Chief Powhatan (died 1618), whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh (sometimes spelled Wahunsonacock), was the paramount chief of Tsenacommacah, an alliance of Algonquian-speaking Virginia Indians in the Tidewater region of Virginia at the time English settlers landed at Jamestown in 1607.
Powhatan, who led the main political and military power facing the early colonists, was probably the older brother of Opechancanough, who led attacks against the English in 1622 and 1644. He was the father of Pocahontas, who eventually converted to Christianity and married the settler John Rolfe.
Read more about Chief Powhatan: Name, Life, Appearance, Sites Associated With Powhatan, Fictional Representations, Further Reading
Famous quotes containing the word chief:
“The vanity of being known to be trusted with a secret is generally one of the chief motives to disclose it.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)