Wahunsenaca Powhatan
Privacy Level: Open (White)

Wahunsenaca Powhatan (abt. 1545 - abt. 1618)

Weroance Wahunsenaca "Mamanatowick, Wahunsonacock, Ottaniack, Mamauatonick" Powhatan
Born about in Tsenacomocomap
Son of [father unknown] and
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Virginiamap
Husband of — married 1590 in Virginiamap
Husband of — married about 1610 in Werowocomoco, Orapax, Virginiamap
Descendants descendants
Died about at about age 73 in Pamunkey River, Virginiamap
Profile last modified | Created 12 Oct 2010
This page has been accessed 30,914 times.
{{{image-caption}}}
Wahunsenaca was Powhatan.
Join: Native Americans Project
Discuss: native_americans

Please do not make any changes to this profile without first contacting the Native Americans Project


Contents

Biography

Wahunsenecawh, the Native American leader commonly known as "Powhatan" was the head of a confederation of six tribes located in Tsenacomoco, now comprising southeastern Virginia. Other Algonquian-speaking tribes to the north, east, and south were also loosely connected. He was born in the middle of the 17th century, possibly as early as 1540. Powhatan was the oldest of four brothers (the others were Opitchapam, Opechancanough, and Kekataugh). Powhatan leadership descended through women, but sons ruled unless or until there were no surviving sons.

Spanish sailors and priests were the first Europeans to explore the Powhatan area, arriving about 1560. They took Native Americans as captives and when they returned in 1570 the local tribes killed many of the Spaniards. The Spanish left in 1572 and did not return. [1]

In 1607, English colonists of the Virginia Company arrived, hoping to make their fortune. The colonists were met with mixed reactions, some were attacked and others were welcomed. The colonists were unprepared for life in Virginia and many died of disease and starvation. Trade with the Indians helped the settlers to survive their first year, and in 1608 the settlers asked Powhatan to come to their fort to receive gifts, pledge allegiance to King James, and be crowned. He refused to come, saying "If your king have sent me presents, I am also a king and this is my land. Eight days I will stay here to receive them," but he allowed the English to come to his town bringing gifts and a crown, which he accepted. [2] John Smith was able to establish a good relationship with Powhatan, but after Smith returned to England in 1609 the relationship between the colonists and the Indians deteriorated. Much of what we know about Powhatan and his nation was recorded by Smith who wrote:

"What he commandeth they dare not disobey in the least thing. It is strange to see with what great feare and adoration all these people doe obay this Powhatan. For at his feet, they present whatsoever he commandeth, and at the least frowne of his browe, their greatest spirits will tremble with feare: and no marvell, for he is very terrible and tyrannous in punishing such as offend him." [3]

Appearance

John Smith described Powhatan as follows: "...their Emperor proudly [lay] upon 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 a grave a majestical countenance as drove me into admiration to see such state in a naked savage." [4]

Powhatan was also written about by Norman Wood who described the Chief, based on English reports, as "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 a very able and hardy body, to endure any labor." [5]

Wives

See this article Helen Rountree wrote about Powhatan "marriage" customs.

Powhatan took a series of wives from each of the tribes and villages he ruled. Once a child was born the wife would be returned to her home. As soon as the child was old enough, he or she would go to live with Powhatan to be educated. Contemporary accounts say that Powhatan had "many more than one hundred" wives. [6]

While visiting Jamestown in the early 1600s, writer William Strachey asked about the wives of Powhatan, then wrote them down in the following order, using his own spelling:[7]

  • Winganuske
  • Ashetoiske
  • Amopotoiske
  • Ottopomtacke
  • Attosomiske
  • Ponnoiske
  • Appomosiscut
  • Appimmoiske
  • Ortoughnoiske
  • Oweroughwough
  • Ottermiske
  • Memeoughquiske

While the following wife was not named by Strachey, she was identified as mother of a known child of Powhatan: [8] [9]

Children

The names of only six children of Powhatan are known:[8]With one exception, the names and family groups (clans) of the mothers of these children are not known; typically, each wife gave Powhatan a single child and then was sent back to her village. [10][11]

  1. Pochins (son)
  2. Tatahcoope (son of wife Oholasc/Oholase),
  3. Nantaquod/Naukaquawis (son),
  4. Parahunt (son)
  5. Mattachanna (daughter)
  6. Cleopatra (a name probably given or misinterpreted by the English)
  7. Pocahontas/Matoaka

A previous version of this profile claimed additional children, for whom there is no evidence; they have been detached:

Sources

  1. see profile of Pasquinqueo
  2. Rountree, Helen, citing John Smith. Powhatan, Pocahontas, and Opechancanough. University of Virginia Press 2005.
  3. Smith, John. A Map of Virginia. 1612. Transcript at Map
  4. Philip L. Barbour, editor, The Complete Works of John Smith (1580-1631), Chapel Hill: University Press of Virginia, 1983. Vol. 1, p.53.
  5. Norman Wood (1906), "Powhatan, or Wah-Un-So-Na-Cook. (Part 1 of 2," extracted from Northern Historically, 1 Aug 2008, archived via Wayback Machine
  6. Spelman, Henry. Relation of Virgnea. written in 1613, published 1872.
  7. William Strachey, Historie of Travaille Into Virginia Britania p 54
  8. 8.0 8.1 Helen C. Rountree, Pocahontas, Powhatan and Opechancanough, Three Indians Changed by Jamestown, (Charlottsville: University of Virginia Press, 2005), p 35.
  9. Strachey, William. The Historie of Travaile Into Virginia Brittania. London, 1626, reprint The Hakluyt Society, 1849. Image at archive.com Oholase
  10. Pocahontas (d. 1617), Encyclopedia of Virginia
  11. Powhatan (d 1618), Encyclopedia of Virginia

See also:

Werowocomoco: Seat of Power], Jamestown Settlement Special Exhibition: May 15, 2010 to June 30, 2011

  • Edward Eggleston, The Native American Story of Captain John Smith and Powhatan: A First Book in American History, Publisher? Date?




Comments: 61

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.
The statement "King James had Powhatan coronated Emperor of Virginia" is not really an accurate representation. The settlers asked Powhatan to come to their fort to receive gifts, pledge allegiance to King James, and be crowned. He refused to come, basically saying he didn't need a bunch of strangers to make him a king, but he allowed the English to come to his town bringing gifts and a crown, which he accepted. Complete account is in Rountree's "Powhatan, Pocahontas and Opechancanough" book.
posted by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Whatever that book is, it is fiction. The Powhatan did not have a written language. All we know about them is what was written by Spanish visitors to the Jamestown area about 1560 and 1572 (and who did not interact with Powhatan) and English people after they arrived in the Jamestown area in 1607. Powhatan was described as having as many as 100 wives. This was for political reasons. After each wife had a child she was sent back to her village or tribe and the child remained with Powhatan to be educated. The tribes of the Powhatan Confederation were matrilineal, so this gave Powhatan a family member and political ally in all of the local tribes and villages. The names of only a handful of his wives and children were recorded by the English, specifically those whom they encountered. Powhatan's parents are completely unknown. He had at least three "brothers" although they may not have actually been siblings, and two sisters whose names are unknown

Don Luis was a young man from another tribe who was taken by the Spanish about 1660 and returned about 1672. He has no known connection to Powhatan, and is not either Powhatan himself or Powhatan's father. Japasaw was a younger man than Powhatan.

If you are interested in learning about Powhatan and his world, two of the best books are by Helen Rountree: "Pocahontas, Powhatan, Opechancanough: Three Indian Lives Changed by Jamestown," and "Pocahontas People."

posted by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
edited by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
I would recommend reading Henry Spelman's account.

He was an indentured servant who was sold or traded to Grand Chief Wahunsenacawh to learn their ways and their language. It's the earliest known written account of the daily life of the Powhatan people. It's a hard read in 'ye olde English' with Fs that are really S's and all of that, but it's well worth the effort to read what I believe is an honest account of his firsthand observations.

I'm short of time at the moment, but the pdf of the book that was printed based on Spelman's manuscripts is in this wiki.

Henry Spelman of Jamestown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Spelman_of_Jamestown

posted by Paul Phillips