The Pamunkey

Hannah has been studying Native Americans.  We have both learned tons of new information.  It is surprising to me how much I pick up as we work through her history curriculum.

Pocahontas is a historical figure many people are familiar with thanks in part to the Disney movie.  She was a member of the Pamunkey tribe.  We commonly think of her as a member of the Powhatan tribe, but Hannah and I learned that the Powhatan was actually an alliance of many tribes. 

Since the Pamunkey lived in this area I did an internet search to see if there was a museum we could incorporate into a day trip.  To my surprise, the Pamunkey have a reservation that has a museum.  We waited until a Saturday when the entire family could go.



The museum was a small building, but had some interesting artifacts.  There was a woman who worked there who grew up on the reservation.  From dates and stories she shared, I think she was probably in her mid sixties.

She pointed out a smaller building near the museum that was once a one room school house.  It went through grade eight.  If the children wanted to go to high school, they had to travel to an Indian school in Oklahoma.  She told us when her brother was thirteen he went alone on a train to the reservation in Oklahoma to attend high school.

We saw a small Protestant church on the reservation and some homes scattered about.

The reservation land is in a very rural area which means there aren't many jobs nearby.  The lady told us that most of the young people move away for work, but many retirees return to the reservation.  There is a peacefulness and beauty about the land and I could see why someone would enjoy retirement there.

 

The kids with a monument dedicated to Chief Powhatan whose proper name was Wahunsonacock.  He was called Chief Powhatan by the white men because he was the leader of the alliance made of up different tribes who made up the Powhatan.