Powhatan language facts for kids

The Powhatan language, also known as Virginia Algonquian, was once spoken by the Powhatan people. These Native American groups lived in the tidewater area of Virginia. It was part of the Eastern Algonquian family, which is a branch of the larger Algonquian language family.

Sadly, the Powhatan language died out in the late 1700s. However, thanks to the work of linguists like Frank Siebert in the 1970s, parts of the language have been put back together. Today, there are exciting efforts to bring the language back to life!

We know about Powhatan mostly from two short lists of words. William Strachey, a writer, recorded about 500 words between 1610 and 1611. Captain John Smith, a famous explorer, recorded about 50 words between 1607 and 1609. The Powhatan language did not have its own writing system. So, these old lists are all we have left. Experts use them and compare them to other related Algonquian languages to understand Powhatan better.

Even though the language is no longer spoken every day, many tribes from the Powhatan Chiefdom still live near their traditional lands. These include the Upper Mattaponi, Mattaponi, Nansemond, Chickahominy, Pamunkey, and Patawomeck tribes. They are working to keep their culture and history strong.

Understanding the Powhatan Language Family

The Powhatan language belongs to the Algic language family. It is closely related to languages like Unami, Munsee, and Massachusett. These are all part of the Eastern Algonquian group.

Powhatan is also related, but more distantly, to other Algonquian languages such as Ojibwe, Cree, and Cheyenne. Even further away, it's connected to Wiyot and Yurok. Think of it like a big family tree, with different branches and cousins!

A Look at Powhatan History

How the Language Developed

The Powhatan language grew from other Eastern Algonquian languages. Groups speaking this language moved south, and their language became unique. It's believed that Powhatan was the main language in what is now eastern Virginia. It was spoken throughout the powerful Powhatan Chiefdom.

First Meetings with Europeans

The first Europeans to meet the Powhatan people were the Spanish. They called the area Ajacán. However, the Spanish did not stay.

English colonists arrived in 1607 and built Jamestown. At first, the English needed the Powhatan people for food. This meant the colonists had to learn some of the Powhatan language. Captain John Smith wrote down about 50 Powhatan words. William Strachey, another colonist, recorded around 500 words.

The English language even borrowed many words from Powhatan! In fact, more English words came from Powhatan than from any other Native American language. Most of these words were borrowed early on, before big conflicts started in 1622.

Some English words that came from Powhatan include:

• chinquapin (a type of tree)
• hickory (a tree)
• hominy (a food made from corn)
• moccasin (a type of shoe)
• muskrat (an animal)
• opossum (an animal)
• persimmon (a fruit)
• pokeweed (a plant)
• pone (like in corn pone)
• raccoon (an animal)
• terrapin (a turtle)
• tomahawk (a type of axe)

As more English colonists arrived and took over Powhatan lands, the Powhatan people began to learn English. The use of the Powhatan language slowly declined after 1790.

Bringing the Language Back Today

In recent years, there has been a strong interest in bringing the Powhatan language back. This is especially true for the descendants of the Powhatan Confederacy. In 1975, Frank Siebert, a language expert, published a study. He claimed he could "reconstruct" how the language sounded.

For the movie The New World (2005), linguist Blair Rudes tried to recreate the language. He used the old word lists from Strachey and Smith. He also looked at other Algonquian languages to figure out the grammar and sounds. He even used a Bible translated into the Massachusett language to help understand the grammar.

Today, language experts at the College of William and Mary are working with the Patawomeck tribe. They are making great progress in recovering the language. The Patawomeck tribe even offers classes in Stafford, Virginia, to teach the language to new generations.

Sounds of Powhatan: How it Was Spoken

Frank T. Siebert worked hard to figure out the sounds of the Powhatan language. He used the old notes from John Smith and William Strachey. He also used his knowledge of other Algonquian languages to understand how Powhatan words were pronounced.

Powhatan Consonants

Here are the consonant sounds Siebert believed were in Powhatan:

Powhatan Vowels

Siebert also figured out the vowel sounds for Powhatan:

How Words Were Stressed

In Powhatan, some parts of words (syllables) were stressed more than others. This depended on the vowels in the word. For example, the word for "sun," /nepass/, was pronounced /ne|PASS/. The word for "good," /wiːngan/, was pronounced /WIːN|gan/.

How Powhatan Grammar Worked

Nouns: Naming Things

In Powhatan, nouns (words for people, places, or things) changed slightly depending on how they were used. They could be singular (one) or plural (more than one). They were also grouped as "animate" (living things) or "inanimate" (non-living things).

For animate nouns, there were two more groups: "proximate" and "obviative." The proximate group was for nouns that were more important or the main focus. The obviative group was for nouns that were less important in a sentence. This way of organizing nouns is common in Algonquian languages. It shows how the Powhatan people saw the world.

Diminutives: Making Things Sound Small

Powhatan had special endings you could add to words to make them sound small or cute. These are called diminutives. For example, mehekoins meant "little stick."

Here are some of these endings:

• -ins (like in mehekoins for "little stick")
• -ēns (like in piymenahkoānēns for "small cord")
• -ēs or -īs (like in mahkatēs for "small coal")
• -iss (like in metemsiss for "old woman")
• -ēss (like in mossaskoēss for "muskrat")
• -ess (like in ērikoess for "ant")

Verbs: Showing Actions

Powhatan verbs (action words) also changed by adding different endings. The language was "agglutinative," meaning you could add many parts to a word to give it more meaning. This meant one long word could sometimes be a whole sentence!

Verbs for Living Subjects (Animate Intransitive)

These verbs describe actions done by living things that don't have a direct object. For example, "he sleeps."

Verbs for Non-living Objects (Transitive Inanimate)

These verbs describe actions done to non-living things. For example, "I extinguish it."

Verbs for Actions on People or Animals (Transitive Animate)

This type of verb is used when an action is done to another person or a living thing. For example, "I love you."

Interestingly, in Powhatan, when you said "I love you," the word started with the "you" part, not the "I" part. For example, "I strike him" was nepakamāw, starting with "I." But "I feed you" was keassakmes, starting with "you." This might show how important it was to show respect for the listener before the speaker.

Syntax: How Sentences Were Built

Because Powhatan is an agglutinative language, adding parts to words made word order less important. One long word could often express a whole idea.

We don't have enough information to know all the rules for Powhatan sentences. However, we know that commands (imperatives) were used. For example:

• pasekoiys means "arise you!"
• piāk means "come you all!"
• miytiys means "you eat it!"
• miytiyk means "you all eat it!"

Different Ways of Speaking (Dialects)

Frank Siebert's study also looked at whether there were different ways of speaking Powhatan, like different accents or dialects. He found that William Strachey's word lists showed some differences in words and sounds. This suggests that there were indeed different dialects of Powhatan. However, it's hard to say exactly where each dialect was spoken.

Here are some examples of how words might have been different in two dialects: