Native Americans in Maryland
People. Sometimes referred to as nations by Europeans, the largest division of Maryland's indigenous population primarily is defined by language. In the 1600s, European explorers encountered a great diversity of people living in the area that would be named Maryland. Most of the land was claimed by Algonquin tribes, although both Iroquois and Siouan maintained a presence.
Tribes. Among these are the Accohannock, Assateaque, Choptank, Delaware, Matapeake, Nanticoke, Piscataway, Pocomoke, and Shawnee. Tribes of similar traits and interests often created allegiances and political bodies for protection and commerce. Often refered to as confederacies or nations by Europeans, the largest was gathered under Chief Powhatan. Composed of Algonquin tribes, the Powhatan Confederacy stretched from the Carolinas to Maryland, and was the primary governing body encountered by European settlers.
Bands. The smallest recognized group of natives, the term band usually was applied to a single village, or a cluster of closely grouped small villages of similar tribe, or a migrant group of families. Bands could range from a few dozen to a several hundred. Although few bands of certain tribes lived in Maryland, those tribes, including the Susquehannock and the Doeg, also played significant roles in Maryland colonial history.
ALGONQUIN
The Algonquin people were very prosperous during European colonization. At that time, tribes and bands were present in most colonies, and Maryland was no exception. Of the Algonquin subtribes living in Maryland, the four most prominent were the Choptank, the Delaware, the Matapeake, and the Nanticoke. As coastal people, these subtribes spent the warmer months hunting and fishing in or near the Chesapeake Bay.
Due to tribal wars and colonial incursions, a large portion of the Maryland Algonquin had emigrated by the end of the 17th century. Some Algonquin, however, chose to stay, including the Nause-Waiwash band of Dorchester County.
ANNEMESSEX
The Annemessex were a small tribe living in the area of present-day Crisfield, now Somerset County. They held close ties with the Nanticoke and the Pocomoke. Although recognized by Maryland's colonial government in the Treaty of 1662, the tribe assimilated with the Pocomoke some time prior to the 1680s.ASSATEAGUE
Living on the Eastern Shore in what today are Wicomico and Worcester counties, the Assateague (also known as Kickotanks) often were at odds with European settlers (as well as some of the other native bands). Consequently, most Assateague emigrated from Maryland by the early 1700s. Though a few moved to the Western Shore, and some traveled to Virginia and Pennsylvania, the majority settled and assimilated with tribes in Delaware.CHAPTICO
Also known as Cecomocomoco, the Chaptico resided in southern Maryland in the area around St. Mary’s City. It is believed that the Chaptico were absorbed by neighboring Piscataway bands during the early 1700s.CHOPTANK
With villages located on the lower Eastern Shore in what now are Dorchester and Wicomico counties, the Choptank maintained close relations with the Nanticoke.While some tribe members purchased property and lived among the Europeans, most emigrated from Maryland during the 1700s.
TRANSQUAKING
The Transquaking were a band of Choptank encountered by Capt. John Smith (1580-1631) near present-day East New Market in Dorchester County.
DELAWARE
Also known as the Lenape, the Delaware bands located in Maryland were found mainly in Cecil County.Their numbers greatly reduced from conflict and disease, most of the remaining Delaware were relocated to Oklahoma by the mid-1800s.
DOEG
Also known as the Taux or Moyumpse, the Doeg were located mainly in Virginia. With villages along the Potomac, however, the Doeg maintained trade relations with Maryland tribes, including the Nanticoke and the Piscataway.An escalated trade dispute between the Doeg and European settlers in 1675 led to the colonist uprising known as Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia. By the late 1600s, with few villages remaining and increasing tension in Virginia, it is believed that the Doeg were absorbed by their Maryland neighbors.
MATAPEAKE
With the growing European presence on Kent Island, the Matapeake, also known as Monoponson, emigrated during the late 1600s and early 1700s. They found new homes with neighboring Algonquin tribes.MATTAPANIENT
Located in Charles and Prince George's counties, the Mattapanient absorbed the Patuxent by the mid-1600s. During the late 1600s, the Mattapanient assimilated with the Chaptico.MATTAWOMEN
Also known as Mataughquamend, the Mattawomen were centered near present-day Indian Head in Charles County. They maintained villages along Mattawoman Creek and on both banks of the Potomac.NACOTCHTANK
Also known as Anacostian, Anaquashtank, and Nacostine, the Nacotchtank were a semi-agrarian band of Algonquin who lived along the eastern bank of the Anacostia River in the area that became Washington DC. They constituted a sizable village of approximately 500 natives. With abundant wildlife, they thrived from ready access to the fur trade. During the 1600s, however, the Nacotchtank were decimated by European diseases.With diminished numbers, the Nacotchtank relocated during the late 1660s to present-day Theodore Roosevelt Island on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. No further record of the Nacotchtank exists, and it is believed that the remnants merged with their neighboring Piscataway allies.
OZINIE
Also known as Wicomiss, the Ozinie tribe was located on the upper Eastern Shore near present-day Rock Hall in Kent County. With an estimated population of 255 in 1608, they were reduced by disease and conflict, and assimilated with the Nanticoke in the 1660s.PATUXENT
Originally recorded as Pawtuxunt, the Patuxent tribe maintained dwellings in Calvert, Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties, before being absorbed by the Chaptico during the 1690s.POCOMOKE
Prior to European settlement, the Pocomoke were known as the Wighcocomoco. A member of the Powhatan Nation, the tribe was found in what today are Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties. The tribe prospered through trade, both with other tribes and European settlers.Due to disease, tribal wars, and growing unrest between natives and settlers, a large number of Pocomoke had emigrated north by the late 1700s. These bands assimilated with tribes from Delaware and Pennsylvania. Those who remained tended to assimilate with European settlers.
PISCATAWAY
Also known as Conoy, the Piscataway was one of the more prevalent tribes in the Chesapeake region at the time of European contact. Piscataway bands encountered by European settlers included the Chaptico, the Moyaone, the Nanjemoy, and the Potapoco.Today, the Piscataway still reside in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George's, St. Mary's and Wicomico counties. From 1995 until 2015, the Piscataway operated the Piscataway Indian Museum and Cultural Center at Waldorf (Charles County), Maryland, in cooperation with the Maryland Historical Trust. Following the Museum's closure, its mobile program, Living the American Indian Experience, traveled around the State to educate the public about Native American history and culture, though it too has since closed.
On January 9, 2012, the Governor officially recognized two tribes of Piscataway heritage: the Piscataway-Conoy Tribe (which includes the Cedarville Band of Piscataways), and the Piscataway Indian Nation (Executive Order 01.01.2012.01; Executive Order 01.01.2012.02). They are the first tribes recognized by Maryland.
MOYAONE
Also known as Accokeek, the Moyaone were located at present-day Accokeek, in Prince George's County. Once the government seat of the Piscataway with a population of nearly a thousand people, the village itself was abandoned prior to European settlement. It is believed that the population was absorbed into neighboring Piscataway tribes.NANJEMOY
Piscataway band who lived between Mallows Bay and Nanjemoy Creek in Charles County.POTAPOCO
Also known as Portobacks, or Potobagos, the Potapaco maintained three villages along the Port Tobacco River in Charles County. Recorded in Captain John Smith's 1608 explorations of the Chesapeake Bay, the tribe migrated south during the late 1600s, settling along the Rappohannock River in Virginia, and assimilated with other Algonquin tribes.
SHAWNEE
During the 1660s, due to conflict among the native nations in the west, a large number of Shawnee bands emigrated south and east from their homes in what is now Illinois. Most fled into Kentucky, but one band, the Youghiogheny, traveled further, and settled in western Maryland in what later became Garrett County.In the late 1600s and early 1700s, other Shawnee bands who traveled through Maryland did not stay.
TOCKWOGH
Encountered by Captain John Smith in 1608, along the Sassafrass River, the Tockwogh lived on the upper Eastern Shore in Cecil and Kent counties.YOACOMACO
A small tribe located along the St. Mary's River in southern Maryland, the Yoacomaco maintained sovereignty while conducting trade with the Piscataway, the Powhatan Confederacy of Virginia, and European settlers. Whether by disease, tribal conflict, or colonial expansion, there is no further record of the Yoacomaco tribe after the late 1600s.A recreation of a traditional Yoacomaco village may be seen at Historic St. Mary's City.
POWHATAN CONFEDERACY
Centered in Virginia, the Powhatan Confederacy was the largest organized body of tribes in the Americas during the early days of European settlement.
ACCOHANNOCK
Located on the Eastern Shore, the Accohannock had great standing among their tribal neighbors. Part of the Powhatan Nation, the Accohannock maintained a peaceful coexistence with European settlers. After Powhatan's death, the tribe continued trade and amicable relations, despite edicts of Powhatan's heir.Emigration and assimilation have greatly reduced the Accohannock's population, but they still maintain a presence in Somerset County. The Accohannock Indian Tribal Museum is found at Marion Station, Maryland.
On December 19, 2017, the Accohannock Tribe was formally recognized by the State of Maryland (Executive Order 01.01.2017.31).
NANTICOKE
Named Kuskarawaok by Captain John Smith during his travels of 1608, the Nanticoke primarily maintained villages on the Eastern Shore along the Nanticoke River. The largest village was Kuskarawaok on Chicone Creek near present-day Vienna in Dorchester County. During the mid-1700s, most of the Nanticoke left Maryland. Those that remained purchased land and assimilated with the European settlers.MANOKIN
Nanticoke band living at Manokin Town, in what became Princess Anne in Somerset County.WICOMICO
Nanticoke band whose primary village, Tundotank, was located near present-day Salisbury in Wicomico County.
PAMUNKEY
One of the largest tribes in the Powhatan Confederacy, the Pamunkey tribe was centered in northern Virginia, with villages in Charles, Prince George's and St. Mary's counties, Maryland. With the expansion of European settlement, the Pamunkey consolidated, abandoning many of their villages, including all those in Maryland.
IROQUOIS
Most tribes within the Iroquois were centered in the states north of Maryland, stretching into New England and Canada. In Maryland, the Iroquois presence encompassed mainly three tribes: the Massawomeck in western Maryland; the Susquehannock in the northern counties; and the Tuscarora, who emigrated from the Carolinas through Maryland in the 1700s.
MASSAWOMECK
According to maps of the mid-1600s, the Massawomeck primarily resided in what became West Virginia, although some permanent villages were in western Maryland in areas that later formed Garrett County.The Massawomeck were a highly mobile tribe, conducting extensive trade among other tribes and European settlers. Trade routes ran east into Maryland, north to Canada, and south into Virginia. The tribe also conducted raids against rival tribes, such as the Tockwogh.
SUSQUEHANNOCK
Prior to the European presence on the continent, the Susquehannock tribe was prominent through what now are the southern sections of New York, eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware and New Jersey. In Maryland, they formed villages on the Western Shore in Allegany County, and at the mouth of the Susquehanna River in Cecil and Harford counties. By the 1600s, war and disease had reduced the tribe to lands along the Susquehanna River, from the Chesapeake Bay into southeast Pennsylvania.Conducting a series of raids, skirmishes, and wars with the colony of Maryland between 1642 and 1652, the Susquehannock signed a peace treaty in 1652, conceding much of the land from the mouth of the Susquehanna River to Maryland. This treaty effectively ended the Susquehannock presence in Maryland.
TUSCARORA
Living in the Carolinas when Europeans first encountered them, a majority of the Tuscarora tribe relocated north and west during the 1700s. Passing through Frederick County, Maryland around 1720, the tribe largely settled around the Great Lakes, and still maintains a presence in New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Canada.
SIOUAN
When Capt. John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay in 1608, he encountered no Siouan in what would become Maryland. Yet, during the mid-1700s, three Siouan tribes emigrated through Maryland. The Monacan, the Saponi, and the Tutelo moved from Virginia and North Carolina to New York, later traveling further north into Canada. Though the tribes relocated largely as one group, a small number of bands remained behind, or merged with other tribes during their journeys.
Two Siouan bands found in colonial Maryland were the Saponi and the Tutelo. By the 1740s, a small number of Saponi settled in Dorchester County. This band later may have assimilated with local Nanticoke bands.