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April
2011
Frank Speck's Remnants of the Machapunga Indians
Frank
Speck, an anthropologist, visited Eastern North Carolina in 1916, hoping
to discover some cultural remnant of the Indian tribes that once
inhabited the entire coastal area.
He was to be disappointed. He
found no remnants of languages and little in the way of oral history.
He
discovered one family with an oral history of Native ancestry, the
Israel Pierce and Smith Pugh family, which we researched further in the
January 2011 issue in the "Pierce Family of Tyrrell County"
and the "Smith Pugh" articles.
Given
his disappointment at the lack of remnant culture, he did share with
readers his findings and research, which I am extracting here and adding
some commentary of my own.
His
records begin with John White's drawings which provides a few place
names and identifies the tribes in this area as Secotan.
These people through their relationship to the Weapemeoc and
Pamlico bands, for whom John Lawson left a vocabulary, we know the
entire group to be Algonquian or at least Algonquian speakers.
Speck suggests they were the southward drifting bands of the
Powhatan of Virginia.
Lawson
specifically names and gives locations for the Hatteras of Hatteras
Island and the Machapunga who lived nearly Lake Mattamuskeet.
Both of these tribes would fall within the Secotan geography.
Speck says that after the expulsion of the Tuscarora from North
Carolina, the final chapter of which occurred in 1805, the eastern
coastal tribes fade from history. He
is uncertain whether the remnants of these tribes joined the Tuscarora
and Siouian tribes and moved north or whether they scattered and merged
with the blacks and whites.
Speck
also mentions that the Chowan were neighbors of the Machapunga, and that
the Machapunga name is represented by the Pungo River.
While
Speck laments that the descendants living in 1916 don't even know the
name of their tribe, don't speak "one word" of any Indian
language, nor had they preserved any of the Native cultural activities,
such as basket making, he does state that they have preserved an
activity that is historically associated with Native life - fishing.
Lawson reported in 1713 that the Machapunga were "expert
watermen". We know
from the Raleigh expeditions that the Indians made extensive use of fish
weirs. Fishing was the only
traditional Native activity that Speck observed that had survived into
the 20th century.
Speck
also mentions that basketmaking was the last cultural activity to be
lost, other than fishing, and that the baskets had been made with
hickory and oak splints in the fashion of the Iroquoian and Algonkian
bands of the east.
While
Frank Speck did not find any evidence of hunting and other primarily
male cultural activities, perhaps he did not look in the right places.
Today, traditional venison smoking is still taught by the
remnants of the Tuscarora near the North Carolina border with South
Carolina by descendants who did not move northward, but simply blended
in as best they could to survive.
Little
is known about the Machapunga tribe.
In 1701 Lawson states that they have one town, Maramuskeet
(probably Mattamuskeet) containing 30 fighting men.
Based on other populations, it has been determined that a family
ratio of 5 to 1 would adequately represent a total population
extrapolated from the number of "fighting men".
Therefore from Lawson's informal census, we know that there were
about 150 individuals living in their town.
Perhaps
the most interesting thing he told us was a bit more personal.
Lawson divulges that two of the Indian families practice
circumcision. Lawson references it as a Jewish tradition, so even then, it
was well known to be Jewish and not a gentile custom. Lawson says that the balance of the Indians do not practice
this custom, nor has be met any other Indians that practice
circumcision. When asked
why they do so, they answered him "I will not tell you."
In
another entry, Lawson tells us of an event where the Machapunga visit
the Coranine with whom they had long been at war.
Later the Coranine allied with the Machapunga who allied with the
Tuscarora. However, when
the Machapunga concluded a peace with the Coranine, they were invited to
the Coranine village to celebrate, at which time the Machapunga turned
upon the Coranine and slew many of them. There was no date for this, but it had to be before Lawson's
death during the Tuscarora War in 1711.
During
that war, the "Marmusckits" and the Corree partook in plunder
and robbery with part of the Tuscarora Nation.
In 1713 they killed and kidnapped about 20 people on Roanoke
Island and Croatan. Then
about 50 Mattamuskeet, Catechnee and Coree warriors attacked the
residents on the Alligator River. The
Mattamukeet and their allies would attack and then disappear into the
Dismal Swamp and the swamp between the Alligator River and Lake
Mattamuskeet. The English
stood no prayer of finding or pursuing the Indians in those swamps so
they had to depend on the Tuscarora under King Blount who were friendly
towards the English to rout the Mattamuskeet/Machapungo and their
allies. Unable to control
or eliminate the swamp inhabiting Indians, finally, in 1715, the "Coree
and other enemy Indians" were allowed to settle at Lake
Mattamuskeet. The Tuscarora
were sent to join them until they were later awarded their own
reservation at Indian Woods in Bertie County.
By
1731, the "Maremuskeets" were among the tribes that did not
number more than 20 families and by 1753 it was reported that the "Mattamuskeets
and other Indians on the Islands or 'Banks' number some 15 or 20".
Speck
concludes that the Machapunga and the Mattamuskeet Indians are one and
the same. He also adds that
this group, plus the Pamlico, Neuse and Chowan are likely a branch of
the Powhatan group. Their
range extended as far south until they bumped up against the Siouian/Iroquoian
speaking groups with who they appeared to be initially unfriendly.
Based on this migration and linguistic pattern, Speck feel they
were relatively recent intruders into the region and represent the
southern-most tentacle of the Algonquian speaking group/migration.
The larger Algonquian group is represented by the Micmac, Ojibwa
and Naskapi.
We
will end here with Speck's conclusions, but there is yet another chapter
to be written. Join us in a
future issue for new information that has been forthcoming about the
Hatteras and Mattamuskeet Indians.
You
can see Frank Speck's article in full at http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~jmack/algonqin/speck.htm
John
White's Painting of the Town of Pomeiooc
Craven County 1733 Petition
One of our members, Mark Beasley, sent me this interesting petition from
Craven County, signed by many citizens, in 1733. He highlighted the surnames in common with the Lost Colony
roster or surnames of interest. In
summary, this petition requests that the county seat not be Edenton,
because it is inconvenient to many of the residents.
They requested that the county seat be on the south side of the
Neuse River. Edenton,
marked with a red balloon, is about 50 miles due west of Roanoke Island
on the north side of the Albemarle Sound.
The Neuse River, at the bottom left of this map, is more than 50
miles Southwest of Roanoke Island.
These men who signed the petition are most likely from the Neuse
area, near New Bern.
It
also tells us that the majority of the county is not yet populated.
At a Council held at the
Council Chamber in Edenton the 3d day of April
Anno Domini 1733. Present His Excellency George Burrington Esqr.
Governour etc. The Honourable Nathl. Rice, Robt. Halton, John Bapta.
Ashe, John Lovick, Edmd. Gale, William Owen Esqrs. Members of His
Majesty’s Council.
Read the Petition of the Inhabitants of Craven Precinct in these Words
Videlicet
To George Burrington Esqr. His Majesty’s Capt. General, Governour,
Commander in chief of the Province of North Carolina.
Petition of Craven Precinct for Altering the Seat of Government
We
the Gentlemen and Freeholders of Craven precinct on Neuse River think
our selves Extreemly happy under your wise and prudent Administration,
the Good Orders and Peace we see now Established throughout this
Province is the most convincing Proof of Your Excellencys Care and
wisdom, and deserves the thanks and Gratefull acknowlegement of all
men in North Carolina.
That Your Excellency will always patiently hear and redress any thing
amis we know by Experience, or have been well assured from others,
Therefore with great Submission desire to acquaint Your Excellency
that there is a Discourse among us that You design to remove the Seat
of Government to the lower part of Cape Fear River which if done will
prove a great Inconvenience and Charge to four parts of the
Inhabitants out of five in this Colony.
We are sensible Edenton is for many reasons a very
Inconvenient Place for the Seat of Government and almost as much may
be said against the settling it on Cape Fear River.
Therefore we humbly desire and hope Your Excellency will take proper
measures for fixing the Seat of Government near the Centre of
the Province which we suppose is on the South side of Neuse River
which will give a general Satisfaction to almost the whole Province
and greatly promote the Speedy peopling the unsettled part of this
Country, Increase the Kings Quitt Rents, and Encourage Trade and
Industry, and be an
Everlasting Demonstration of Governour Burrington’s Kindness to the
Inhabitants of North Carolina.
That you Sir may in health and happiness long govern this Province is
the Prayers of Your Excellencys most humble and most obligated
Servants.
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