A history beyond 1607: Exploring Virginia’s deep Native American roots

This Native American History Month, we’re committed to honoring the story of Virginia’s indigenous population.

Native American history in Virginia dates farther back than 1607 when colonists first touched down in the commonwealth. In fact, evidence of native cultures in America spans back tens of thousands of years.

At around the same time the Jamestown settlers arrived, the Algonquians lived along the coast, the Siouan settled in the Piedmont region, and the Iroquoian resided near the state’s center. 

From these language groups came many unique tribes. In Virginia, there are 11 recognized Native American tribes: The Cheroenhaka, Nottoway, Patowomeck, Pamunkey, Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Mattaponi, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Nansemond, and Monacan Indian Nation.

During the early years of the Virginia colony, natives were pivotal to the colonists’ survival, as Chief Powhatan—father of Pocahontas—would often send food to the starving English.

Despite this aid, the two groups often feuded with each other, even going to war in 1622. 

Deadly conflicts continued to arise throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Despite many treaties and agreements between local tribes and Virginians, settlers encroached on native lands, felled forests, and consumed game—all vital elements to the tribes’ traditions and ways of life. 

However, the physical battles weren’t the only source of sorrow: Since the English first docked in Virginia, they brought illnesses never before seen by America’s indigenous population. Ailments included measles, mumps, smallpox, chickenpox, the flu, pneumonia, typhoid, and the common cold—which were all new to the New World.

As colonists began to settle and create their new government, they designated tracts of land called Indian reservations. 

According to the History Channel online, “the main goals of Indian reservations were to bring Native Americans under US government control, minimize conflict between Indians and settlers and encourage Native Americans to take on the ways of the white man. But many Native Americans were forced onto reservations with catastrophic results and devastating, long-lasting effects.”

Near the turn of the 20th century, Encyclopedia Virginia reports that a “cultural renaissance bloomed,” and scholars began to study indigenous history more closely. An important law passed in Virginia in the late 1980s, which allowed Virginia Indians to change the racial designation on their birth certificates at no cost.

Later in the 20th century, President H.W. Bush proclaimed the entire month of November as Native American Heritage Month. 

Now, things are starting to come full-circle in Virginia. In April 2022, the Rappahannock tribe gained 465 acres of annexed land along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.

If you’re interested in learning more about Virginia’s 11 recognized Native American tribes, a great place to start is at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. There, you can learn more about individual stories, historic ways of life, and more.