Mattaponi
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
(Enrolled members: Mattaponi, King William County, Virginia: 450 Upper Mattaponi, Hanover County, Virginia: 575) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States Virginia
|
|
| Languages | |
| English, Virginia Algonquian (historical) | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (incl. syncretistic forms) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Pamunkey |
(Enrolled members: Mattaponi, King William County, Virginia: 450
The Mattaponi (English pronunciation: /ˌmætəpoʊˈnaɪ/) tribe is one of only two Virginia Indian tribes in the Commonwealth of Virginia that owns reservation land. The larger Mattaponi Indian Tribe lives in King William County on the reservation, which stretches along the borders of the Mattaponi River, near West Point, Virginia.
The Mattaponi were one of six tribes inherited by Chief Powhatan in the late 16th century. The tribe spoke an Algonquian language, like other members of the Powhatan Chiefdom. The paramount chiefdom of the Powhatan numbered more than 30 tribes by the time the English arrived and settled Jamestown in 1607.
In addition, a Mattaponi band had long been settled outside the reservation at an unincorporated hamlet called Adamstown, located on the upper reaches of the Mattaponi River. This has been identified as Indian land in records dating to the 17th century. In 1921, the Upper Mattaponi Tribe of Adamstown organized as an official group. They are also recognized as a tribe by the Commonwealth of Virginia and own 32 acres (130,000 m2) of land in Hanover County. The Mattaponi Indians are classified as a branch of Pamunkey Indians. The Mattaponi and Pamunkey have an identical cultural foundation, and come from the same political body.
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