Riverbend
Naturalist
THE VIRGINIA INDIAN FESTIVAL
is on Sept. 7, 2013, 10:00AM3:00PM. $5
Powhattan.org
Riverbend Naturalist is the newsletter from Riverbend
Park and its friends group, Friends of Riverbend Park
(FORB).
Vol. 12, Issue 2, Riverbend Park, Fairfax County Park
Authority, 8700 Potomac Hills St., Great Falls, Va. 703-7599018, Cynthia Nordstrom, Editor.
Meet representatives from
Rappahannock, Pamunkey,
Chickahominy and Upper
Mataponi tribes, Monacan
Nation and Piscataway Nations.
• See dance performances,
dug-out canoe demonstrations
and more
• Try atl-atl spear throwing
and bow-and-arrow shooting
• Choose from pottery,
jewelry, flutes, dream catchers
and other
American Indian crafts for
sale, plus music CDs and teeshirts
The Program:
The Virginia Indian Festival is an annual
celebration of the customs and crafts of the
first Virginians. The event offers
descendants of native tribes a glimpse of
their own histories and non-natives a
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glimpse of what Europeans found when they
arrived on the shores of Fairfax County
nearly 400 years ago. Admission is $5.00
per person.
While the festival is enjoyed by all ages,
there is a special focus on activities
appropriate for grade-school children who
will be studying Indians in their Virginia and
American history classes this year. The
program will consist of the following
demonstrations.
The Mattaponi tribe demonstrates the
domestic life of the tribe as it existed at the
turn of the last century. Visitors have a
chance to grind corn, to see how Indians
made houses, cooking utensils and clothes
out of materials collected from the wild, and
to see and savor how food was preserved
through drying and smoking. The smells of
wood fire and smoking meat will permeate
the park.
The Rappahannock tribe performs and
explains traditional dances. Indians used
dance to celebrate special occasions and also
as a diplomatic gesture. The Rappahannock
drummers mesmerize visitors with their
rhythms, drawing people from all over the
park to the circle where the dancers gather.
The Pamunkey tribe brings their beautiful
pottery and explains the symbols in the
decoration and the uses of the various
pieces. A traditional Chickahominy storyteller shows how the tribe’s history and
values were passed down in stories.
Craftsmen show how Indians made canoes,
fire and tools and how they tanned deer hide.
Children can try throwing spears (atlatl),
shooting with bow and arrow and napping
flint.
The Historical Significance:
Of approximately 30 tribes that lived in
Virginia when Jamestown was settled, 8
survive today. In addition to the 4 who put
on the festival, there are the Eastern
Chickahominy, Monacan, Nansemond and
Upper Mattaponi. Most of the tribes have
fewer than 100 members living on the
reservations, primarily in the Middle
Peninsula.
When Captain John Smith first glimpsed
the Potomac River in the early 17th century,
the banks were lined with native fishermen
and the water teemed with shad, sturgeon
and herring. The trail that still hugs the
riverbank through Riverbend Park provided
Indians and Colonial settlers access to
fishing holes and was a well-established
trade route. Virginia Indians traded with the
Seneca nation who lived north of the river,
crossing just upstream of today’s park
boundaries.
Although a large part of what we know
about Virginia Indians at the time of the
English settlement comes from
archaeological digs and diaries, the native
people who put on the demonstrations and
exhibits at the Indian Festival are dedicated
to preserving the oral, handicraft and
spiritual traditions of their ancestors,
ensuring that their children and the children
of their fellow tribesmen can in turn carry on
the traditions in generations to come. Their
trip to Riverbend Park is symbolic of their
ancestors’ trips to fish and trade.
By Cathy Mayes, Past FORB President
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The Dogue Indians—Our Local Tribe
By Ruth Baja Williams
By the time Captain John Smith and a party
of 14 men explored and mapped the lands
bordering the Potomac River in 1608, the
local American Indians had been a settled
agricultural people for almost two thousand
years. Smith and other early explorers
recorded eleven different nations or Indian
groups living along the lower Potomac
River. Before setting out on his journey up
the river, Smith had been warned by friendly
Indians that Powhatan, the paramount chief
and chief of the Algonquian Federation, had
orders out to betray him, (according to
George Brown in a 1991 newsletter of
Historic Prince William). Proceeding with
caution, Smith encountered the Chicacoans,
Matchotics, and Patawomecks who were
hostile toward him. It was with relief then to
be welcomed with a friendly reception at
Tauxenent on the Occoquan River.
Tauxenent was the main village of the
Dogue Indians. The werowance, chief, of the
Dogue tribe gave the Englishmen a feast.
Smith estimated the size of the tribe to be
from 135 to 170, which included 40
bowmen.
The Dogues hunted and fished and planted
corn, pumpkins, sunflowers, squash, beans,
and tobacco. They lived in longhouses,
arbor-like structures of bent poles covered
with bark or reed mats.
Tauxenent was on the north bank of the
Occoquan River. George Brown speculates
that it may have been on the hill where the
Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre is now located.
The Dogue Indians also dwelt in four
hamlets, each ruled by a lesser werowance.
The hamlet of Pamacocack was located on
Quantico Creek. Namassingakent was
situated on the north bank of Dogue Run,
Assaomeck, on the south side of Hunting
Creek, and Namoraughquend, near presentday Roosevelt Island.
Smith traveled only a short distance from the
village of Tauxenent before coming to Great
Falls. One of Smith's men reported seeing
beaver, otters, bears, martins, minks, and an
abundance of fish.
The Dogue's werowances were male,
although their position was inherited through
female lineage. The werowances had
absolute power of life and death over tribal
members. They were allowed to have as
many wives as they could support. It is said
that Powhatan had more than one hundred.
Village hierarchy included an advisor; a
priest who was in charge of the temple and
gave advice on matters of war; and a
shaman. Below these officials were the
common Indians and at the bottom rung of
this society were the war prisoners.
The Dogue Indians were members of the
Algonquian Federation, but at the time of
Smith's arrival at Tauxenent, the Dogue
disliked Powhatan, possibly because
Powhatan was demanding ever more tribute.
Far from Powhatan's center of power, the
Dogues may have viewed the English as a
potential ally, and thus wished to win their
friendship.
In the first half of the 17th century the area
around the Potomac basin was seething with
intertribal wars, rivalries and alliances made,
then broken. Archeological digs show
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Algonquian settlements were palisaded, or
protected by fences. Into this mix came the
English. Intertribal wars evolved into AngloIndian wars and more specifically AngloPowhatan wars.
Whatever struggles were going on, there was
no stopping the encroachment of the English
settlers. Evidence of European-Indian
contact was found at the Little Marsh Creek
archeological excavation site: two chip flints
and a gunflint. The gunflints suggest English
presence during the second quarter of the
seventeenth century. As European settlement
spread, the Indians were forced off their
lands and groups merged. The English
corrupted the tribal name of Tauxenent first
to Taux, then to Toags, Doeggs, Doegs and
finally Dogue.
Stephen Potter, author of Commoners,
Tribute, and Chiefs: The Development of
Algonquian Culture in the Potomac Valley
(University Press of Virginia, 1993) states
that around 1650, the Dogues were still
living in what is now Mason Neck. By 1654,
some of the Dogues may have moved to
lands along the Rappahannock.
The origins of the Dogue Indians are lost in
the mists of ancient history. What is known
is that the Dogue Indians belonged to the
Algonquian language group. Historical
linguists agree that Eastern Algonquian
languages probably are not native to the
Middle Atlantic. "...the putative homeland
for Eastern and Central Algonquian
languages is somewhere in the Great Lakes
region..." (Potter).
The Dogues' heritage is evident in local
place names: Occoquan, at the end of the
water; Marumsco, at the island rock;
Quantico, by the long stream; and the most
common name of all, Potomac, trader.
Supervisor Foust Announces
Appointment of Richard Sullivan to
Fairfax County Park Authority Board
FORB recently received the following notice
from Dranesville Supervisor John Foust:
Dear Dranesville Resident,
I’m pleased to announce the recent
appointment of Richard “Rip” Sullivan as
the Dranesville representative to the Fairfax
County Park Authority Board. His
appointment is effective immediately.
Rip is a lawyer with the Reed Smith law
firm and has a long history of community
service including the McLean Community
Foundation where he served as Chairman;
the Dranesville Budget Task Force where he
served as Chairman for four years; the
Fairfax County Housing and Redevelopment
Authority where he served as vice chair; the
Fairfax Transportation Advisory
Commission; and, the Fairfax Consumer
Protection Commission. He was also
appointed by the governor to serve on the
Virginia Commission on Civics Education in
2006.
I have worked for many years with Rip. He
has a great track record of dedicated and
effective public service in our community.
His experience will prove invaluable as he
works with the community and me on park
matters already underway as well as new
park initiatives. Rip will be a great asset to
the Park Authority Board and will serve as a
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strong steward for the County’s treasured
park lands.
This year, FORB has supported Traveling
Players with a $500 grant.
Rip was appointed to fill the vacancy created
on the Park Board when Dranesville’s
previous representative, Kevin Fay,
resigned. Kevin served as our Dranesville
representative for ten years and was Park
Authority Vice Chairman. We were
fortunate to have such a dedicated partner in
Kevin. I wish him the best in his future
endeavors.
On Thursday, August 22nd at 7:30pm, the
Traveling Players’ Commedia Troup will
present The Great War, under the stars at
Riverbend Park.
Sincerely,
John Foust
John W. Foust
Dranesville District Supervisor
___________
FORB thanks Kevin Fay for his support for
Riverbend over the years, and looks forward
to working with Mr. Sullivan on items of
interest to the Fairfax County Park Authority
Board and the Riverbend Park community.
COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE PLAY, THE
GREAT WAR, TO BE PRESENTED
AT RIVERBEND PARK
Traveling Players of Great Falls, a local
school for the arts for students in grades 5
through 12, is dedicated to bringing great
theatre into the outdoors through a thriving
summer camp, traveling ensembles, and
year-round acting classes and workshops.
In the play, the rumor of war comes to a
sleepy Italian town. And even though it’s
only a rumor, the town’s citizens boldly
mount a defense against…whoever it is
that’s attacking. Soon, characters from all
walks of life are joining the army, itching to
prove their bravery, make some quick cash,
or maybe just get a free meal. Prudence,
reason, and common sense prove no match
for good old mass hysteria in this anarchic
slapstick comedy.
Come join the fun and spend an evening
outside! Bring flashlights, blankets, chairs,
or a picnic. Sorry, no alcoholic beverages
allowed.
Field Trip Sign Ups -- Attention All
Teachers!
Sign ups for field trips at Riverbend Park
begin on the 28th of August. Science, natural
history and Virginia history topic areas are
included. The park programs also cover
required Virginia State School Board
Standard of Learning (SOL) points for each
grade level. Call Riverbend Park at 703759-9018 to sign up your class.
Riverbend is on the Web
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http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverben
d/index.
The website includes links to Riverbend’s
hiking trails, Visitor Center and programs
and events. There also links to information
about the Potomac River as well as the
picnic areas and wildflowers and wildlife at
the park. Volunteers may sign up at:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/voluntee
r/rmdvol-opps.htm,
or contact John Callow at 703-759-9018.
Friends of Riverbend Park (FORB) is
a 501c(3) non-profit corporation and
citizen’s group dedicated to the
responsible stewardship and
preservation of the undisturbed
natural beauty at Riverbend Park on
the Potomac River and to
safeguarding the Park as a natural
'classroom' for the inspiration,
enjoyment, and education of all
visitors. If you would like to
contribute, please send your tax
deductible donation to FORB, P.O.
BOX 1481, Great Falls, Va. 22006.