Wahunsonacock

Wahunsenacawh, Powhatan
Powhatan, detail of map published by John Smith (1612)
Born	June 17, 1545 Unknown
Died	April 1618 (aged 72)
Occupation	Paramount chief of Tsenacommacah, an alliance of Algonquian-speaking Virginia Indians
Children	Pocahontas and others

Powhatan (June 17, 1545—April 1618), whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh (alternately spelled Wahunsenacah, Wahunsunacock or Wahunsonacock), was the paramount chief of Tsenacommacah, an alliance of Algonquian-speaking Virginia Indians in the Tidewater region of Virginia at the time English settlers landed at Jamestown in 1607.

Powhatan, alternately called "King" or "Chief" Powahatan by the English, led the main political and military power facing the early colonists, was probably the older brother of Opchanacanough, who led attacks against the English in 1622 and 1644. He was the father of Pocahontas, who eventually converted to Christianity and married the English settler John Rolfe.

In 1607, the English colonists were introduced to Wahunsenacawh as Powhatan and understood this latter name to come from Powhatan's hometown near the falls of the James River near present-day Richmond, Virginia.

Seventeenth-century English spellings were not standardized, and representations were many of the sounds of the Algonquian language spoken by Wahunsenacawh and his people. Charles Dudley Warner, writing in the 19th century, but quoting extensively from John Smith's 17th-century writings, in his essay on Pocahontas states: "In 1618 died the great Powhatan, full of years and satiated with fighting and the savage delights of life. He had many names and titles; his own people sometimes called him Ottaniack, sometimes Mamauatonick, and usually in his presence Wahunsenasawk." Many variants are used in texts:

Little is known of Powhatan's life before the arrival of English colonists in 1607. He apparently inherited the leadership of about 4-6 tribes, with its base at the fall line near present-day Richmond. Through diplomacy and/or force, he had assembled a total of about 30 tribes into the Powhatan Confederacy by the early 17th century. The confederacy was estimated to include 10,000-15,000 people.