Chowanoke facts for kids

The Chowanoke (say: Cho-wah-NOK) were a Native American tribe. They spoke an Algonquian language. They lived along the coast in what is now the southeastern United States. When the first English explorers arrived around 1585, the Chowanoke were the biggest and strongest Algonquian tribe in North Carolina. They lived along the Chowan River. Their main town had been home to their people since 825 AD. Other native groups lived in the area even earlier, starting around 4500 BC.

After some wars, English colonists set aside a special area for the tribe in 1677. This was near Bennett's Creek. The Chowanoke suffered greatly from diseases like smallpox. Many people died, especially in 1696. Over time, Chowanoke descendants survived but joined other groups. They lost their last shared land in 1821. Today, Chowanoke descendants still live in North Carolina. Many are in Gates and Chowan counties. Some families have kept their Chowanoke identity. Others married into different groups and slowly identified with them.

The Chowanoke Story: A Look Back

Native American groups in North Carolina likely moved from northern coastal areas. They developed their own unique culture there. Many tribes lived in a large area of northeastern North Carolina. This area stretched from the Neuse River to the Chesapeake Bay. Some of these tribes included the Chowanoke, Weapemeoc, Poteskeet, Moratoc, Roanoke, Secotan, Pomuik, Neusiok, Croatan, and possibly the Chesepiooc.

Chowanoke Villages and People

In the 1500s, an English explorer named Ralph Lane visited the Chowanoke. He said they had 19 villages. Their main town was called Chowanoke. Today, the town of Harrellsville in Hertford County is near this historic spot. Lane said the Chowanoke were the largest and most powerful Algonquian tribe in North Carolina. He thought their main town could gather 700 to 800 warriors. This means the town's population was likely more than 2,100 people. Another explorer, Thomas Harriot, later estimated that all the villages together could gather 800 warriors. Lane's descriptions of the town were very accurate. Later archeological digs confirmed what he wrote.

Life in the Main Chowanoke Town

Archeological digs in the 1980s confirmed Lane's reports. They showed the main Chowanoke town had been lived in for almost 1,000 years. Radiocarbon dating showed people related to the Chowanoke lived there as early as 825 AD. The town was about a mile long. It had large fields where people grew crops. Hundreds of Chowanoke people lived there. Some estimates suggest as many as 2,100 people.

Archeologists found a special area for the ruler and important families. This area had fancy homes, public buildings, and temples. It also had burial sites. This might have been a group of 30 longhouse buildings that Harriot saw. Other homes were found in areas that have since been washed away by the river. Older signs of people living there were also found. These included tools from the Middle Archaic period (around 3500-4500 BC). There were also signs from the Deep Creek (8000-300 BC) and Mount Pleasant (300 BC-800 AD) phases of the Woodland period. This shows that different groups lived in the area over a very long time.

Challenges and Changes for the Chowanoke

It is likely that diseases from European explorers and colonists caused many deaths. Diseases like measles and smallpox were new to the Chowanoke. They had no natural protection against them. These diseases had been common in Europe for centuries. The Chowanoke became much weaker because of this. The neighboring Iroquoian-speaking Tuscarora tribe then moved in. They pushed the remaining Chowanoke away from the river.

By 1607, an English group sent by Captain John Smith found few Chowanoke people along the Chowan River. They had moved to just one settlement. This was across the river in Gates County, on Bennett's Creek.

Decades later, the Chowanoke gained enough strength to fight two wars against English settlers. These wars happened in 1644 and again from 1675 to 1677. The Chowanoke lost both times. After these wars, in 1677, the settlers created the first Indian reservation in what is now the United States. This was the Chowanoke settlement on Bennett's Creek. It was about 11,360 acres. Over the 1700s, the Chowanoke slowly lost their land through sales. By 1821, they lost their last 30 acres of shared land.

Once they had no land, the Chowanoke were often no longer seen as Native Americans. European Americans often classified everyone as either "colored" or "white." They did not always recognize that Native American people still existed. Like other Algonquian peoples, the Chowanoke had a traditional system where children belonged to their mother's family. Native American descendants, like the Chowanoke, were often listed as "free people of color" in official records. They no longer acted as a formal tribe and disappeared from many historical accounts.

The Chowanoke Today: Keeping Their Heritage Alive

In the early 2000s, Chowanoke descendants in the Bennett's Creek area formed a group. They called themselves the Chowanoke Indian Nation. Even though they use "nation" in their name, this group is not officially recognized as a Native American tribe by the government.

Delois Chavis has been a leader in this effort. She grew up with a strong sense of her Native American identity. To help their people, she and other Chowanoke members bought 146 acres of their old reservation land. This land is in Gates County, in an area called Indian Neck. They plan to build a cultural center there. This center will help them bring their culture back to life.