Monacan (tribe)
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
Enrolled members 2000 |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio | |
| Languages | |
| English, formerly Tutelo | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tutelo, Occaneechi, Manahoac, other eastern Siouan tribes |
Enrolled members
The Monacan tribe is one of several Native American tribes recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The Monacan Tribe has not been recognized as an Indian tribe by the federal government. They are located primarily in Amherst County, Virginia near Lynchburg, Virginia. As of 2009 there are approximately 2,000 members of the tribe. There are satellite groups in West Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee and Ohio.
The contemporary Monacan people claim ancestry to the historic Monacan tribe, first recorded in 1607 in Virginia, which was related to the Siouan Tutelo, Saponi and Occaneechi tribes.
When the English first explored the James River in May 1607, they learned that the James River Monacan (along with their northern Mannahoac allies on the Rappahannock River) controlled the area between the Fall line in Richmond and the Blue Ridge Mountains, who were hostile to the Powhatan confederacy. They called their territory Amai Amañuhkañ (“The Country of the People of the Land”). The weroance Parahunt, son of paramount chief Powhatan, persuaded Captain Christopher Newport not to continue beyond the falls into Monacan country. The determined Newport made an expedition into their country in November 1608. On a 40-mile (64 km) march, the English found two Monacan towns, called Massinacak and Mowhemenchough'. Unlike the Powhatan, who had given the English lavish welcomes, the Monacan largely ignored them and went about their business. The English captured their chief and forced him to conduct them around his kingdom. On November 26, 1608, Peter Wynne, a member of Newport's exploration party to the Monacan villages, wrote a letter to John Egerton, informing him that some members of Newport's party believed the pronunciation of the Monacans' language resembled "Welch", which Wynne spoke, and asked Wynne to act as interpreter.
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Wikipedia