Natives in the Landscape

Native Settlements
Native towns were located along the edges of the rivers, adjacent to marshes, and near to high, level, well-drained fields. Because Native people practiced shifting cultivation – moving from old fields to new as the soil wore out – their villages tended over the years to move up and down the river’s edge.

© 2006 Charles City County

John Smith Map

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natural environment

Detail from John Smith map 1639. Courtesy of The Mariners' Museum, Newport News, VA.

John Smith

John Smith

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Learn about the Chickahominy tribe. Learn about the Paspahegh tribe. Learn about the Weyanock tribe.