By: Duvonya Chavis
Chowanoke Descendant
North Carolina was the first state to have contact with British colonizers looking for new lands to conquer. Although their initial attempt to establish a colony was unsuccessful, it was the Algonquian populations residing on the Outer Banks and Coastal plains who first welcomed the arriving settlers. However, it quickly became apparent to the Algonquian leaders that the British were not just visiting as they displayed threatening behavior towards the native inhabitants. Algonquian leaders knew they needed to protect their territories from threatening invasion by European settlers and began to form alliances with neighboring tribes to accomplish this. The Algonquian tribes of the Outer Banks asked the Chowanoke tribe to help fend off this new invasion. The Chowanoke tribe was the largest Algonquian tribe in North Carolina and also looked to their southern neighbors, the Tuscarora, for military support during this time. At the onset of this invasion, the Chowanoke served as a liaison to warn the Tuscarora people. They conveyed that Ralph Lane and his explorers did not have friendly intentions towards the natives and wanted to exploit native resources for their personal gain.
Nearly five hundred years have passed since this first invasion. Despite many wars and scrimmages, the Chowanoke people have persisted in remaining a distinct group. There have been many efforts to assimilate and extirpate Native culture and to disband their governmental structure by redefining government through the lens of colonial governments. Yet, the Chowanoke have persisted and continue to live on their native homelands. Precontact, Chowanoke territory extended from Blackwater River in Virginia to Salmon Creek in North Carolina and 19 Chowanoke villages were noted. Within this historic territory, many of the towns that exist today, such as Harrellsville, Arrowhead Beach, Rockyhock, Winton, and Colerain originated from those same villages where Chowanoke descendants continued to live for generations. Chowanoke people today continue to preserve their rich history and culture through community traditions, annual PowWows, and local heritage sites throughout the Roanoke Chowan community.
