The Kecoughtan and the Expansion of the Pamunkey Chiefdom

Join historian Buck Woodard, Ph.D., Department of Anthropology, American University, Washington, D.C., as he shares his deep knowledge of the complex history and culture of Native American Nations in Virginia and specifically on the Peninsula. Prior to English colonization of the Virginia tidewater, the Algonquian-speaking peoples of the Chesapeake region experienced social upheaval and political reorganization. Early historical sources from the Ajacan, Roanoke, and Jamestown colonies indicate that an elite Pamunkey lineage headed by Wahunsenacah, also known as Chief Powhatan, strategically utilized kinship, marriage alliance, and warfare to dominate Chesapeake social politics. Through the lens of historical anthropology, this evening talk provides a reassessment of the documentary record and a discussion about the rise of Wahunsenacah during the late sixteenth-century. Special attention is given to the Kecoughtan and the implications for the expansion of the Pamunkey Chiefdom into the Peninsula. The Hampton History Museum is located at 120 Old Hampton Lane in Downtown Hampton. There is free parking in the garage across the street from the museum. For more information call 757-727-1102 or visit www.hamptonhistorymuseum.org/https://hampton.gov/119/Hampton-History-Museum