Powhatan (Noun)

Meaning ¹

The Algonquian language of the Powhatan.

Classification

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.

Hypernyms

• Algonquin
• Algonquian Language

Meaning ²

A member of the Algonquian people who formerly lived in eastern Virginia.

Classification

Nouns denoting people.

Examples

• The Powhatan were a powerful Native American tribe that controlled much of the coastal region of Virginia when the English established Jamestown in 1607.
• Captain John Smith was taken prisoner by the Powhatan and brought before their leader, Chief Powhatan.
• The Powhatan were skilled hunters and gatherers and also grew crops such as corn and tobacco.
• Pocahontas, the famous Native American woman who helped the English colonists, was a member of the Powhatan tribe.
• The Powhatan were known for their expertise in making canoes and other wooden objects, which they used for transportation and trade.

Hypernyms

• Algonquin

Meaning ³

Indian chief and founder of the Powhatan confederacy of tribes in eastern Virginia; father of Pocahontas (1550?-1618).

Classification

Nouns denoting people.

Examples

• Powhatan was a powerful Indian chief who united many tribes in eastern Virginia under his leadership.
• The English colonists at Jamestown had a complex and often contentious relationship with Powhatan and his people.
• Powhatan's daughter Pocahontas played a key role in mediating between her father's people and the English colonists.
• Despite his efforts to resist English encroachment, Powhatan was eventually forced to surrender to the colonists in 1614.
• Powhatan's legacy as a leader and a symbol of Native American resistance to European colonization continues to be celebrated today.

Synonyms

• Wahunsonacock