Culture

Since the Powhatans were basically farmers, hunters and gatherers, their life revolved around the seasons. Because they farmed, they lived in settled villages. Aside from corn, the food they ate changed with the seasons: fresh vegetables in summer and fall; game in winter; and fish, stored nuts, and berries in the spring. Late spring, summer, and fall were the periods when men hunters would roam the woods for deer, turkey, and small game. In the winter, hunting would be done in groups. Fishing in spring was done with stone and bone points on long spears. Nets of cordage and traps of saplings were also used to catch fresh and saltwater fish. Canoes made of cypress and often 50 feet long were used for transportation. Harvested crops included corn, beans, squash, and sunflower seeds. Many of these crops were dried or smoked by the Powhatan women for later use during the lean winter months. Edible wild plants, roots, nuts, berries, and grains were part of the staple diet during late winter and early spring until crops could be planted in the spring. Women and children cared for the crops in the fields using tools made from bone and wood. Boys who played in scarecrow houses that stood in the middle of the fields,would throw stones at rabbits and raccoons who might nibble at the crops. Food was cooked by the women over outdoor fire pits (barbecues) and soups and stews of corn, beans and squash simmered in large clay pots at the cook fire and breads and corncakes were baked in the ashes of the cooking fire. Spits were used to roast and smoke wild turkey and duck.

Each household consisted of the basic family unit of mother, father, and children. Adult life would begin at an early age and marriage would take place between the ages of 13 and 15. Larger villages where chiefs or werowances lived might have a large chief's house, a temple, storage buildings and perhaps a palisade. Smaller communities, known as hamlets had less than ten houses and was not usually the residence of a tribal chief. Villages in the same area would be part of the same tribe, united under tribal chiefs. Each tribe had its own leader and also priests and healers and others with power. Some of the harvested crops were given as a tribute to the reigning tribal chief. Chiefs inherited their positions of power through the female side of the family. Like other Native Americans, the Powhatan worshipped a variety of gods. Priests who foretold the future and helped to cure illnesses would also be part of individual villages.

The ruler of this entire area, stretching from what is now Washington D.C. to northern North Carolina, with about 9000 subjects and dozens of villages was the great Powhatan. His real name was Wahunsonacock and his empire was a land of rivers,bays, and estuaries; of ducks, geese, wild turkeys, and deer; of fertile soil, fish, and shellfish; of wild berries, nuts and grapes. The Powhatan Indians, would go to war to defend their territory, for revenge, or to capture women and children. Battles which were usually small surprise attacks fought behind trees and tall grass, would provide an opportunity for men to gain honor and prestige. Powhatan's priests had foretold that his mighty empire would one day be destroyed by men from the east.

Celebrations

The Powhatan Indians, as they were called by the English, celebrated with dancing and feasts. They had songs and dances for a variety of occasions-grief, war, and feasting. They made music with reeds, drums, and dried gourds. The children, both boys and girls, played running games and sometimes would dress up like their parents- painting their bodies and wearing necklaces and bracelets of shells and beads and animal bones. Men and women had set roles in this society and rarely changed them; men hunted, fished and fought; women farmed. Children helped their parents, played, and didn't go to work until they were young adults. Young teenage boys, picked to be leaders, would go through a nine-month ordeal of physical hardship, isolation, and fasting. Young teenage girls would help their mothers and learn the necessary skills to become an adult of the village.

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