Manahoac facts for kids
Seventeenth century Monacan territory
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Extinct | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Probably Tutelo-Saponi (extinct) | |
| Religion | |
| Indigenous religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tutelo, Occaneechi, Monacan, Saponi, possibly Cheraw, other eastern Siouan tribes |
The Manahoac people, sometimes called Mahock, were a small group of Native Americans who lived in northern Virginia. They spoke a language from the Siouan family. When Europeans first arrived, there were about 1,000 Manahoac people.
They lived mostly along the Rappahannock River. This area was west of where Fredericksburg is today. It was also east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Manahoac joined forces with other tribes. These included the Monacan, the Occaneechi, the Saponi, and the Tutelo. After the year 1728, the Manahoac are no longer mentioned in history books.
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What Does "Manahoac" Mean?
The name Manahoac might come from the Algonquian language. Some people think it means "they are very merry." However, some experts like John R. Swanton are not sure if this is correct.
A Look Back: Manahoac History
For thousands of years, different Native American cultures lived in what is now Virginia. The Manahoac and other tribes in the Piedmont area grew from these older cultures. Historically, Siouan-speaking tribes like the Manahoac lived in the Piedmont. Algonquian-speaking tribes lived closer to the coast in the Tidewater area.
Meeting John Smith in 1608
In 1608, an English explorer named John Smith met a large group of Manahoac. He found them above the falls of the Rappahannock River. Smith wrote that they lived in at least seven villages to the west. He also noted that the Manahoac were friends with the Monacan tribe. However, they were enemies with the Powhatan people. The Manahoac and Monacan tribes both spoke Siouan languages. This meant they shared some culture. It also meant they often competed with the Algonquian-speaking tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy.
Challenges and Changes
The Beaver Wars were a time of conflict between tribes. This changed the power balance in the region. Some Manahoac moved closer to the Powhatan people in Virginia. In 1656, these Manahoac fought off an attack. This attack was by English settlers and the Pamunkey tribe. This event is known as the Battle of Bloody Run (1656).
By 1669, the Manahoac population had greatly decreased. This was due to attacks from Iroquois tribes from the north. Also, new diseases brought by Europeans likely played a part. Only about fifty Manahoac bowmen remained in their original area. It seems the remaining Manahoac people joined their Monacan allies to the south. In 1670, explorer John Lederer recorded seeing the "Mahock" along the James River. By 1671, Lederer traveled through their old lands. He did not mention any people living there. Around this time, the Seneca nation (part of the Iroquois) claimed the land. They said it was their hunting ground because they had won battles there.
Manahoac at Fort Christanna
In 1714, Virginia's Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood noted something important. The Stegaraki, a group within the Manahoac, were present at Fort Christanna. This fort was in Brunswick County. Spotswood and the College of William and Mary created the fort. Their goal was to teach Native Americans English and about Christianity. Other Siouan tribes from Virginia also had members at Fort Christanna.
John R. Swanton, an expert on Native American cultures, believed another group at Fort Christanna, called the Mepontsky, might have been the Ontponea. The Ontponea were another group of the Manahoac. The last time the Ontponea were mentioned was in 1723. Experts think they joined the Tutelo and Saponi tribes. In 1753, the Tutelo and Saponi were formally adopted by the Cayuga nation of the Iroquois.
In 1870, a report mentioned an old man named Mosquito living in Canada. He said he was "the last of the Manahoac." He also claimed to own much of northern Virginia. He could still speak the Siouan language.
Manahoac Daily Life and Culture
The Manahoac people lived in separate villages. They were like other Siouan tribes in Virginia's Piedmont region. These included the Monacan, Tutelo, and Saponi. These Siouan tribes traded with each other. They also had cultural celebrations and sometimes married between tribes.
Manahoac villages were often along the upper Rappahannock River. The soil there was very good for farming. They hunted animals and gathered wild plants. They also farmed crops.
What Archeologists Found
Archeologists have found clues about their life. Along the upper James River, where the Monacan tribe lived, they found corn and squash. These were in old cooking pits. They also found outlines of oval houses at a site near Wingina. Because the Monacan and Manahoac were closely related, experts believe their cultures were very similar.
Many stone tools have been found in Manahoac areas. These tools were often made from milky quartz, which is common in the region. Their pottery was mixed with quartz and sand. It often had patterns like fabric, nets, or cords for decoration.
Ancient Burial Mounds
Archaeological evidence shows that people in the Piedmont built earthen mounds for burials. This happened from about 950 AD until Europeans arrived. These mounds, some as tall as 20 feet (6 meters), were likely made by the ancestors of the Manahoac. They are special because they held hundreds or even thousands of bodies. People would add more soil to the mounds as more individuals were buried. Sadly, most of these burial mounds have been destroyed by farming or reduced in size by weather.
Manahoac Groups
The Manahoac are sometimes seen as a group of smaller tribes. Or, they might have been one large tribe with several smaller parts. These parts included:
- Hassinunga: They lived near the start of the Rappahannock River.
- Manahoac proper: These were in Stafford and Spotsylvania counties.
- Ontponea: They were found in Orange County.
- Shackaconia: They lived in Spotsylvania County, on the south side of the Rappahannock.
- Stegaraki: They were in Orange County along the Rapidan River.
- Tegninateo: They were in Culpeper County at the start of the Rappahannock.
- Whonkentia: They were in Fauquier County near the start of the Rappahannock.
Colonists recorded one village name: Mahaskahod. It was probably near modern Fredericksburg.
Manahoac Language
We don't know much about the exact language the Manahoac spoke. John Smith said their language was different from the Monacan language.
In 1894, an expert named James Mooney thought the Manahoac spoke a Siouan language. He thought some town names might be related to the Saponi or Tutelo languages. However, more recent research by Ives Goddard has questioned Mooney's ideas. Goddard thinks these town names might actually be from the Virginia Algonquian language. This was the language spoken by John Smith's guides.
It's also possible that the Manahoac were a group of people who spoke more than one language. They might have used different languages for trading with other tribes.
