Definition

1. Noun:
   • A member of a Native American people: A Powhatan is a person belonging to a confederacy of Algonquian-speaking tribes historically located in eastern Virginia.
   • The Algonquian language: Powhatan refers to the language spoken by this people.
   • A specific historical leader: Powhatan (also known as Wahunsenacawh) was the paramount chief and founder of the Powhatan Confederacy in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Person):
  • The Powhatan lived in villages along the rivers of coastal Virginia.
  • Archaeologists study artifacts left by the Powhatan.
• Noun (Language):
  • Few records of the Powhatan language survive today.
  • Scholars work to reconstruct words from Powhatan.
• Noun (Chief):
  • Powhatan ruled over many tribes when English colonists arrived.
  • The English settlement of Jamestown was within the territory controlled by Powhatan.

Advanced Usage

• Used attributively: The term is often used as an adjective to describe things pertaining to the people, culture, or confederacy.
  • Powhatan society was organized around a system of chiefs.
  • They studied Powhatan pottery techniques.

Variants and Related Words

• Powhatan Confederacy: The political alliance of tribes under the leadership of Chief Powhatan.
• Powhatan Renape: A term used by some contemporary descendants.

Synonyms

• Wahunsenacawh: The personal name of the chief known as Powhatan.
• Virginia Algonquian: A term sometimes used for the language or people.

Noun

1. the Algonquian language of the Powhatan
2. a member of the Algonquian people who formerly lived in eastern Virginia
3. Indian chief and founder of the Powhatan confederacy of tribes in eastern Virginia; father of Pocahontas (1550?-1618)