Virginia Studies: VS 2d Native Peoples
American Indians were the first people living in Virginia. They lived in all areas of the state.
The people were calledIndians by Christopher Columbus when he thought he had reached the Indies (near China).
Artifacts are things left behind by the native people such as arrowheads, pottery, and other tools. They tell us about how the native people lived.
Scientists called archaeologists study the evidence left behind by people of the past. Scientists are still finding new evidence to help us understand the past.
Scientists have learned about Werowocomoco, a large Indian town used by Indian leaders for hundreds of years before the English came. It was the headquarters for Chief Powhatan.
The native people in Virginia belonged to a group called the Eastern Woodlands Indians. They were named Eastern Woodland Indians because they live in on land covered with mostly forests.
The Eastern Woodland Indians lived in Virginia and were grouped by the languages they spoke. There were three major language groups.
- Algonquian language group
- Spoken in the Tidewater region
- The Powhatan were members of this group
- Siouan language group
- Spoken mostly in the Piedmont region
- The Monacan were members of this group
- Iroquoian language group
- Spoken in Southwestern Virginia, and in Southern Virginia near North Carolina.
- The Cherokee were part of this group
Virginia’s American Indians related to the mild climate and the four seasons in Virginia to meet their basic needs. The food they ate, the clothing they wore, and the shelters they had depended on the seasons.
Food changed with the seasons.
Winter, they hunted birds and other animals. They ate stored food from the fall.
Spring- They hunted, fished and picked berries.
Summer- They grew crops like corns, beans and squash.
Fall- They harvested crops and hunted for foods to preserve and keep for winter.
Animal skins were used as clothing. Shelter was made from materials around them.
Native Peoples of the Past / Native Peoples TodayFarmed, hunted and fished / Go to grocery stores
Made homes from natural resources / Buy houses
Used animal skins for clothing / Wear clothes like you!
Their cultures have changed over time! American Indians continue to live in all parts of Virginia today.
The state recognized tribes today are:
Piedmont Region / Coastal Plain/Tidewater RegionMonacan Tribe / Chickahominy Tribe
Eastern Chickahominy Tribe
Mattaponi Tribe
Nansemond Tribe
Pamunkey Tribe
Rappahannock Tribe
Upper Mattaponi Tribe