Machicomoco State Park: A Special Meeting Place

Indigenous history

By Mazie Clark, B.A., Christopher Newport University and Sheri Shuck-Hall, Ph.D., Professor of History, Christopher Newport University

For too long, American Indigenous history has been overlooked in schools and parks. Machicomoco State Park is the first Virginia State Park with a mission dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and interpreting Virginia Algonquian history as a means to educate the public. Native Peoples are still here and continue to reflect and draw from their own history. As we seek to understand their forgotten story and presence today, Machicomoco State Park will have a role in assisting the tribes with sharing their history and culture.

Stephen R. Adkins, the Chief of the Chickahominy Tribe, stated at the opening ceremony of the park that Machicomoco is a “giant step in our quest to ransom our history… [and to tell the] stories that have been held hostage for so long.”[1] Machicomoco State Park is the first step to “un-cancel” Indigenous culture and to bring it into our schools.[2] The rich Algonquian history of Tsenacommacah, their Native homeland, will be shared, taught, and interpreted as living history at the park; their story will not be sidelined any longer. Machicomoco visitors may never be able to fully understand the Indigenous people’s experiences, both past and present, but Machicomoco State Park will be the push to help the public to better understand the lost history of the Algonquians of Tidewater Virginia.[3]

Building a Park to Honor the Past and Present

The land that is now Machicomoco State Park has changed ownership several times over the years. Originally granted as a land patent to George Minifye in 1639, the farmland was later sold to the Catlett Family in 1792. A private developer purchased the property to build a gated community but ran into obstacles after the 2007 housing crisis and following recession. As part of the Surry-Skiffes Creek Transmission Line Project, Dominion Energy agreed to mitigation stipulations to provide funding for land acquisition, facilities construction, archaeological investigation and preservation. The land was purchased by the Conservation Fund as part of this agreement. Groundbreaking at Machicomoco began in 2019 with the property being transferred to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) on October 9, 2020. Machicomoco State Park opened in April of 2021 and became Virginia’s 40th state park. The property known as Middle Peninsula State Park, which consists of an additional 400+ acres adjacent to the Rosewell Plantation in Gloucester County, will eventually be developed in conjunction with Machicomoco.[4]

According to Machicomoco’s Chief Ranger Josh Mazzatenta, the park will undergo development following a 10-year master plan that will bring it up to par with other established Virginia State Parks. This process is reevaluated on a 10-year cycle. Currently, Machicomoco is under Phase 1 of its development and construction. Machicomoco is the first park to focus heavily on the story of the Algonquian people prior to the arrival of the English, where Chief Powhatan ruled over an extensive paramount chiefdom. The Tidewater region of Virginia was known as Tsenacommacah to the Powhatan people. Although there is no evidence of Powhatan villages within the boundaries of Machicomoco, archaeological evidence indicates that the Indigenous people extensively used the land for hunting and fishing. Machicomoco is located just down river of Werowocomoco, Chief Powhatan’s capital, and will be the place for everyone to come and enjoy the wonderful views and history of the Algonquian people.[5]

Powhatan’s Chiefdom and Werowocomoco

To put into perspective the extensive network of Powhatan’s chiefdom, present-day Virginia is 42,627 square miles, and at its peak, the Powhatan Confederacy encompassed roughly one-fifth of the state, or about 8,000 square miles. Chief Powhatan inherited six different chiefdoms at a young age. Through war and political maneuvering, the Powhatan Confederacy grew to consist of approximately 30 tribes in the Tidewater region with villages surrounding the capital, Werowocomoco. The capital was a horticultural village and the main location for important political and religious ceremonies for the Powhatan people.[6]

Chief Powhatan was able to keep control of his territory by placing his brothers and children as tributary chiefs, or werowances, of conquered tribes. Werowances were loyal to Powhatan and recognized his power and control over the vast territory. Chief Powhatan had well over one-hundred children with various wives across his territory. The Algonquian system of marriage allowed him to easily marry and divorce wives so that he could keep a strong and large kinship network while also maintaining political rule over his domain. Powhatan also collected a tax or tribute from the principal villages to obtain wealth and furnish his large family. Copper was a highly valued commodity inside the chiefdom and the wealthiest members lived close to Powhatan in Werowocomoco.[7]

Outside of Werowocomoco, the towns and villages were placed near waterways and, if available, on high ground for defense. Houses were scattered throughout the village with no formation of streets. The usual yihakan home was created by bending twigs and tying them together to create a barrel shape. The base was primarily made of red maple, black locust, or red cedar while the outer sticks were various fibrous roots and green wood from white oaks. They covered twigs in marsh reed or bark, but likely bark was only for the wealthier households as it kept the interior warmer. Natural light came in the yihakan through the door and the smoke hole in the roof. Inside an average home were bedsteads, a fire in the center, utensils for various activities, clay pots, bags, baskets, and a sundry of other items. Agricultural plots, often square, were located by the house of the women who worked them. Clearing land for cultivation was the job of the men but all other field work was left to the women, with children and older men helping. At the center of a village there was a larger field that all female villagers tended to support the community.[8]

Travel and Resources

Tidewater Virginia is a flooded coastline with many rivers, creeks, swamps, and estuaries for wildlife and vegetation to grow and flourish, as well as enriching the soil with water. Dugout canoes were the primary mode of transportation for the Algonquian people. They made canoes by taking a large cypress tree found close to the water and hollowing it by gradually charring the inside and scraping away ash with a stone tool or oyster shell. The largest canoes were about four feet deep and up to fifteen feet long, holding up to roughly forty people. The canoes were propelled with paddles or poles in shallow areas.[9]

Powhatan villages produced everything they needed as they had an abundance of resources, including venison, maize, oysters, copper, and clay. Fish were also an important part of the Native diet. Fishing and angling were like modern-day practices using canes, lines, baits, and fishhooks. Men made fishhooks with a knuckle or smaller ankle bone of a deer and carved it down to the shape of a hook, and women made fishnets from deer sinew or hemp cordage. Another fishing technique utilized arrows attached to a line and the bow, piercing the fish when shot. Most fishing was done out of canoes or from the shoreline.[10]

The Algonquian people foraged yearlong for plants to supplement their diet. Women oversaw foraging for food and cultivating plants. The diet throughout the year depended on the season and availability of resources. From March to April, the primary food choices were fish, turkey, and squirrel. During May through June, women began the process of planting the fields, so their diet was mostly nuts such as acorns, walnuts, and chestnuts. Fish and game caught during this season also sustained the Algonquian people. In late June to August, as seafood became more available, the diet shifted to include more crabs, oysters, turtles, and fish. In the summer months, seasonal plants like strawberries, mulberries, and tockohowberrye root or wild potatoes, were incorporated into their diet. September through February was often the time of year when there was less food available, so the Algonquian people primarily ate smoked and dried food they had stored. As soon as the weather began to warm, they returned to hunting, gathering, and farming.[11]

Pomeiooc Indian Village, The Other Jamestown – The Algonquian Exchange (virtual-jamestown.com)

The daily lives of men and women were quite different from one another. Men were often in higher positions of authority, such as rulers or priests, but there is evidence of women holding power. Although most women did not hold political power, they made the Powhatan chiefdom run efficiently. Women produced various tools for survival and were essential for food production. The amount of food that a woman produced could elevate her status within the tribe and secure her a better home or husband. Women crafted mats, baskets, pots, cordage, spoons, and planters. They planted, harvested, and pounded maize to make bread, gathered the firewood, and prepared every meal. Above all else, women were the carriers of the next generation, as they were responsible for raising the children. Women were the glue that held the Powhatan Chiefdom together and kept it strong.[12]

The Hunt

The land that makes up Machicomoco State Park was mostly used as hunting grounds for the Algonquian people. Sections of land divided the hunting grounds in the Powhatan chiefdom, each bound to a male hunter who controlled the area. The Algonquian hunter gained the land through an act of renting it from either Powhatan himself or his town’s werowance. The hunter had the exclusive privilege of setting traps on the land, with creeks dividing many of the plots for easy land markers. The hunter, however, did not own the land or hold possession over it. He was only allowed to use the bounty from it, and in time, the land was given to another. Land was not inheritable, so it did not always remain with a single family.[13]

The Tidewater region is a diverse habitat for various animals, so the Algonquians had a variety of hunting skills. In the marshy flats, they hunted wild ground fowl. In the Dismal Swamp, bears could be heard eating berries and breaking branches. Hunters quietly and slowly approached the bears before shooting them with arrows. In the cold months, hungry hunters also searched for bears in hibernation. Bears were prized game animals, and hunters would cut off the foot of the bear to keep as a trophy. Early mornings in the swamp, hunters also collected muskrats, raccoons, and opossums, while they shot ducks and other waterfowl near the rivers.[14]

Deer played a significant role in the everyday life of the Algonquian people and helped sustain their diet. Deer drives were often accomplished by a large crew of men. Half of the hunters occupied the canoes on the river and waited for the deer to come to the shallows before shooting them with arrows, while the other hunters advanced into the swamps to drive the deer out. They caught smaller game like rabbits, wild turkeys, doves, quail, robins, bats, and hawks by using trigger traps.[15]

Algonquian hunters learned how to travel through muddy conditions. There are two types of mud that distinguish the Tidewater swamps: firm and floating. In firm mud, hunters did not allow their body weight to stay in one place for too long. One leg was constantly flexed, and the weight was carried on the shins, so they did not sink deep into the mud. In floating mud, hunters adapted by learning from their surroundings. Hunters moved through floating mud by laying on their stomachs like a turtle and used their limbs to propel forward. Through hunting trips, Algonquian men developed teamwork, survival skills, and experience in the field.[16]

Visiting Machicomoco

Machicomoco State Park is a special meeting place for everyone to enjoy and experience the history of the Indigenous people of Virginia. Visitors can hike or bike the trails and see the amazing wildlife that have inhabited the area for generations. The public can fish at the boat slips located along Timberneck Creek. Currently, the park includes a kayak launch so that visitors may take their personal kayaks or canoes out onto Poplar Creek. Visitors can then explore the Catlett Islands and beautiful marshlands along the Pamunkey River, or York River as it is known today. While on the water, one can see the vast amount of aquatic life and magnificent birds of park; there is even a chance to see dolphins in the creek.

Machicomoco’s campground allows for both recreational vehicles and primitive tent camping. It is the perfect place to escape and enjoy the diverse wildlife and spectacular natural surroundings with friends and family. There are several serene walking trails that snake through the woods next to the Pamunkey River. The primary location to immerse yourself in the history of the Algonquian-speaking people is the Interpretive Area. Visitors can walk along a timeline that leads underneath an open-air pavilion constructed in the style of a long house. The pavilion offers interpretive signage on the historical context of the land and the people that once were there and are still here today. Algonquian words and their English translations are scattered across the Interpretive Area and walking trails to further immerse park visitors in the Algonquian culture.

Machicomoco has plenty of room to grow and develop. We hope that you will visit Machicomoco State Park for educational opportunities and place-based learning about the culture and heritage of Virginia’s Indigenous people that once dominated the region and the persistence of tribes that still live on nearby lands. For more information, see Machicomoco State Park.

Acknowlegements

We would like to give special thanks to Machicomoco Chief Ranger Josh Mazzatenta (CNU History Alumnus), who provided Mazie Clark with an amazing internship opportunity at Machicomoco State Park and gave his time, expertise, and mentorship to this project. We also thank the on-site rangers at Machicomoco State Park who peer-reviewed this exhibit.

About the Author

Mazie Clark is a history alumna from Christopher Newport University. She completed a service-learning project with Machicomoco State Park, as well as an internship under the supervision of Chief Ranger Josh Mazzatenta, also a CNU history alumnus. She currently works for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, specializing in historical interpretation and education.

Works Cited

[1] Stephen R. Adkins, Machicomoco State Park, Machicomoco State Park Dedication – Live Friday April 16, 2021 at 11 a.m. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew9_qQpJuC4&t=1886s .

[2] Adkins, Machicomoco State Park Dedication.

[3] Adkins, Machicomoco State Park Dedication.

[4] Josh Mazzatenta Interview with author, Machicomoco State Park, September 14, 2021.

[5] Mazzatenta Interview.

[6] James Mooney, “The Powhatan Confederacy, Past and Present.” American Anthropologist 9, no. 1 (1907): 129–52. http://www.jstor.org/stable/659023; Helen C. Rountree, Pocahontas’s People: the Powhatan Indians of Virginia Through Four Centuries (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1990), 3-28.

[7] Helen C. Rountree, Pocahontas Powhatan Opechancanough: three Indian lives changed by Jamestown (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2005), 24-46.

[8] Helen C. Rountree, The Powhatan Indians of Virginia: Their Traditional Culture (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1989), 32-57.

[9] Rountree, The Powhatan Indians of Virginia, 32-57.

[10] Rountree, The Powhatan Indians of Virginia, 32-57.

[11] Rountree, The Powhatan Indians of Virginia, 32-57.

[12] Rountree, The Powhatan Indians of Virginia, 32-57.

[13] Frank G. Speck, Chapters on the Ethnology of the Powhatan Tribes of Virginia (New York: Museum of the American Indian, Heye foundation, 1928), 312-329.

[14] Speck, Chapters on the Ethnology, 330-350.

[15] Speck, Chapters on the Ethnology, 359-373.

[16] Speck, Chapters on the Ethnology, 330-350.

Bibliography

Adkins, Stephen R. Machicomoco State Park, Machicomoco State Park Dedication – Live 16 April 2021 at 11 a.m. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew9_qQpJuC4&t=1886s.

Karow, Tom. Interview with author, Machicomoco State Park, 14 September 2021.

Mazzatenta, Josh. Interview with author, Machicomoco State Park, 14 September 2021.

Mooney, James. “The Powhatan Confederacy, Past and Present.” American Anthropologist 9, no. 1 (1907): 129–52.

Rountree, Helen C. Pocahontas, Powhatan, Opechancanough: three Indian lives changed by Jamestown. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2005.

__________. Pocahontas’s People: The Powhatan Indians of Virginia Through Four Centuries. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1990.

__________.  The Powhatan Indians of Virginia: Their Traditional Culture. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1989.

Speck, Frank G. Chapters on the Ethnology of the Powhatan Tribes of Virginia. New York: Museum of the American Indian, 1928.