Volume 16 , Issue 44

Powhatan History

The Powhatan people were the native natural people of America, and descendants of an ancient confederation that once included over thirty nations. They maintained a history of thousands of years of settlement along the coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic. The oldest treaty written in America was between the Powhatan Nations in the year 1646.

The Powhatans endured the ethnic cleans which eliminated almost the entire Native population in the early 19th century. The Powhatan peoples had a strong will to preserve our heritage. The Powhatans had an affinities to remain strong, distinctive religious beliefs and economic traditions continued to be practiced, and in spite of efforts to force their people to speak only English, the Powhatan language was still alive.

Today you might find most of the descendants of New Jersy's original Powhatan people in Oklahoma and in Canada. The Powhatan Renape Nation's origins were in the late 19th century, where one by one, the Powhatan came in to settle a tiny subdivision known as Morrisville and Delair in Pennsauken Township.

The Powhatan forefathers were mostly Tappahannocks from Virginia and Nanticokes from Delaware. They had taken tremendous losses in culture as the result of the racist society which surrounded them, they were able to retain their identity. They knew who they were and they sought people like themselves as spouses for their sons and daughters. They were quiet, put down deep roots, brought in new members, consolidated their community. Ninety percent of the population Morrisville were Powhatan Renape people.

In John Smith's map of Virginia, he explained how matrilineal inheritance worked among the Powhatans: The Powhatan's kingdom descendeth not to his sonnes nor children: but first to his brethren, whereof he hath three namely Opitchapan, Opechanncanough, and Catataugh; and after their decease to his sisters. First to the eldest sister, then to the rest: and after them to the heires male and female of the eldest sister; but never to the heires of the males.

In 1976 we moved to larger quarters in Medford. In 1980, the State of New Jersey, by Resolution of its Senate with the concurrence of the General Assembly, recognized the Powhatan Renape Nation. The resolution also called upon the Congress of the United States to recognize the Powhatan Renape Nation.
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