Indigenous History of the Chesapeake

The Racial Integrity Act of 1924 banned interracial marriage in Virginia. It also required Virginians to register their race as either "white" or "colored." One of the many consequences of this discriminatory policy was the erasure of the Indigenous identity from public records. To this day, Indigenous people in Virginia have difficulty tracing their lineage due to this century-old policy.

This timeline provides an overview of major historical events affecting the Chesapeake's Indigenous peoples since the time of European arrival. Beginning with the first interactions with Spanish explorers in the late 1500s and concluding in the present day, this timeline describes some of the major impacts of colonization on the Chesapeake's Indigenous communities.

A brief history of Werowocomoco, its recovery by archeologists, and its entry into the National Park Service.

Paleoindian peoples first arrived in the Chesapeake Bay watershed over 15,000 years ago. Since, Native peoples have thrived here, benefiting from the plentiful resources of the Bay.

Artist Ethan Brown of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe creates works of gourd art which tell stories from his Tribe. Let's look at three of his artworks and learn about the history and culture of Virginia Indian Tribes! "[Art] is a way to examine everything that has been written in the historical record, to take the stories I know from my community,...to dream and use intuition, and then through art to make new connections."

Prior to English settlement in the Chesapeake, indigenous cultures did more than simply “live off the land.” Native societies were sophisticated, with unique languages, religions, economies, political systems, and traditions.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed was home to several tributary networks of tribes organized around paramount leaders and operating on a gift-giving economy.