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Who were the Powhatans that inhabited the land before the English settlers came over? How did they live? Did they really live a savage lifestyle that the English portrayed in writings or was their culture different? Learn more about the Powhatans, the tribe who originally owned the land of "Jamestown".

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American Indian languages Indian tribes American Indian art
Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Powhatans for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to look through our mainPowhatan Confederacy page for in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Powhatan pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.

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Powhatan Tribe

OriginallyPowhatan was pronounced "Pow-HAT-un." ("Pow" rhymes with "cow," and "HAT" rhymes with "cat.") Today, it is often pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, like POW-huh-tan.Powhatan meant "waterfall" in the Virginia Algonquian language. It was the name of Chief Wahunsonacock's home town (which was located near a waterfall.) Sometimes you may see it spelledPowatan, Powhattan, or Powhatten instead. The different spellings and pronunciations are due to the fact that the Powhatan language was traditionally unwritten, so English colonists just wrote words down however they thought looked good. The same Powhatan word could be spelled four ways by four different colonists.

The Powhatans lived in eastern Virginia, where they famously encountered English settlers in the Jamestown colony. Here is atribal map of Virginia showing the original location of the Powhatans and their neighbors in the state. Some Powhatan descendants still live in Virginia today. Other Powhatan Indians were driven northward and their descendants live in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The Powhatan Indians speak English today. ThePowhatan language, also known asVirginia Algonquian, has not been spoken in centuries. Some Powhatan Indians continue to use Powhatan today for cultural and religious purposes, the same way Italians may use Latin words. If you'd like to learn an easy Powhatan word,wingapo (pronunciation win-gah-poe) is a friendly greeting. You can see a picture dictionary of some Powhatan animal wordshere.

Originally, there were many different Algonquian tribes in Virginia, including the Powhatan, Pamunkey, Mattaponi, and Chickahominy tribes. They shared the same language and culture, but each village was independent from the others. In the 16th century, Chief Powhatan united all these villages into thePowhatan Confederacy. Many villages joined the Powhatan Confederacy willingly. Others were conquered by Chief Powhatan.

The most important Powhatan Indian wasChief Powhatan. His real name was Wahunsonacock. "Chief Powhatan" was his title as the leader of the Powhatan Confederacy. Chief Powhatan was actually more like a European king than a traditional Algonquian chief. Normally in Algonquian society, village chiefs came together in councils to make important decisions, and all the chiefs had to agree to take an action. But Chief Powhatan was an absolute ruler. Village chiefs had to obey Powhatan's commands and pay tribute to him.

The most famous Powhatan Indian was Chief Powhatan's daughterPocahontas. A lot of stories told about Pocahontas are not true. Pocahontas was only eleven years old when she met John Smith, and they did not have a romance. The story about Pocahontas saving his life may not be true either. But Pocahontas really did marry another English colonist, John Rolfe. It was the most famous interracial marriage of the time. Pocahontas was only 21 when she died, but many people are descended from her son Thomas. Here is a websitecomparing the life of the real Pocahontas with the fictional Disney story.

Here are the home pages of two of the Powhatan tribes of Virginia: theChickahominy tribe and thePamunkey tribe. On their websites you can learn about Powhatan Indian life in the past and present.

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They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonial children. But they did havedolls and toys, such as a miniature bow and arrow or hand-held ball games. Like many Native Americans, Powhatan mothers traditionally carried their babies incradleboards on their backs--a custom which many American parents haveadopted now.

The Powhatans didn't live in tepees. They lived in small round houses calledwigwams, or in largerIroquois-style longhouses. Here are some photos ofAmerican Indian houses like the ones Powhatan Indians used. Some Powhatan villages werepalisaded (surrounded by high log walls for protection), and each village had a council house and food storage building. Today, Native Americans only build wigwams or long houses for fun or to connect with their heritage, not for shelter. Most Powhatans live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.

Powhatan women wore knee-length fringed skirts. Powhatan men dressed inbreechcloths, with leggings in cooler weather. Shirts were not necessary in the Powhatan culture, but Powhatan people did wear mantles and cloaks made of turkey feathers in the winter. Powhatan men and women both wore earrings anddeerskin moccasins. Here is a picture ofPowhatan Indian clothing, and some photographs and links aboutAmerican Indian costume in general.

The Powhatans didn't wear long headdresses like theSioux. Usually they worebeaded headbands with a feather or two in the back. Sometimes a chief wore a crown of feathers on top of his head pointing straight up, likethis. The Powhatans painted their faces and bodies with different colors and designs for different occasions, and often woretattoos. Powhatan men and women both wore their hair long, but Powhatan men often cut theirs shorter on the right side than on the left.

Today, some Powhatan people still have a traditional headband or moccasins, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance.

Yes, the Powhatans madedugout canoes by hollowing out large trees. Here's a website with pictures ofIndian boats from different tribes. Over land, the Powhatan Indians used dogs as pack animals. (There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe.) Of course, today Powhatan people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.

What was Powhatan food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Powhatans were farming people. Powhatan women planted and harvested corn, squash and beans. Powhatan men hunted for deer, turkeys, and small game and went fishing on the shores. Powhatan foods included soup, cornbread, and stews. Here is a website with more information abouttraditional Indian food.

Powhatan warriors used tomahawks or heavy wooden war clubs. They also carried shields. Powhatan hunters used bows and arrows. Fishermen used nets and pronged spears to catch fish from their canoes. Here is a website on thehistory of Indian weapons.

The Powhatan tribe is known for theirAmerican Indian beadwork andbasketry. Like other eastern American Indians, Powhatans also craftedwampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally significant as an art material. Thepictures and symbols on wampum belts often told a story or represented a person's family. Here is a photo of aPowhatan mantle with wampum beadwork designs.

What other Native Americans did the Powhatan Indians interact with?

Primarily they interacted with each other. Remember, the Powhatans originally lived in many distinct tribes throughout the region. The Powhatan Indian villages usually traded with each other, but before Chief Powhatan united them, they sometimes fought with each other too. The Powhatan bands also frequently fought against theIroquoian tribes of Virginia.What was Powhatan religion like?
Spirituality and religion were important parts of Powhatan life, and some people continue to practice traditional beliefs today. It is respectful to avoid imitating religious rituals for school projects since some Native American people care about them deeply. You can read and learn about them, however. You can visit this site to learn more about

Why did the Powhatan Confederacy fight with the English colonists? Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
If you want to know more about Powhatan history and culture, three interesting sources for kids are
As with any war, there were multiple reasons. Cultural misunderstandings, religious tensions, and provoking acts of murder all played a role. Underlyingly, though, the cause of the conflict was simply that the English colonists wanted control over Powhatan lands and resources and the Powhatans refused. Eventually the English conquered the Powhatans and took what they wanted. Here is amore detailed website about the Anglo-Powhatan wars, and a copy of the historicMiddle Plantation Treaty of 1677 that ended the war and established a Powhatan reservation.

Powhatan myths or this site aboutNative American religions in general.
How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit educational organization working to preserve and protect Native American languages and culture. You can learn more about our organization
Life of the Powhatan,The Powhatan Confederacy, andPowhatan Indians. For older kids (or adults),Pocahontas's People is a terrific history of the Powhatans from the 17th century through today, andPocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma is a compelling biography of Pocahontas herself. You can also browse through our recommendations of Indian books in general. Disclaimer: we ar e an Amazon affiliate and our website earns a commission if you buy a book for sale at one of these links. Most of them can also be found in a public library, though!

here. Our website was first created in 1998 and last updated in 2020.

Thanks for your interest in the Powhatan Indian people and their language!

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Powhatan Indian Tribe
An overview of the Virginia Powhatan today and in the past.

Powhatan Language Resources
Powhatan Indian language samples, articles, and indexed lin ks.

Powhatan Culture and History Directory
Va rious links about Powhatan Indian history and traditions.

Powhatan Indian Words
Powhatan Indian vocabulary lists.

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Facts for Kids: The Powhatan Indians (Powhatan Confederacy)

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American Indian languages Indian tribes American Indian art Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Powhatans for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to look through our mainPowhatan Confederacy page for in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Powhatan pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.

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Not everything was fine and dandy in Jamestown. Most of the time the settlers struggled with protecting themselves from enemies, food supplies and meeting the needs of the people. One of the toughest times for the colonists was called "The Starving Time". Learn about what caused this period of turmoil and did it bring Jamestown to an end?

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"The starving time" was the winter of 1609-1610, when food shortages, fractured leadership, and a siege by Powhatan Indian warriors killed two of every three colonists at James Fort. From its beginning, the colony struggled to maintaining a food supply. Trade relations with the Virginia Indian tribes were strained because a severe seven-year drought stressed food supplies for everyone in the region. Captain John Smith had some success trading European goods for corn in the first two years of the settlement, but his strongarm tactics also angered the tribal communities.

Aware of the food shortages, the Virginia Company sent a fleet of nine ships in July 1609 with new colonists and enough supplies to last through the winter. But the fleet was scattered and damaged by a hurricane. The largest ship, the Sea Venture, was shipwrecked on the Island of Bermuda with much of the supplies and leaders such as Captain Christopher Newport, Sir George Somers, and Sir Thomas Gates. In mid-August some of the ships arrived at Jamestown with 300 colonists and few supplies.

Smith was badly injured by a mysterious gunpowder explosion and forced to return to England in October. George Percy became President of the Council and faced the lethal combination of dwindling food supplies and an order by Chief Powhatan that his warriors should attack any colonists or livestock found outside the fort. Percy later wrote that " Indians killed as fast without [the fort] as Famine and Pestilence did within." Percy calculated that meager rations of half a can of meal a day would get them only halfway through the winter. He wrote that to satisfy their " Crewell hunger," some went into the woods looking for " Serpents and snakes, and to digge the earthe for wylde and unknowne Rootes," but those people " weare Cutt off and slayne by the Salvages. "

Starvation weakened the colonists and led to sicknesses such as dysentery and typhoid. The colonists ate shoe leather and butchered seven horses brought from England the summer before on the ill-fated fleet. Percy wrote, " Then, having fed upon horses and other beasts as long as they lasted, we were glad to make shift with vermin, as dogs, cats and mice." There were charges of cannibalism: Starving settlers dug up " dead corpses outt of graves" to eat them, and others " Licked upp the Bloode which ha[d] fallen from their weake fellowes." Jamestown Rediscovery archaeologists in 2012 uncovered the first forensic evidence of survival cannibalism in a European colony in North America.

The Sea Venture survivors arrived from Bermuda in May 1610 to find only 60 colonists still alive in the fort. Thomas Gates realized there would be further starvation within a few weeks; on June 7, 1610, he announced the colonists would abandon Jamestown and sail for England. But their path home was blocked by the arriving ship of the new governor of the colony, Lord De la Warr, who insisted they return and rebuild Jamestown.

"[N]othing was spared to mainteyne Lyfe and to doe those things w[hi]ch seame incredible...."
-George Percy

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"The starving time" was the winter of 1609-1610, when food shortages, fractured leadership, and a siege by Powhatan Indian warriors killed two of every three colonists at James Fort. From its beginning, the colony struggled to maintaining a food supply.

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This interactive link travels you back in time to learn how difficult it was for John Smith and the other colonists to live and build a new settlement. This website includes engaging videos, interactive games and tests your knowledge to find out if you truly could have survived in Jamestown.

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Would You Have Been a Great Decision-Maker for the Jamestown Journey?

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Would You Have Been a Great Decision-Maker for the Jamestown Journey?

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Want to know what was necessary before traveling to Jamestown? Would you have made the right choices and been successful in the journey? Grab a partner and put on your thinking caps as you are challenged to make tough decisions as you head to your new colony.

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Students (in small groups) enter a survival scenario where various decisions made determine if the colony survives in the new world. Objective: TEKS b 2 A B; 3 C

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Want to know what food was like in Jamestown? How long did it take to cook bread? This short clip explains the day (yes it took a day) process to bake a loaf of bread. Find out the tools used and how objects we use everyday looked different back then.

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Why Jamestown and Were the  Settlers' Reasons Valid?

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Why Jamestown and Were the  Settlers' Reasons Valid?

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Why did the settlers choose Jamestown and were their ideas about the land correct? This brief video explains how Jamestown was built, what was built inside and the true reason as to why no Native Americans inhabited the land.

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The Discoveries of Artifacts Still Happening Today

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The Discoveries of Artifacts Still Happening Today

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What many do not know is there are still archaeological digs happening at Jamestown and these archaeologists are still discovering new artifacts everyday, including skeletons of famous people. Discover who these people are and how archaeologists know who they are from the way they are buried, what they wore and artifacts they left behind.

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This book tells the true stories of not only how many famous people have died, but mainly the true story of Pocahontus. This book challenges the depiction of Pocahontus as being a "Disney princess" and focuses on how she was raped and put on display. This book even goes into detail about Pocahontus' thoughts of England and how dirty it was compared to her native lands. This book challenges students to look at multiple perspectives and challenge their own beliefs of what is the true story of historical figures lives.

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how they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous

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people & places - united states - general

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juvenile nonfiction / people & places / united states / general

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juvenile nonfiction / people & places / general

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juvenile nonfiction/people & places - united states

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How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

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Over the course of history men and women have lived and died. In fact, getting sick and dying can be a big, ugly mess-especially before the modern medical care that we all enjoy today. How They Croaked relays all the gory details of how nineteen world figures gave up the ghost.