Piscataway people facts for kids
| Kinwaw Paskestikweya | |
|---|---|
Maryland Indigenous tribal areas prior to European arrival
|
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Canada ( Ontario) (descendants)
 United States ( Maryland) (claimants) |
|
| Languages | |
| English, formerly Piscataway | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Mattawoman, Patuxent, Doeg, Nanticoke, Yaocomico |
The Piscataway are an Indigenous people who lived in what is now Maryland, USA. They spoke the Piscataway language, which was part of the larger Algonquian language family. This language is no longer spoken today.
The Piscataway faced many challenges after European settlers arrived. Their population decreased, and they eventually merged with other groups. Some of their descendants now live in Canada as part of the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation. In the United States, two groups that identify as Piscataway descendants received official recognition from the state of Maryland in 2012. These groups are the Piscataway Indian Nation and the Piscataway Conoy Tribe. They are mainly located in Southern Maryland.
Contents
Understanding the Piscataway Name
The English recorded the Piscataway people with many different spellings. Some of these included Pascatowies, Paschatoway, and Piscattaway.
They were also known by the names of their smaller villages. These included Moyaone, Accokeek, and Potapaco. The name "Kanawha" was also sometimes used for the Piscataway.
Many other Algonquian-speaking tribes were related to the Piscataway. These included the Anacostan, Mattawoman, and Pamunkey.
Exploring the Piscataway Language
The Piscataway language belonged to the large Algonquian language family. In the 1600s, a Jesuit missionary named Father Andrew White translated a Catholic catechism into Piscataway. Other English missionaries also created materials in the language.
Today, the Piscataway language is rarely spoken. The community is working hard to learn the basics of the Algonquian language. They are also doing studies to help bring their own dialect back to life for future generations. It is challenging because there are very few fluent speakers and limited funding for these language studies.
Piscataway Lands and Geography
Around the year 1600, the Piscataway lived mainly on the north side of the Potomac River. This area is now parts of Charles, Prince George's, and St. Mary's counties in southern Maryland. Explorer John Smith's map from 1608 showed this region as "wooded; near many waterways." The Piscataway also had some influence over settlements along the Patuxent River.
Daily Life and Traditional Culture
The Piscataway people relied more on farming than many of their neighbors. This allowed them to live in permanent villages. They built their homes near rivers and other waterways where they could use canoes.
Their main crops included maize (corn), different kinds of beans, melons, pumpkins, and squash. Women were primarily responsible for growing and harvesting these crops. Men used bows and arrows to hunt animals like bears, elk, and deer. They also hunted smaller game such as beavers and wild turkeys. Fishing and gathering oysters and clams were also important activities. Women also collected berries, nuts, and roots to add to their meals.
Piscataway villages often had several houses protected by a strong log palisade (a fence made of pointed stakes). Their traditional houses were rectangular, about 10 feet (3 meters) high and 20 feet (6 meters) long. These were a type of longhouse with rounded roofs covered with bark or woven mats. A fire pit was in the center of the house, with a smoke hole above it.
A Look at Piscataway History
Early Times Before European Contact
Many different Indigenous peoples lived in the Chesapeake region over thousands of years. The people who would become the Piscataway nation lived in the Potomac River area since at least 1300 AD. Around 800 AD, people in this region began to grow maize to add to their diet. They also hunted, fished, and gathered wild plants.
The Piscataway and their neighbors grew in number because of their advanced farming methods. They grew calorie-rich maize, beans, and squash. These crops provided extra food and helped support larger communities. Women were skilled at growing and preparing many types of plants. Men cleared new fields, hunted, and fished.
Around 1300, a period called the "Little Ice Age" began. This made groups move around, which sometimes led to conflicts with other local peoples. To protect themselves, communities started building fortified towns. Over time, the Piscataway and their allies became more united. They gradually centralized their leadership under hereditary chiefs. These leaders were called Werowances, or regional chiefs. The most important leader was the Tayac, known to the English as the "Emperor of Piscataway."
The first Tayac was Talak Uttapoingassinem, who also led the Nanticokes. He held influence over several groups, including the Patawomecks and some Susquehannocks. This showed a strong network of alliances in the region.
The 17th Century and English Arrival
By 1600, attacks from northern tribes had destroyed many Algonquian settlements along the upper Potomac River. The villages further south survived by working together for defense. They strengthened their leadership under hereditary chiefs. These chiefs collected tribute, led men in war, and organized resistance against invaders. The most powerful chief was the Tayac of the Piscataway.
Captain John Smith first explored the Potomac River in 1608. He noted the Piscataway by the name Moyaons, which was their capital village. Other closely related groups included the Nacotchtank near present-day Washington, DC. Some rivals of the Tayac hoped the English newcomers would change the balance of power.
The Virginia Company and later the Virginia Colony often allied with enemies of the Piscataway. This began to shift power in the region. By the early 1630s, the Tayac's control over some of his chiefs had weakened.
However, when the English started to colonize Maryland in 1634, the Tayac Kittamaquund made them allies. He allowed the English to settle in a former Indian village, which they renamed St. Mary's City. The Tayac hoped this new settlement would help protect his people from northern attacks. Kittamaquund and his wife became Christians in 1640. Their daughter, Mary Kittamaquund, was educated by English colonists. She later married an English colonist and moved away.
The benefits of having the English as allies did not last long. As the Maryland Colony grew stronger, they began to turn against the Piscataway. By 1668, the Algonquian people on the western shore were limited to two reservations. Many people from other displaced Algonquian nations joined the Piscataway.
Colonial authorities forced the Piscataway to allow the Susquehannock to settle in their territory after the Susquehannock were defeated by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. These traditional enemies eventually fought openly. The Maryland Colony then expelled the Susquehannock. The surviving Susquehannock joined forces with the Haudenosaunee and repeatedly attacked the Piscataway. The English offered little help to their Piscataway allies.
The Piscataway faced difficult times as the English colony grew. They suffered greatly from new diseases brought by Europeans, which drastically reduced their population. They also faced ongoing warfare between tribes and with the colonists. In 1680, the Piscataway fled from English settlers to Zekiah Swamp in Charles County, Maryland. They were attacked there by the Haudenosaunee, but peace was eventually negotiated.
In 1697, the Piscataway moved across the Potomac River to what is now The Plains, Virginia. Virginia settlers were concerned, but the Piscataway refused to return to Maryland. Finally, in 1699, they moved north to Heater's Island in the Potomac. They stayed there until after 1722.
The 18th Century and Further Migrations
In the 1700s, the Maryland Colony canceled all Native American claims to their lands. By the 1720s, some Piscataway and other Algonquian groups moved to Pennsylvania. These migrants were known as the Conoy and the Nanticoke. They spread along the western edge of the Pennsylvania Colony. At this time, the Piscataway population was very small, about 150 people. They sought protection from the Haudenosaunee, but Pennsylvania also proved unsafe.
Most of the remaining tribe moved north in the late 1700s. They were last mentioned in historical records in 1793 in Detroit. After the American Revolutionary War, they settled in Upper Canada. Today, descendants of these northern migrants live on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation reserve in Ontario, Canada.
Some Piscataway moved south to the Colony of Virginia and the Province of North Carolina. There, they joined with other tribes like the Meherrin and the remaining Tuscarora people.
The Brandywine People and Modern Recognition
In the 1800s, census takers often described the Brandywine people using terms like "free people of color" or "mulatto." This was because many had mixed heritage. However, these communities maintained their Native American identity.
State Recognition for Piscataway Tribes
Turkey Tayac (born Phillip Sheridan Proctor in 1895) was an important leader in the 20th century. He used the title tayac, which he said was a family tradition. Proctor/Tayac played a key role in supporting Native American identity among the Brandywine people and other mixed-heritage groups. His leadership inspired many cultural revitalization movements.
After Proctor/Tayac passed away in 1978, the Piscataway community faced disagreements about leadership and the future direction of the community. This led to the formation of three main groups:
- Piscataway Conoy Tribe, which includes:
- Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Sub-Tribes
- Cedarville Band of Piscataway Indians.
- Piscataway Indian Nation and Tayac Territory led by Billy Redwing Tayac, son of Chief Turkey Tayac.
These groups continue to discuss important issues. These include seeking state and federal recognition, and determining who is a legitimate Piscataway descendant.
In the late 1990s, a Maryland state committee reviewed historical records. They confirmed the claims of core Piscataway families to their heritage. New studies are helping to understand how people identified themselves in the past.
In 1996, the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs suggested recognizing the Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Subtribes. However, Governor Parris Glendening denied the request. Governor Bob Ehrlich also denied a similar request in 2004.
In December 2011, the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs again recommended recognition. On January 9, 2012, Governor Martin O'Malley issued executive orders recognizing all three Piscataway groups as Native American tribes. As part of this agreement, the tribes stated they would not pursue gambling businesses.
Notable Piscataway Individuals
- Historical
- Wannas (c.1634): A Paramount Chief who met the first English colonial settlers in Maryland.
- Kittamaquund (c. 1634): Became Paramount Chief and was the first Piscataway to become a Christian.
- Mary Kittamaquund (c. 1634–c. 1654/1700): Daughter of Chief Kittamaquund. She married an English settler.
- Modern
- Turkey Tayac (Phillip Sheridan Proctor) (1895–1978): A 20th-century tribal leader, activist, and herbal doctor.
- Gabrielle Tayac: A historian and museum curator.
See also
In Spanish: Piscataway para niños
