- Patawomeck
The Patawomeck is a tribe of American Indians based in
Stafford County, Virginia , along thePotomac River (Patawomeck is another spelling ofPotomac ). It is one of Virginia's nine American Indian tribes and is not recognized by the United States federal government; it is also the only one of the nine that is not state recognized either. [http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/jame1/moretti-langholtz/chap2.htm] The tribe numbers approximately 500 members, 80 percent of whom live within ten miles (16 km) of the tribe's original village. [http://www.staffordcountysun.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SCS/MGArticle/SCS_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768437071]The tribe's chief is Robert "Two Eagles" Green, who advised the filmmakers and appeared in the film in a non-speaking role in "The New World". He also provided large numbers of
wild turkey feathers anddeer antler s for the purposes of costuming the American Indian characters in the film. Green is a resident of Clearview Heights, a district ofFredericksburg, Virginia , and is originally fromWhite Oak, Virginia . His son Jason also appears in the film, as aPowhatan warrior.The tribe's language, in the
Algonquian language family, is no longer spoken, but some tribal members are interested in revitalizing the language with the help of audio and printed materials prepared by the linguist Blair Rudes for "The New World" in an effort to reconstruct the Algonquian language as it was spoken in coastal Virginia in the early 17th century.At the time of the settlement of
Jamestown , the chief of the Patawomeck wasJapazeus . The tribe was friendly with the English colonists (CaptainSamuel Argall in particular) and provided crucial assistance to them during the "starving time" between 1609 and 1612. [http://www.staffordcountysun.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SCS/MGArticle/SCS_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768437071] It is believed thatPocahontas was captured while visiting the Patawomeck village in the spring of 1613. John Smith said that, upon his arrival in 1608, there were convert|1000|acre|km2 of corn growing along the Potomac River.External links
* [http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/122005/12242005/155103/index_html Article]
* [http://www.ibsgwatch.imagedjinn.com/learn/2002oct20dc.htm Article]
* [http://www.staffordcountysun.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SCS/MGArticle/SCS_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768437071 Article]
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