The Arrohattoc, also occasionally spelled Arrohateck, was a Native American tribe from

Henrico County, Virginia Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is a County (United States), county located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population wa ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In the early 18th century, the tribe was led by their chief Ashuaquid and was part of the

Powhatan Confederacy Powhatan people () are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands who belong to member tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy, or Tsenacommacah. They are Algonquian peoples whose historic territories were in eastern Virginia. Their Powha ...

. Their main village was located on the

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

, the location of which is now the site of

Henrico, Virginia Henrico is the name used by the U.S. Postal Service for several ZIP code areas in unincorporated parts of Henrico County, Virginia, surrounding the city of Richmond. "Other acceptable cities" listed by the USPS for parts of Henrico are Richmond, ...

History

17th century

In 1607 the tribe came into contact with

Christopher Newport Christopher Newport ( – ) was an English seaman and privateer. During the war with Spain Newport was one of the most successful ' Elizabethan Sea Dogs' to venture to the Spanish Main, making large profits. Newport is best known as the c ...

and John Smith, who were exploring the area with a small group of men associated with the

Virginia Company of London The Virginia Company of London (sometimes called "London Company") was a Division (business), division of the Virginia Company with responsibility for British colonization of the Americas, colonizing the east coast of North America between 34th ...

. The group was given a warm welcome by the Arrohattocs, a reception that they enjoyed when they continued up the James River and arrived at another village, which was ruled over by Powhatan's son Parahunt, also known as ''Tanx'' (meaning "Little") Powhatan. The tribe would also continue to help the settlers when their fort was attacked by hostile Indians later that same year. However, as time progressed relations between the Arrohattocs and English colonists deteriorated, and by 1609 the tribe was unwilling to trade with the settlers. As the population began to dwindle, the tribe declined and was last mentioned in a 1610 report by the visiting

William Strachey William Strachey (4 April 1572 – buried 16 August 1621) was an English writer whose works are among the primary sources for the early history of the English colonisation of North America. He is best remembered today as the eye-witness reporter ...

. By 1611 the tribe's Henrico town was found to be deserted when Sir Thomas Dale went to use the land to found

Henricus The "Citie of Henricus"—also known as Henricopolis, Henrico Town or Henrico—was a settlement in Virginia founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy and dangerous area around the original English settlement at James ...

References

External links

Media: Indian Town of Arrohateck
at

Encyclopedia Virginia Virginia Humanities (VH), formerly the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, is a humanities council whose stated mission is to develop the civic, cultural, and intellectual life of the Commonwealth of Virginia by creating learning opportunities f ...

Algonquian peoples Extinct Native American tribes Henrico County, Virginia Native American tribes in Virginia Powhatan Confederacy Pre-statehood history of Virginia {{NorthAm-native-stub

History

17th century

See also

References

External links