Nacotchtank

The name Nacotchtank (and variants Anaquashtank, Nacothtant, or Nachatanke) is derived from the word anaquashatanik, meaning "a town of traders"; During their colonization, English settlers frequently got rid of unfamiliar and unaccustomed sounds in the words from the local languages and replaced them with sounds that were easier to pronounce and to which they were more familiar. As a result, the English settlers that were interacting with the Nacotchtank would not pronounce the "-tchtank" and would replace it with the ending "-stine," which was easier to enunciate. Through transmission of the mispronounced Nacotchtank name amongst English settlers, the Nacotchtank name was slowly faded out and replaced with Nacostine. Later on, the Jesuits from the Province of Maryland further latinized the term by attaching a prefix "A" to "Nacostine," creating the name Anacostine. Etymologically, keeping the "A" is indeed a closer derivation of the term "anaquashtank," but the Nacotchtank preferred to omit prefixes and suffixes from words. Any present cultural honoring of the Nacotchtank bears the legacy of the latinized version, Anacostine, as seen in the naming of the river which borders eastern D.C., the Anacostia River, or the neighborhood in southeast D.C., Anacostia. == Classification ==

The Nacotchtank fell under the larger influence of the Piscataway Chiefdom. The Piscataway affiliation was intended for protection against the rival Powhatan Chiefdom of eastern Virginia. The Piscataway Chief, or tayac, held a loose confederacy over the Nacotchtank in addition to the other surrounding tribes. The rank of the tayac was supreme to that of the individual chiefs of the smaller tribes that belonged to the Piscataway Chiefdom. These lower-ranked chiefs were known as werences (also known as werowances/weroances). The Nacotchtank werence would collect and pay tribute to the Piscataway tayac who resided in a village named Mayone in present-day Prince George's County of Maryland, 15 miles south of the Nacotchtank land base. ==History==

Precontact to 1608 The tribe's physical location, which had a mild, temperate climate in the mid-Atlantic, allowed the Nacotchtank to become a flourishing, self-sustainable community with an abundance in myriad natural resources. Since the Nacotchtank had abundant natural resources, and being located where two rivers met, they maintained an epicenter for a bustling trade network with neighboring tribes. Encounters with English settlers (1608-1650s) The Nacotchtank were first recorded by Captain John Smith, who visited their palisaded village during his First Voyage in 1608, in which he explored the land surrounding the Jamestown settlement of the Colony of Virginia. Between June 16 and July 18 of 1608, Smith recorded in his journal, which has since been published as The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles, his impressions of the indigenous peoples of the Potomac River. Smith also noted the presence of a river which made the area appear to be very pleasant. The Nacotchtank were suspicious of the colonists, and a confrontation erupted into fighting. During his time, Fleet observed the trading village Tohoga in present-day Georgetown and noted it as being the center for the monopolized fur trade with the Iroquois. The Patawomeke, an Algonquian-speaking people, were established across from the Nacotchtank along the Potomac River, within what are now Stafford and King George counties of Northern Virginia. Such proximity to one another resulted in long-standing hostility, with the Chief of the Patawomeke referring to the Nacotchtank as their "mortal enemies." As such, the Patawomeck chief not only allied with the colonists, but also helped them in avenging the death of Fleet's party, and in attaining corn by providing roughly 40-50 warriors to take part in a raid against the Nacotchtank. As a result of the raid, a mixed colonial and Patawomeke force killed 18 Nacotchtank people and drove the rest from their cabins before plundering and burning the village. Fleet began sailing up and down the East Coast, trading with various indigenous tribes and eventually taking over the monopoly on the fur trade that the Nacotchtank had long enjoyed. The colony, in such close proximity to the Nacotchtank, now had the leverage to begin encroaching on Nacotchtank territory. As a result, the Nacotchtank suffered a large population loss. 1697–1700s By 1697, the Nacotchtank population living on Theodore Roosevelt Island sought refuge in the larger Piscataway tribe of Southern Maryland, whom the Nacotchtank had previously been allied with. Though the Nacotchtank were absorbed by the Piscataway and relocated north, some aspects of Washington, D.C., are named after them. The river surrounding the eastern border of the city and the neighborhood in southeast, D.C., are named "Anacostia" after the latinized version of Nacotchtank. ==Geography==

The entirety of the Nacotchtank tribe, prior to colonization, was situated within the modern borders of the District of Columbia. In addition to the principal village, there were multiple smaller villages, as observed by Fleet in his time held captive. Fleet mentioned four of these villages: Tohoga, Mosticum, Shaunetowa, and Usserahak. Tohoga was a trading village, being located along the river bank of the Potomac, thus permitting easy access for traders. Although the proximity of rivers was integral for the Nacotchtank, there is evidence for a Nacotchtank presence further inland, from the findings of archaeologist Samuel Proudfit, who worked for the United States Department of the Interior. Analysis of the terrain that was dug up proved indigenous existence on the site, with findings such as quartzite points, a broken biface, and fragments of broken pottery. According to Proudfit, blades of quartzite that taper off into points on each end are indicative of the Nacotchtank, as they are found commonly in areas of Nacotchtank settlement and rarely in settlements of the nearby tribes. Additionally, Proudfit posits that fragmented pottery is "one of the unfailing evidences of permanent aboriginal occupation." The smooth terrain allowed the Nacotchtank to grow the large stores of corn that were appealing to European colonists. == Culture ==

Language The Nacotchtank, being under the loose confederacy of the Piscataway Chiefdom, spoke the Piscataway language, a dialect of Nanticoke belonging to the Algonquian subfamily of languages. All languages under the Macro-Algonquian phylum are polysynthetic, meaning an individual word is made up of many different morphemes, the smallest linguistic units of meaning. Here, the werence would store tribute, oftentimes corn and hides, from surrounding villagers. In this pattern, there would be rather-isolated dwellings with large open fields in between them. In between these clusters were plots of land, ranging from between 20 and 100 acres, which would be used in cultivating various plants and crops. The Nacotchtank lived in wigwams—which were dome-shaped huts—and longhouses, as was typical of other tribes along the East Coast. These two types of rock were available in various quarries throughout Nacotchtank territory. At these quarries, the Nacotchtank would chip away large chunks of the rock, which would then be taken back to the individual villages, where they would complete formation of whatever artifact they were intending to create. Quartzite, which was relatively-easily chipped and available in a quarry in the Piney Branch area of what is now Northwest Washington, D.C., was used in forming sharp-edged tools, particularly spears and arrow points. Soapstone was accessed mainly through the Rose Hill quarry of what is now Northwest Washington, D.C., and was utilized in producing various vessels such as bowls and pipes. There is also evidence of the Nacotchtank producing pottery, which has been found in fragments in an excavation of the terrain under the White House. The Carolina Dog was the only domesticated animal that lived among the Nacotchtank and is an important facet in the Nacotchtank culture. The Carolina Dog served as a symbol for respect and honor. The dogs likely played an integral role for the Nacotchtank people, as Carolina Dog skeletons have been found lying on top of human skeletons in ossuary burials collected from gravesites on Nacotchtank territory. ==See also==