Description
The Weapemeoc Indians, also known as the Yeopim Indians, were a branch of Algonquian-speaking peoples living in sprawling villages along the northern rim of the Albemarle Sound when the Roanoke Island colonists arrived in the 1580s. The subtribes of the Weapemeoc included the Pasquotank, Perquimans, and Poteskeet. Although the Poteskeet’s main village was located on the mainland, they used the northern Outer Banks, including the area now within the Reserve, as hunting and fishing grounds. Oyster shell middens and pottery fragments found at several locations in the northern Outer Banks are evidence that the Poteskeet used this area.
Language
Algonquian language
Culture
They were partly agricultural and raised several varieties of beans (pulse), melons, and gourds, as well as corn, squash, and other vegetables. They were also food-gatherers, hunting turkeys and deer. During the summer months, fish, shellfish, raspberries, strawberries, walnuts, hickory nuts, and acorns supplemented their diet. For the most part, women tended the fields while men hunted, fished, and engaged in trade with one another, as well as with other groups to the north and west.