A lot is known about the Powhatan tribes because of reports and drawings of colonists at the Jamestown settlement that was established in 1607. The name Powhatan refers to the Algonquian-speaking tribes of the Virginia tidewater. There were hundreds of settled towns and villages near the Chesapeake Bay that were all under one ruler named chief Wahunsunacock. The fall season drew a lot of people to hunt for food. Europeans came and left no sign of being there unlike them. When it got warm they came up with more permanent spots in the blue ridge and Shenandoah valley. The better-known tribes were the Monacans and the Manahoacs. John Leder discovered them on his way to  the blue ridge. 

John Smith discovered a big group of Manahoacs early on in 1608 along the Rappahannock river the Manahoacs. He found out they were enemies with the Powhatans but friends with the moncancs. The piedmont probably did what they could to prevent the Powhatans from getting west into the mountains. The men fish and  hunt and do exercises and the women make mats baskets and pots and they also build houses. The houses were tunnel-like or longhouses.  The woven mats provided ventilation. The Powhatan tribes didn’t use fertilizer on their fields because after a few years the family would move to a different place nearby. Over a few decades the whole town would be relocated. The relationship between the Powhatans and the English became less friendly when the settlers started moving and expanding their colony. Settlers began attacking the Indian villages and burning their homes and fields, not only would they destroy the town but they would kill the Indians. This broke the basic rule of warfare for the Powhatans and their attacks on the English settlers became more severe. 

After a decade of warfare the English colonies population grew to about 8,000 but the Powhatan population had fallen to 5,000. In addition to the killing there were diseases and displacements of tribes. Opechancanough started another fight in April 1644. His warriors killed lots of the english settlers but  there were more english settlers and they were able to fight back quickly. After a few years of fights the Powhatans couldn’t stop the English anymore. Opechancanough was captured and taken away to Jamestown. At Jamestown he was being held as a prisoner and was shot in the back by an English guard. His death made the Powhatan chiefdom come to an end. 

After his death the Powhatans had a hard time, they lost their land and their ways of life. The government allowed many of the Indian tribes to keep certain areas of land but none of the areas were big enough for them to do things like hunting and gathering. The Indians were unable to keep their independence and so many of them were forced to work for the english as slaves. Settlers continued to come onto Indian land leaving them with no room and forcing them off the land. Some have left and joined other free communities. The language of the powhatans is unknown. Even though the tribes might not be the same the Powhatans have still kept their identities and ties with the other tribes.