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Chief Powhatan (c. 1547—c. 1618) , whose proper name was Wahunsunacock or Wahunsenacawh, was the leader of the Powhatan (also spelled Powatan and Powhaten), a powerful tribe of Native Americans, speaking an Algonquian language, who lived in Tenakomakah—what is now tidewater Virginia—at the time of the first English-Native encounters. He was the father of Pocahontas.
Powhatan was originally the name of one of the towns where he lived, as well as the adjacent river (today called the James River). When he created a powerful empire by conquering most of tidewater Virginia, he called himself the Powhatan, often taken as his given name, but actually a title. Another chief village was established at Werowocomoco on the north bank of the York River about 15 miles north of Jamestown where English colonists arrived in May, 1607.
In December 1607, English soldier and pioneer, John Smith, one of the colony's leaders, was captured by Opchanacanough, the younger brother of Chief Powhatan and was taken to Werowocomoco. According to Smith's account (which in the late 1800s was considered to be fabricated, but since is believed to be mostly accurate—although several highly romanticized popular versions cloud the matter), Pocahontas, Powhatan's younger daughter, is said to have prevented her father from executing Smith. However, it is also believed by some that this was a ritual intended to adopt Smith into the tribe.
After Smith left Virginia because of an injury sustained in a gunpowder accident in 1609, the nervous tribe attacked and killed many of the Jamestown residents. The residents fought back, killing twenty members of the tribe.
However, within a few years both Chief Powhatan and Pocahontas were dead from disease. The Chief died in Virginia, but Pocahontas died in England, having been captured and married to colonist John Rolfe, a leading tobacco planter. Meanwhile, the English continued to encroach on Powhatan territory. After Wahunsunacock's death, his younger brother Opchanacanough became chief, and in 1622 and 1644 he attempted to force the English from Virginia. These attempts invited strong reprisals from the English, ultimately resulting in the destruction of the tribe.
Legacy
- Powhatan County, although located somewhat to the west of their actual territory, was named for Chief Powhatan and his tribe.
- In the independent City of Richmond, Powhatan Hill is believed, by tradition, to be located near Chief Powhatan's village, although the specific location of the site is unknown.
- Chief Powhatan's other chief village, Werowocomoco, is an archeological site in Gloucester County, Virginia which has been listed as a National Historic Site.
Fictional representations
A fictional version of Powhatan was voiced by Russell Means in the 1995 Disney film, Pocahontas; he was played by August Schellenberg in the 2005 film The New World.
External links
Further reading
- David A. Price, Love and Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Start of A New Nation, Alfred A. Knopf, 2003
1547 births | 1618 deaths | People from Virginia | Native American leaders | Powhatan Confederacy
"Chief Powhatan"