Description
An Algonquian tribe that thrived in the northeastern section of North Carolina by the end of the middle-sixteenth century, the Chowanoke, also spelled Choanoac, were once the most prominent Algonquians in the area when Europeans explored what they called the New World. The Chowanoke, Algonquian for “people at the south,” lived and settled around the Chowan River and their dominion encompassed the Bertie, Chowan, Gates, and Hertford Counties. One of the first instances of European and Chowanoac interaction occurred in the year 1586. Ralph Lane, John White, and Thomas Harriot led an expedition from the Roanoke Colony into mainland North Carolina. The group sought gold and Indian goods, and the expedition eventually arrived at a Chowanoac village. Lane met the leader of the village, Chief Menatonon, describing him as a “man of great understanding and reputation.”
Language
Carolina Algonquian (also known as Pamlico, Croatoan) was an Algonquian language of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup formerly spoken in North Carolina, United States.
Culture
The Chowanoke lived near swamps, rivers, and other tributaries throughout North Carolina. With a focus on fishing and hunting. They developed a culture that was rich in music and history. singing were often integrated. Dancing was also heavily linked to the musical culture of the Chowanoke, for them music and dance were inseparable. There were a number of dances with music that were associated with different rituals and ceremonies. The Chowanoke through the 18th century gradually lost land through sales and other actions. Men's names were recorded on tribal land conveyance documents. In 1821 they lost the last 30 acres of communal land. Once they were landless, the Chowanoke were often no longer considered Native Americans.