Thirty thousand “naturals”—later called Indians—lived in Virginia when the English settled Jamestown some 400 years ago. By the end of the 17th century, however, less than a few thousand native people remained in the Commonwealth. Narrator/host Wes Studi asks: “What happened to them? Where did they go? Were they purged from this land as a planned effort?” The Powhatan Mystery looks at the mixture of Algonquin tribes who were part of the Powhatan Confederacy when the English landed, the inevitable clash of cultures, and the eventual treaty-driven “convergence and disappearance” of the Native Americans. It wasn't just that the English used the land in different ways; everything the newcomers did had an environmental and etiological impact on the Powhatan people, which led to fighting and each side ratcheting up the violence and atrocities in retribution for every fresh attack. Written and directed by Richard Groover, The Powhatan Mystery effectively combines interviews with scholars, live-action re-enactments, illustrations, and modern and historic maps. Recommended (although it should be noted that the 1677 Treaty of Middle Plantation is here called the “Treaty of Middle Peninsula”). Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Reagan)
The Powhatan Mystery
(2006) 20 min. DVD: $125. Jackson Associates. PPR. Volume 22, Issue 4
The Powhatan Mystery
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