Indians of the Southern Colonies - Virginia

Cherokee – the Cherokee were not very populous in Virginia since their homeland was considered to be in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. They lived in southwestern Virginia.

Nottoway – The Nottoway Indians were related to the Tuscarora Indians of North Carolina. They lived in southeastern Virginia and stretched into North Carolina, as far as the Albermarle Sound.

Meherrin – The Meherrin lived in the same area as the Nottoway and were closely connected with them. Less is known of these tribes than the Powhatan Confederacy, but it is thought that the Meherrin received an influx of Conestoga Indians around 1675, after the Susquehanna disruption. During the 1720's, the Meherrin left their ancient home and moved toward the Roanoke River due to attacks by the Catawba Indians. There were an estimated 700 Meherrin Indians in 1600. The census of 1669 counts approximately 180.

 Siouan

The following are the major tribes of the Siouan Indians in Virginia:

Manahoac – The Manahoac lived in Northern Virginia and were concentrated along the upper Rappahannock river. In 1600, there were approximately 1500.

Monacan – John Smith wrote that the Monacan's were a confederacy made up of several tribes. There were also approximately 1500 Indians in this group and they lived mainly along the James River.

Saponi – the Saponi lived just north of the present University of Virginia, in Albermarle County and counted 1200 Indians among their population.

Tutelo – The Tutelo were the Southernmost Siouan tribe and numbered approximately 1,000.

Mohetan – There is little recorded about the Mohetan except that they lived in the mountains, near the upper New River.

Occaneechi – The Occaneechi was a small tribe who inhabited an island in the Roanoke River, in present day Mecklenburg County. Their population was about 1200.

The Siouans have been estimated at 6,300 total in the early 17^th century. By mid-century, the number had dropped to less than 1,200.

Though less frequent than the Algonquians, the Siouans also engaged in wars with the colonists. The Manahoac joined with other tribes to defeat the English and the Pamunkey tribe in a skirmish in 1655. However, more damage was done to their population through warfare with the Iroquois and Susquehanna. After the middle of the century, a the Siouans moved steadily southward to escape the northern tribes. In 1676, the Tutelo, Saponi, Manahoac and Monacans all lived in Occaneechi country and all were affected of Bacon's campaign.

Indians living further south along the East Coast, in the Carolinas and Georgia, met the same fate, although at a

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