Touring Rocketts Landing with Chief Stephen Adkins of the Chickahominy Tribe

Friday, February 27, 2009

Little is known about the history of Rocketts Landing prior to Captain Christopher Newport's 1607 arrival on the Godspeed during his exploration of the James River. So, last week I took the opportunity to meet with Chief Steven Adkins of the Chickahominy tribe to discuss the significance of the area to  Virginia's Native American community.

 I met Chief Adkins early in the morning by the Rocketts Landing Boathouse restaurant construction site. It was a windy day but extremely warm for February.

"This is a beautiful place, isn't it?" Chief Adkins said, as we walked along the sidewalk that borders the James River.  "This whole area was once extremely fertile, and the Native Americans of this region used it to grow such things as ceremonial tobacco and corn. In addition, these waters were once teaming with fish and these woods filled with game."

As we made our way east along the James, Chief Adkins told me about the United Indians of Virginia.  The tribal group has reason to believe that Rocketts Landing is in the vicinity of the original birth place of Chief Powhatan, the father of Pocahontas and leader of the Powhatan Indians.

Chief Powhatan was originally named Wahunsenacawh in 1547. But he acquired the name Powhatan, which supposedly was the name of the Rocketts Landing-area at the time, when later on in his life he inherited the chiefdom of about 4-6 tribes. Through diplomacy and/or force Powhatan eventually assembled a total of about 30 tribes known as the Powhatan Confederacy by the time of the arrival of the European settlers in the early 17th century.  

The Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Mattaponi, the Monacan, the Nasemond, the Pamunkey, the Rappahanock, and the Upper Mattaponi are eight tribes that were once a part of the Powhatan Confederacy and are still in existence today as members of the Virginia Council of Indians.  

The Powhatan Confederacy most likely used the Rocketts Landing-area for trade, commerce and regular meetings, according to Chief Adkins.

"The Native Americans of this region were interested in the area for the same reasons that the European settlers were," he said. "It's protected by the falls, and it made trading with Western tribes more convenient on account of how it's easy to portage from river to river from this location."

In the near future, the Virginia Council of Indians and Chief Adkins plan to build a "meeting place" east of Rocketts Landing, because of the area's historical significance.  The meeting place will be used as an educational facility and to commemorate Chief Powhatan and the forbearers of the Virginia Council of Indians.

"Take a look around," said Chief Adkins. "This is an attractive area that needs to be protected and used to educate the young folks about Native America culture."