CHAPTER III
ABORIGINAL VIRGINIA — INDIAN ECONOMY
In describing the economical methods of the Indians, I propose to confine myself in general to those aspects of the subject which throw a direct or indirect light upon the natural resources of Virginia at the time of the arrival of the English colonists in 1607. One of the most important presenting itself to consideration is the extent of the aboriginal population inhabiting the territory that was the first seat of the English settlers. This narrows the inquiry to the number of the members of the Powhatan Confederacy, who had their residence in the lower valleys of the Powhatan, Pamunkey, Pyanketank, Rappahannock, and Potomac, and on the Accomac Peninsula. There is a marked discrepancy between the general enumerations of Smith and Strachey, the two authors upon whom we have to rely. Smith calculated that the Indians to be found within sixty miles of Jamestown did not exceed five thousand in all,[1] and his statement should properly carry unusual weight, because there was no man in the Colony during the time of his connection with it, with the exception of Spelman, who had enjoyed more frequent opportunities of observing the full extent of the Indian population. There is an element of uncertainty in regard to the interpretation which should be put upon the expression “sixty miles of Jamestown.” A radius of
- ↑ Works of Capt. John Smith, p. 360.
