacy. Although the truce was a short one, it allowed the English to fully secure the colony's fortifications and housing, expand its farming, develop a network of alliances with other Indian nations, and establish a series of outlying smaller settlements. The Powhatan Confederacy attempted two other wars against the English, including the Second Powhatan War which
2610-527: The James River on June 9, just as the Deliverance and Patience were sailing downriver to leave Virginia. Intercepting them about 10 miles downstream from Jamestown near Mulberry Island , West forced the Deliverance and Patience to return to the abandoned colony. This was not a popular decision at the time, but Lord Delaware was to prove a new kind of leader for Virginia. Among the survivors of
2700-521: The Powhatans, or proved fruitless in gaining sufficient supplies. The combination of disease, killings, and kidnapping almost obliterated the initial English population. After dropping off the settlers, and returning to England, Christopher Newport returned to Jamestown in January 1608 from England with what was called the "first supply" and about 100 additional settlers. Upon his return, he found that
2790-496: The Starving Time had already been known from half a dozen accounts written about the period. George Percy , who had been president of the city council during the crisis, later reported "that the living dug up and ate corpses, and that a husband killed his wife and then butchered her, preserved her with salt, and ate parts of her before he was caught." The husband was executed. That a woman was murdered and eaten by her husband
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2880-506: The Virginia Company. There was also a moral call in England by clergymen and others for support for the stranded colonists. On April 1, 1610, three more ships were dispatched from England bound for Jamestown, equipped with additional colonists, a doctor, food, and supplies. Heading this group was the new governor, Thomas West, Baron De La Warr , better known in modern times as "Lord Delaware". Governor West and his party arrived on
2970-711: The Werowocomoco Research Group was formed to begin excavations. The Research Group is a collaborative effort of the College of William and Mary , and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, advised by eastern Virginia tribes. The excavations revealed a dispersed community of about 50 acres (200,000 m), occupied from the 13th through the early 17th century (Woodland to early Contact). Artifacts recovered include Native pottery and stone tools, as well as floral and faunal remains from
3060-430: The arrivals of periodic supply ships from England. Lack of access to water and a severe drought crippled the agricultural production of the colonists. The water that the colonists drank was brackish and potable for only half of the year. A fleet from England, damaged by a hurricane, arrived months behind schedule with new colonists but without adequate food supplies. On June 7, 1610, the survivors boarded ships, abandoned
3150-473: The capital of the Powhatan Confederacy. During one legendary encounter with the warrior Opechancanough , Smith's life was spared (according to his later account) by the intervention of Pocahontas , the daughter of Chief Powhatan . This event initially proved fortuitous for the English, as Chief Powhatan was obviously unaware of the dire straits of the colony. However, shortly after Newport returned in early January 1608, bringing new colonists and supplies, one of
3240-427: The castaways assumed they would find a thriving colony in Virginia. Instead, they found the colony in ruins and practically abandoned. Of the 500 colonists living in Jamestown in the autumn, they found 60 survivors with many of those sick or dying. Worse yet, many supplies intended for Jamestown had been lost in the shipwreck at Bermuda, and Gates and Somers had brought along with them only a small food supply. Viewing
3330-547: The chimney and part of the building for Powhatan are known as Powhatan's Chimney . Since 2003, state officials and researchers have concluded the likely site of Werowocomoco is further west along the York River at Purtan Bay. There archeologists have found evidence of a large residential settlement dating to 1200, with major earthworks built about 1400. They have found extensive artifacts , including European goods, which indicate likely interaction with English colonists in
3420-661: The colonists and he was made a commander of James Fort on the Chickahominy after the next war. Like his mother, Pocahontas, Thomas Rolfe was not a celebrity while he was alive. The numerous Rolfe family descendants comprised one of the First Families of Virginia , one with both English and Virginia Indian roots. The modern Mattaponi and Patawomeck tribes believe that Powhatan's line also survives through Ka-Okee, Pocahontas' daughter by her first husband Kocoum . According to one legend, Powhatan, returning homeward from
3510-589: The colonists for food. John Ratcliffe , captain of the Discovery , became colony president and tried to improve the colony's situation by obtaining food. Hoping to emulate Smith, Ratcliffe attempted a trade mission; shortly after being elected, he was captured by Chief Powhatan and tortured to death, leaving the colony without strong leadership. The Powhatans carried out additional attacks on other colonists who came in search of trade. Hunting also became very dangerous, as they killed any Englishmen they found outside of
3600-487: The colonists, ultimately resulting in the near destruction of the tribe. Through his daughter Pocahontas (and her marriage to the English colonist John Rolfe), Wahunsunacock was the grandfather of Thomas Rolfe . In 1635 Rolfe returned to Virginia from England. Although Rolfe was raised as an Englishman, he did honor his Native American heritage and even visited his uncle, Opchanacanough, along with his aunt, “Cleopatra” upon returning to Jamestown. His true loyalty remained with
3690-477: The colonists: she wanted to be with Rolfe. Rolfe's longtime friend, Reverend Richard Buck , presided the wedding. Before the wedding, Reverend Alexander Whitaker converted Pocahontas and renamed her "Rebecca" at her baptism. Meanwhile, English colonists continued to expand along the James Riverfront. The aged Powhatan's final years have been called "ineffectual" (Rountree 1990). Opchanacanough became
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3780-477: The colony site, and sailed downstream to the Chesapeake Bay . There, another supply convoy with new supplies, headed by newly appointed governor Francis West , intercepted them on the lower James River and returned them to Jamestown. Within a few years, the commercialization of tobacco by John Rolfe secured the settlement's long-term economic prosperity. There is historical and scientific evidence that
3870-572: The colony. On June 7, everyone was placed aboard the ships to return to England, and they began to sail down the James River. During the period that the Sea Venture suffered its misfortune, and its survivors were struggling in Bermuda to continue on to Virginia, back in England the publication of Captain John Smith's books of his adventures in Virginia sparked a resurgence of interest in the colony. This helped lead to new interest and investment in
3960-408: The corn by force. Sending four "Dutchmen" (Germans) ahead by land to work on the house, Smith headed for Werowocomoco by sea on December 29 with a small force. Powhatan may also have been showing bad faith; while en route , Smith received a report at Warraskoyack that the chief was plotting an ambush of his party. After many stops, Smith arrived at Werowocomoco on January 12, 1609. The next day he
4050-559: The early 17th century. In 2006 the Werowocomoco Archeological Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Excavations continue by a team headed by the College of William and Mary . Powhatan made his next capital at Orapake, located about 50 miles (80 km) west in a swamp at the head of the Chickahominy River . The modern-day interchange of Interstate 64 and Interstate 295
4140-411: The early English settlers of Virginia as the residence of Wahunsenacawh or Wahunsonacock, the paramount weroance of the area. He and his people were known to them as Powhatan, a name derived from his native village, the small settlement of Powhatan , meaning the falls of the river, at the fall line of the James River (the present-day Powhatan Hill neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia later developed on
4230-518: The early years of the English colony, the settlers suffered severely during the winter, a period known as the Starving Time . In December 1608, Powhatan offered to sell them an entire "shipload of corn in exchange for a grindstone, fifty swords, some guns, a cock and a hen, copper and beads, and some men to build him an English-style house." Smith affected to accept this proposal but instead of giving Powhatan weapons planned to surprise him and take
4320-492: The effects of the lack of planning and lack of skills among the original colonists had combined with Powhatan attacks in reducing the original settlement to only 38 survivors. After expanding fortifications, reinforcing shelters, and placing armed men to defend crops from native attacks, Newport felt he had secured the settlement by the end of winter. He sailed for England again in April 1608, returning to Jamestown that October with
4410-435: The failing economy of the young colony around. Rolfe, a businessman from London, had planned to become a planter upon arrival in Virginia, and he had some new ideas about exporting tobacco for profit. He knew that the native tobacco from Virginia was not liked by the English settlers nor did it appeal to the market in England. However, he brought with him some seeds for several new strains of tobacco to experiment with. Using
4500-474: The falls of the James River near present-day Richmond, Virginia . Seventeenth-century English spellings were not standardized, and representations were many of the sounds of the Algonquian language spoken by Wahunsenacawh and his people. Charles Dudley Warner , writing in the 19th century, but quoting extensively from John Smith's 17th-century writings, in his essay on Pocahontas states: "In 1618 died
4590-462: The forensic evidence, cuts made to the skull and bones clearly indicate that brain and edible tissue had been separated from the bones in the same way as with butchered animals, providing "clear evidence of cannibalism." An analysis of the teeth and bones shows that the girl – who was named Jane by the excavators, while her real name is not known – had only recently immigrated, probably from southern England. That cannibalism had been practiced during
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#17327840132374680-470: The fort, we found the palisades torn down, the ports open, the gates from off the hinges, and the empty houses (which owners had taken from them) rent up and burnt, rather than the dwellers would step into the woods a stone's cast off from them to fetch other firewood. And it is true, the Indians killed as fast without, if our men stirred but beyond the bounds of their blockhouse, ... It was decided to abandon
4770-542: The fort. The Virginia Company's "third supply" mission was the largest yet, led by the Sea Venture flagship. The Sea Venture was considerably larger than the other eight ships traveling, carrying a large portion of the supplies intended for the Virginia Colony. The "third supply" to Jamestown with a nine-vessel fleet left London on June 2, 1609. Veteran Captain Christopher Newport commanded
4860-420: The great Powhatan, full of years and satiated with fighting and the savage delights of life. He had many names and titles; his people called him Ottaniack, sometimes Mamauatonick, and usually in his presence Wahunsenasawk." Many variants are used in texts: Little is known of Powhatan's life before the arrival of English colonists in 1607. He apparently inherited the leadership of about 4–6 tribes, with its base at
4950-496: The greater Native power in the region. Upon the death of Wahunsunacock in 1618, his next younger brother Opitchapam officially became paramount chief . However, Opchanacanough, the youngest brother, had achieved the greatest power and effectively became the Powhatan. By initiating the Indian Massacre of 1622 , and attacks in 1644, he attempted to expel the colonists from Virginia. These attempts met with strong reprisals from
5040-525: The hungry English colony. Both sides looked for opportunities to surprise one another. Smith proceeded to Opchanacanough's village. When ambushed, he held Powhatan at gunpoint before the warriors . When Smith returned to Werowocomoco, he found the house unfinished and the place abandoned. The men had deserted to the Powhatan side. At a village now called Wicomico in Gloucester County , the reconstructed ruins of what were traditionally believed to be
5130-517: The landowners initiated consultation with the Virginia Council on Indians to plan and execute excavations on the site. Representatives of local Virginia Indian tribes, some of whom are descendants of the tributary tribes of Powhatan, continue to advise the research. Excavations at the site since 2003 have revealed evidence of a large town, including two 200-foot (61 m)-long, curved, earthwork ditches built 1,000 feet (300 m) from
5220-554: The local recognized Virginia Indian tribes. These include the Mattaponi , Pamunkey , and Upper Mattaponi , some of whose people consider such sites sacred, as they include burial artifacts of their ancestors. When I step on this site folks...I just feel different. The spirituality just touches me and I feel it. Because of the significance of the excavations, in 2006 the Werwomocomo Archaeological Site
5310-399: The meeting, first recording it only some seventeen years later. By that time Pocahontas had both become a celebrity in England due to her 1616–17 visit there and had died, which allowed Smith to exploit their previous and perhaps actually slight acquaintance without contradiction from her. Severe droughts during the contact period were the likely cause of a decline in maize at Werowocomoco. In
5400-497: The mouth at Hampton Roads all the way west to Henricus , and on both sides of the river, where export shipments could use wharves to ship the product. Rolfe became prominent and wealthy and soon held an interest in several plantations, including a large farm on Mulberry Island. Rolfe is said to have founded Varina Farms near Sir Thomas Dale 's progressive new city of Henricus, and in 1614 he married Chief Powhatan's daughter Pocahontas , who had converted to Christianity and taken
5490-425: The name Rebecca. The couple had one son named Thomas Rolfe , who was born in 1615. The arrival of Lord Delaware with a substantial armed force of pilgrims filled with patriotic fervor spreading Protestantism , resulted in a counter-offensive against the Powhatan Confederacy. The campaign ended the Powhatan siege and resulted in the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe which introduced a short period of truce between
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#17327840132375580-481: The new colonists accidentally started a fire that leveled all of the colony's living quarters. The fire further deepened the settlement's dependence on the Native Americans for food and revealed to Chief Powhatan the weakness of the English colony. In August 1609, Smith, who had gained the respect of the Powhatans, was injured in a gunpowder accident and had to return to England for medical treatment, leaving on October 4, 1609. With Smith gone, Powhatans stopped trading with
5670-440: The newly identified Purtan Bay site and the site of Powhatan's Chimney site. The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors noted that in the Algonquian language the designation for the village of the chief was not a place name, but more correctly translated as a reference to the lands where he lived. The culture frequently relocated quarters within a general area. Radiocarbon dating of riverfront middens and inland ditch features at
5760-464: The north bank of the Pamunkey River. After Powhatan's death in 1618, Opechancanough succeeded him as paramount chief, though controlling a smaller number of tribes than Powhatan had ruled. He used nearby Youghtanund as his capital, which served, as had Werowocomoco, as the place where he accepted tribute from subject tribes. The location of Werowocomoco was lost from English memories during
5850-610: The ordinary flowing of the salt water, it divideth itself into two gallent branches. On the South side inhabited the people Toughtamand[?], who haue about 60 men for warres. On the North branch Mattapoment [Mattaponi], who has 30 men. Where the river is divided the Country is called Pamaunkee [Pamunkey], and nourisheth neare 300 able men. About 25 myles lower on the North side of this river is Werawocomoco, where their great king inhabited when I
5940-474: The original settlers were accustomed to manual labor or were familiar with farming. Hunting on the island was poor, and they quickly exhausted the supply of small game. The colonists were largely dependent upon trade with the Native Americans and periodic supply ships from England for their food. A series of incidents with the Native Americans soon developed into serious conflicts, ending any hope of
6030-528: The possible location of Werowocomoco a site further west along the York River at Purtan Bay, less than 25 miles (40 km) from West Point and 15 miles (24 km) from Jamestown, about 7 miles (11 km) west of Gloucester . When he collected artifacts from the surface of plowed fields and along the beach, he found fragments of Indian ceramics ranging in time from the Late Woodland Period up to European contact. These indicated that this area
6120-453: The reported apathy and despair). With the new arrivals, there were many more mouths to feed. There are few records of the hardships the colonists experienced in Virginia that winter. Arms and valuable work tools were traded to the Powhatans for a pittance in food. Houses were used as firewood. Settlers ate laundry starch intended for gentleman fashion. Archaeologists have found evidence that they ate cats, dogs, horses, and rats. Cannibalism
6210-590: The river bank about 1400, two hundred years before the English first visited the area. In 2006 the Werowocomoco Archeological Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). In the future, scholars hope to find more evidence about the political nature of the Powhatan polity. In 2014, President Barack Obama proposed future federal budget funding to acquire this site in Gloucester County to make it part of
6300-406: The river. They may be part of a D-shaped construction noted on John Smith's 1612 map. The researchers have determined the ditches dated from about 1400 CE , indicating Virginia Indians had established long-term settlement at this site more than 200 years prior to the English arrival at Jamestown. Earthwork constructions were often integral to ceremonial centers, and these may have defined or separated
6390-463: The settlers at Jamestown had turned to cannibalism during the starving time. The English settlement at Jamestown had been established on May 24, 1607, with the arrival of three ships commanded by Captain Christopher Newport . The initial small group of 104 men and boys chose the location because it was favorable for defensive purposes, but it offered poor hunting prospects and a shortage of drinking water . Although they did some farming, few of
6480-529: The seven other vessels of the fleet. Admiral Somers had the Sea Venture deliberately driven onto the reefs of Bermuda to prevent its sinking. The 150 passengers and crew members all landed safely on July 28, but the ship was beyond repair. In the aftermath of the storm, one ship (the Virginia ) returned to England. The other seven ships arrived safely at Jamestown, delivering 200–300 men, women, and children, but relatively few supplies (as most had been aboard
6570-574: The site places the first settlement of Werowocomoco at around 1270 CE. Archeobotanical data indicates a decline in deciduous wood and nutshell from the Middle Woodland period through contact. This corresponds with the establishment of a large settlement, and implies clearing of forest at Werowocomoco as the village grew. Maize was not present at the site in large quantities until the Late Woodland period. Werowocomoco first became known to
6660-616: The site). Wahunsenacawh indicated to John Smith that his rise to power began to the west of Werowocomoco. It is unknown when Wahunsenacawh moved to Werowocomoco. As a place already well-known to his people as a regional center, he may have wanted to make use of it because of its association with previous Native American leaders. While residing there, he received tribute from several Virginia Algonquian tribes in return for providing food in times of famine, military protection, and spiritual powers. Additionally, he distributed sacred materials such as copper and certain colors of shell beads. Werowocomoco
6750-582: The surrounding tribes to start more focused diplomatic initiatives with Powhatan's enemies. Using the Discovery , the smallest of the three ships which had been left behind for their use, the colonists explored the surrounding area including the Chesapeake Bay . Smith successfully traded for food with the Nansemonds , who were located along the Nansemond River . He had mixed results dealing with
6840-402: The sweeter strains, Rolfe is credited with being the first to commercially cultivate Nicotiana tabacum plants in North America in 1611; the export of this sweeter tobacco beginning in 1612 helped turn the Virginia Colony into a profitable venture. Soon, Rolfe and others were exporting substantial quantities of the new cash crop . Plantations began growing up all along the James River, from
6930-516: The time when English settlers landed at Jamestown in 1607. Powhatan, alternately called "King" or "Chief" Powhatan by English settlers, led the main political and military power facing the early colonists, and was probably the older brother of Opechancanough , who led attacks against the settlers in 1622 and 1644. He was the father of Matoaka ( Pocahontas ). In 1607, the English colonists were introduced to Wahunsenacawh as Powhatan and understood this latter name to come from Powhatan's hometown near
7020-405: The various other tribes, most of whom were affiliated with the Powhatan Confederacy . With the coming arrival of the supply fleet, Smith felt the colony was sufficiently reinforced to engage the Powhatan directly with a diplomatic initiative aimed at securing at least a temporary respite from sniping, kidnapping, and assaulting. Taking a small escort they made their way through incessant attacks to
7110-417: Was confirmed in 2013 to have occurred in at least one case; the remains of a teenage girl of about fourteen years were forensically analyzed and shown to have telltale marks consistent with butchering meat. The excavators found the girl's skull and leg bones, together with bones of "butchered horses and dogs" in a "trash deposit" in an underground room that had been used as a kitchen at that time. According to
7200-493: Was delivered him prisoner; yet there are not past 40 able men. [ sic ] In later years, local people thought that Werowocomoco was located near Powhatan's Chimney , about 25 miles (40 km) east of present-day West Point, Virginia in the area of Timberneck Bay, slightly upstream on the York River from Gloucester Point . The chimney on the site was associated with the uncompleted house John Smith witnessed being constructed for Powhatan, which in local legend became
7290-558: Was initiated by the Massacre of 1622 and the Third Powhatan War which broke out as a result of another surprise massacre of the colony's women and children. However, each attack was met with stiff resistance, a counter-offensive, severe reprisals, and eventual defeat of the Powhatan Confederacy. After almost 40 years of tenuous existence surrounded by a generally hostile Indian nation, the Virginia Colony effectively devastated
7380-591: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Powhatan (Native American leader) Powhatan ( c. 1547 – c. 1618), whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh (alternately spelled Wahunsenacah , Wahunsunacock, or Wahunsonacock ), was the leader of the Powhatan , an alliance of Algonquian -speaking Native Americans living in Tsenacommacah , in the Tidewater region of Virginia at
7470-518: Was one of Pocahontas's many Jamestown teachers before their marriage; he instructed her in matters of the new culture she was being assimilated into, and he also taught her all about Christianity. According to various accounts, Pocahontas and John Rolfe did, in fact, fall in love with each other—it was a consensual relationship. This might, at least in part, explain Pocahontas's apparent willingness to assimilate, convert to Christianity, and remain with
7560-414: Was ritually accepted as subchief of the town of Capahosic in Powhatan's alliance. As the historian Margaret Williamson Huber has written, "Powhatan calculated that moving Smith and his men to Capahosic would keep them nearby and better under his control." In January 1609, Smith recorded directing some of his men to build an English-style house for Powhatan at Werowocomoco, in exchange for food supplies for
7650-413: Was taken to Werowocomoco , Powhatan's capital along the York River . Smith recounted in 1624 that Matoaka ( Pocahontas ), one of Powhatan's daughters, kept her father from executing him. However, since Smith's 1608 and 1612 reports omitted this account, many historians have doubted its accuracy. Some believe that the event Smith recounted as a prelude to his execution was an adoption ceremony by which Smith
7740-428: Was taken to see progress on Powhatan's new house in the vicinity. Smith's men and Powhatan's, after failing to persuade each other to disarm, each tried to ambush the other during the negotiations. After these feints, the English had their corn. Smith's party traveled up the Pamunkey River to trade with Powhatan's brother Opechancanough, whom they threatened at gunpoint to gain food supplies. On returning to Werowocomoco
7830-402: Was tentatively identified by archaeologists in 2003 at a site on Purtan Bay , further west on the York River. Their survey and excavations revealed extensive artifacts, with habitation from the 13th into the 17th century. Its first settlement was dated about 1270 CE , with complex earthworks built about 1400 CE. The area that the Native Americans considered Werowocomoco may have included both
7920-467: Was the "possible site of 'Werowocomoco'." Based on his findings, the area was designated a Virginia Historic Site. In 2002 the Ripleys, then the landowners of the site, authorized additional archaeological exploration of their property. They had already found many ancient projectile points on the surface. Between March 2002 and April 2003, archaeologists conducted a comprehensive archaeological survey of
8010-439: Was the former site of Werowocomoco. "We believe we have sufficient evidence to confirm that the property is indeed the village of Werowocomoco", said Randolph Turner, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources' Portsmouth Regional Office in 2003. Studies of the early mapping evidence also support scholars' conclusions. Since 2003, a team of archaeologists and related researchers has been working at this site. They and
8100-645: Was the site of several interactions between Powhatan and the English colonists. Werowocomoco is best known as the site where John Smith , who had been captured by Powhatan's brother Opechancanough while foraging along the Chickahominy River , was taken to meet Powhatan in December 1607. According to Smith's 1624 account, now disputed by most scholars, Pocahontas , daughter of Powhatan, prevented her father from executing Smith at that time. Historians have been skeptical of this account, as Smith did not refer to this purported incident in earlier accounts (1608 and 1612) of
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