The life of the Powhatan Indians was a lot different than ours is today. The Powhatan Indians settled across the Chesapeake Bay. They made it so it was easy to see if other tribes or enemies were coming across the Chesapeake. They settled close together along the Chesapeake. Waterways were the easiest way for transportation. They also served as a way to get food. The Powhatans did not have to move around as much as other tribes because they had an abundance of food. They created agricultural communities to grow corn and vegetables for fishing and to forage plants.  In his diary, John Smith wrote about the Powhatans.”The males mainly do the hunting, fishing, and fighting in wars, like any Native American. The women would stay home and take care of the house with their children.” 

According to Smith, the men were a lot lazier than the women, because of the burden of all of the work put upon them. Women would make baskets and mats and cook food like fish and meat and tend to the crops. The Englishmen were really surprised about the Powhatan’s houses because the women made them. The houses mainly were made out of tree products, like bark for cover, and saplings for support. The houses would have long-lasting central fires to keep out bugs, and were really good for the change in seasons. The homes were also good for drying foods and crops. The Powhatans didn’t use fertilizers and growth increasing items. The women would tend to the crops and water them, and when they died, would make another spot or site to put the plants on and care for them there. After a long time, the Powhatans would move locations. The land that the families once owned was usable to non-enemies to the families. The English men assumed that any unsettled land was theirs to keep so they were upset at the Indians for going into their “private property”. This ended up with them fighting over perspectives on land. The Englishmen thought that the land was anyone’s for the taking, and the Powhatan thought that the land was theirs.