when the English arrived in 1607, they discovered all Siouan-speaking tribes were located west of the Fall Line
Source: Native Land Digital
when the English arrived in 1607, they discovered all Siouan-speaking tribes were located west of the Fall Line
Source: Native Land Digital
The tribes west of the Fall Line, in the Virginia Piedmont and apparently in the Valley of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge, spoke languages belonging to the Siouan linguistic group. As described by John Lederer in his journal of explorations in 1669-70:1
Lederer was able to speak at least some of the native language, and to appreciate the culture of these tribes. He noted:2
Maltese crosses mark how far west John Smith explored - apparently far enough to meet Siouan-speaking tribes
(remember - Smith drew his map with west at the top, not north)
Source: Library of Congress - John Smith's Map
In 1607-09, before he returned to England, John Smith recorded conversations with Algonquian-speaking tribes that warned him about the Siouan-speaking tribes living west of the Fall Line. Today, out of those many groups who spoke a Siouan language, only the Monacan Tribe remains in Virginia as an officially-recognized tribe.
teepees were used by the Siouan-speaking tribes on the Great Plains, where wood was scarce and hides were plentiful (this one was formerly used to mark a retail outlet on I-81 near Edinburg)