Indigenous Peoples

The Susquehannocks were a group of tribes who, by the mid-1500s, had settled in what is now central Pennsylvania. They spoke a language related to that spoken by the Iroquois people, who lived further to the north.

The Powhatans occupied the coastal lands of Virginia to the south. They spoke an Algonquian language. Their paramount chief ruled over a loose confederation of 32 tribes who paid tribute to the chief in exchange for protection. At the time of English settlement, their paramount chief was Wahunsonacock, known as “Powhatan” by the English.  

The lifestyles of both the Susquehannocks and Powhatans were based on seasonal cycles. They hunted, grew corn, and migrated to different places throughout the year. They had matrilineal family structures, meaning that ancestry was traced through the mother’s side of the family. 

Other Algonquian-speaking peoples, such as the Doegs and Occaneechi, also lived in and around the area that became the Virginia colony.

The Susquehannocks and the Powhatans had a history of conflict and had frequently gone to war. In fact, Chief Powhatan had initially welcomed English settlers, hoping that they would provide a buffer between the Powhatans and the Susquehannocks.