Machapunga
Encyclopedia
The Machapunga were a very small Native American
tribe of Algonquian
descent, one of a number in the territory of North Carolina, probably related to the Algonquian of the Powhatan Confederacy in present-day Virginia
, who had migrated south. They have now disappeared as a separate tribe. They spoke an Algonquian language and historically occupied a coastal area of northeastern North Carolina
.
of varying cultures lived along the waterways throughout the South. Over time they gave rise to the historical tribes known at the time of European encounter. Other peoples migrated into the area as well.
The early 20th-century ethnographer Frank Speck
believed that the historical Machapunga and other Algonquian tribes in North Carolina had probably been earlier connected to the larger population based in Virginia. He believed the tribes in North Carolina were part of an early and large Algonquian migration in a southerly direction in historical times. He noted the presence of Algonquian-speaking tribes on the Northeast coast and in central Canada.
One of a number of small, Algonquian-speaking tribes in coastal North Carolina, the Machapunga (meaning "bad dust" or "much dirt" which sounds like an exonym given by an opposing tribe, rather than the autonym they used for themselves) lived in the Pungo River
area. Many lived in a village called Mattamuskeet on the shore of Lake Mattamuskeet
in present-day Hyde County
. The English in 1701 described the tribe as containing roughly 100 members. In 1711 they participated in the Tuscarora War
against the colonists. By 1715, the remaining members of the Coree
, who lived to the south, had been merged into the Machapunga and lived together with them in Mattamuskeet.
Because of colonial concerns about slavery
and racial control, officials organized society in a binary
way, classifying people as white and colored (the latter category essentially covered all non-whites). Living conditions and arrangements were often more fluid than the record keeping. When the United States starting keeping census records in 1790, it had no category for Indian and did not establish a separate one until late in the 19th century. Before that time, the surviving Native Americans in the states were generally classified as mulatto
, free people of color
or black
, if of identifiably African descent. In Maryland
, Catholic
churches kept parish records that continued to indicate families and individuals as Indian, regardless of whether they were of mixed race, but the states did not.
Descendants of the Machapunga tribe reside in the Inner Banks
of eastern North Carolina. Some of the Machapunga descendants traditionally had the surname Mackey, sometimes spelled Mackee, Mackie or Macky. Other known surnames among the people were Barber, Clark, Collins, Morris, and King. Survivors intermarried with other ethnic peoples, and their children and grandchildren carry all their ancestry.
Ethnographers and anthropologists such as Speck studied the peoples of the Southeast in the early 20th century, trying to determine if Native American cultures had survived. Speck found little evidence of the Machapunga and other Algonquian culture, but he noted they had continued fishing with their traditional nets, and the women wove baskets according to traditional skills and styles.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe of Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
descent, one of a number in the territory of North Carolina, probably related to the Algonquian of the Powhatan Confederacy in present-day Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, who had migrated south. They have now disappeared as a separate tribe. They spoke an Algonquian language and historically occupied a coastal area of northeastern North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
History
Indigenous peoplesIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
of varying cultures lived along the waterways throughout the South. Over time they gave rise to the historical tribes known at the time of European encounter. Other peoples migrated into the area as well.
The early 20th-century ethnographer Frank Speck
Frank Speck
Frank Gouldsmith Speck was an American anthropologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in the Algonquian and Iroquoian peoples among the Eastern Woodland Native Americans of the United States and First Nations peoples of eastern boreal Canada.-Early life and...
believed that the historical Machapunga and other Algonquian tribes in North Carolina had probably been earlier connected to the larger population based in Virginia. He believed the tribes in North Carolina were part of an early and large Algonquian migration in a southerly direction in historical times. He noted the presence of Algonquian-speaking tribes on the Northeast coast and in central Canada.
One of a number of small, Algonquian-speaking tribes in coastal North Carolina, the Machapunga (meaning "bad dust" or "much dirt" which sounds like an exonym given by an opposing tribe, rather than the autonym they used for themselves) lived in the Pungo River
Pungo River
The Pungo River is a river in eastern North Carolina, USA. It originally began in the Great Dismal Swamp in Washington County, North Carolina; the upper part of the river has since been supplanted by the Pungo River Canal, dug in the 1950s to improve drainage of local farmland. The river flows...
area. Many lived in a village called Mattamuskeet on the shore of Lake Mattamuskeet
Lake Mattamuskeet
Lake Mattamuskeet is the largest natural lake in North Carolina. It is a shallow coastal lake, averaging 2-3 feet in depth, and stretches long and wide. Lake Mattamuskeet lies on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula....
in present-day Hyde County
Hyde County, North Carolina
-National protected areas:* Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge * Cape Hatteras National Seashore * Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge* Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge * Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
. The English in 1701 described the tribe as containing roughly 100 members. In 1711 they participated in the Tuscarora War
Tuscarora War
The Tuscarora War was fought in North Carolina during the autumn of 1711 until 11 February 1715 between the British, Dutch, and German settlers and the Tuscarora Native Americans. A treaty was signed in 1715....
against the colonists. By 1715, the remaining members of the Coree
Coree
The Coree were a very small Native American tribe, who once occupied a coastal area of southeastern North Carolina in the area now covered by Carteret and Craven counties...
, who lived to the south, had been merged into the Machapunga and lived together with them in Mattamuskeet.
Because of colonial concerns about slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and racial control, officials organized society in a binary
Binary
- Mathematics :* Binary numeral system, a representation for numbers using only two digits * Binary function, a function in mathematics that takes two arguments- Computing :* Binary file, composed of something other than human-readable text...
way, classifying people as white and colored (the latter category essentially covered all non-whites). Living conditions and arrangements were often more fluid than the record keeping. When the United States starting keeping census records in 1790, it had no category for Indian and did not establish a separate one until late in the 19th century. Before that time, the surviving Native Americans in the states were generally classified as mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
, free people of color
Free people of color
A free person of color in the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, is a person of full or partial African descent who was not enslaved...
or black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
, if of identifiably African descent. In Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
churches kept parish records that continued to indicate families and individuals as Indian, regardless of whether they were of mixed race, but the states did not.
Descendants of the Machapunga tribe reside in the Inner Banks
Inner Banks
The Inner Banks is a term used by some to describe the inland coastal region of eastern North Carolina, an area on the East Coast of the United States that is 22,227 square-miles by its broadest definition...
of eastern North Carolina. Some of the Machapunga descendants traditionally had the surname Mackey, sometimes spelled Mackee, Mackie or Macky. Other known surnames among the people were Barber, Clark, Collins, Morris, and King. Survivors intermarried with other ethnic peoples, and their children and grandchildren carry all their ancestry.
Ethnographers and anthropologists such as Speck studied the peoples of the Southeast in the early 20th century, trying to determine if Native American cultures had survived. Speck found little evidence of the Machapunga and other Algonquian culture, but he noted they had continued fishing with their traditional nets, and the women wove baskets according to traditional skills and styles.
External links
- "Machapunga Indian Tribe", Access Genealogy]