By Louisa Woodville
Much of what we know about the Powhatan comes from the writings of Smith. Smith recalls how two hundred Powhatans kidnapped him and over the course of several days led him from village to village, culminating with Smith meeting Wahunsunacock:
Arriving at Werawocomoco, their Emperour proudly lying uppon a Bedstead a foote high upon tenne or twelves Mattes, richly hung with Manie Chaynes of great Pearles about his necke, and covered with a great Covering of Rahaughcums: . . . hee kingly welcomed me with such good wordes, and great Platters of sundrie Victuals, assuring mee his friendhips, and my libertie within foure days.
The leader made sure Smith saw the extent of the Powhatan dominion, estimated to have covered more than six thousand square miles and supported a population of about fourteen thousand people among more than thirty tribes. The Powhatan lived in separate villages led by their own chiefs, weroances, but they operated under Wahunsunacock's centralized political system, sharing a language, social structure, religious beliefs, and cultural traditions.
Smith would witness how Powhatan brought commanders under his aegis, sometimes by persuasion, but often by force; how at opportune times he provided the English at the James Fort with maize and provisions that kept them from starving; and how he carefully orchestrated events, rituals, and meetings to acquire followers' fealty and promote his political agenda.
"We are coming to see Powhatan as a very politically savvy individual. We see his actions in this process, understand that there are two competing cultures, each one trying to subjugate the other," says Brown. "Both Powhatan and John Smith are individuals who are powerful and charismatic in this story, and it is impossible to disassociate the two."
The archaeological team is uncovering clues to understanding what life was like for Powhatan society. Copper artifacts with the same chemical "signature" as those found at Jamestown provide evidence about the evolution of the Powhatan chiefdom. Before the English arrived, Wahunsunacock and his weroances obtained copper from the Monacan to the west. When tribal warfare cut off trade with that tribe, Wahunsunacok looked to Jamestown as a new source, and it is this Jamestown copper that today is found at Werowocomoco.
Soil analysis provides information about what the Powhatan grew and in what quantities, an important consideration when surplus crops such as maize could be bartered for copper, shell, and deerskins—items that would bestow prestige on their Powhatan owners.
It is, however, the ditches on the Ripley farm that have archaeologists excited. Long and narrow, they are located about one thousand feet back from the water, measuring more than seven hundred feet in length. Radiocarbon dating confirms they are of American Indian origin, 1400—1460. Their placement and construction suggest that the Powhatan deliberately created discrete regions to differentiate sacred space from secular. Supporting this theory are thin, delicate pottery shards found on the eastern portion of the site in contrast with thick, everyday pottery found in the western part.
1400—1460
