Tockwogh

Tockwogh tribe
Total population
Extinct as a tribe
Regions with significant populations
 United States ( Maryland)
Languages
Powhatan
Related ethnic groups
Susquehannock

The Tockwogh were an Algonquian tribe living in the region of the Sassafras River in what are now Cecil and Kent counties in Maryland. The name Tockwogh is a variation of tuckahoe, a water plant with bulbous roots used for food. The Tockwogh are extinct as a people. According to John Smith, they spoke "the language of Powhatan".[1]

History

Captain John Smith's party first encountered the Tockwogh people in 1608 after being informed about them by the Massawomecks (Iroquois).[2] At their first meeting, Smith noticed they wore copper hatchets and beads which were traded with their allies, the Susquehannock, mortal enemies of the Massawomecks. The Indigenous people held a feast for Smith's party. Smith noted that the Tockwogh wigwams were very different from those of other Algonquian peoples: longer, larger, covered with bark, and shaped like ovals. About 20 made a village and villages were surrounded by fields of corn, squash, beans, and tobacco. Before leaving the Tockwoghs, Smith traded blue beads, bells and hatchets for corn, pearls, meat, weapons and hides.

References

  1. ^ "John Smith: The Proceedings of the English Colony in Virginia (1612) | Common Errors in English Usage and More | Washington State University". 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  2. ^ "Maryland at a Glance". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved 2023-08-21.

Sources


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