Program Information

In 1607, when Christopher Newport’s little fleet anchored in what would be called the James River, it made rival claim to a domain, inhabited by the highly organized and sophisticated Powhatan Paramount Chiefdom. "Jamestown: A Fruitful Soil" provides a historical overview of the people and events of 17th-century Virginia.

Transcript

In 1607, when Christopher Newport’s little fleet anchored in what would be called the James River, it made rival claim to a domain, inhabited by the highly organized and sophisticated Powhatan Paramount Chiefdom.

I’m Steve Clark with “Jamestown – A Fruitful Soil” a celebration of Virginia’s Quadricentennial, sponsored by Jamestown Settlement a living history museum in the Williamsburg area of Virginia.

His given name was Wahunsonacock and by the time he had reached his zenith, Powhatan ruled several tribes and numerous villages... a population of about 14,000. His chiefdom covered most of the eastern tidewater region, and its people spoke a dialect of Eastern Algonquian similar to the languages spoken up and down the eastern seaboard.

The tribes related to Powhatan in a type of hierarchy of authority paying tribute of military service, animal skins, shell beads, copper, venison and corn in exchange for protection against common enemies. Powhatan and his werowances, or sub-chiefs, maintained order through tribal custom, trusted priests and counselors, and force of personal rule. Men could have as many wives as they could afford, but status within the society actually passed through the female line, and Powhatan’s own chiefdom originated with six tribes inherited from his mother.

Tribal members were engaged primarily in subsistence agriculture, hunting and gathering and fishing. Women and children raised corn, beans and squash; while men hunted, trapped and fished the rich coastal plain. The Powhatan’s also traded in luxury items such as furs, copper and shell beads.

At the time the English colonists felled trees for their first stockade, Powhatan’s domain was prosperous and expanding. The next few decades, however, would mark a profound change as conflict and blood determined who would rule the James River Valley.

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