response to patawomeck article
I found the patawomeck article very interesting. It's good to know that people are tracing their roots and in the process uncovering new things about the history and times of Jamestown.
Although it is sad that the Smithsonian will not give the bones of indian ancestors back to the present day patawomecks, they are doing it for a reason. The article states that the present day patawomecks have not been able to prove their continuous connection to land where the Accokeek Creek and Potomac Creek meet. This makes me wonder exactly how sure the indians of today know that they are indeed from the patawomeck tribe. The only evidence given in the article proving any sort of heritage are family stories passed down by relatives for generations. It seems as if the present day indians do not have enough convincing evidence to prove their ancestry and recieve the bones.
However, the article also states that the smithsonian does not recognize the tribe because they are not recognized by the government. The article does not go into detail about the requirements the government has for being recognized as a tribe, and I would be interested in seeing what requirements the patawomecks do not meet. After all the historical evidence is there. John Smith encountered the tribe and made notes of it in his journal.
As for me, i had no idea that the patawomeck tribe even existed reading this article. It's interesting that pochantas' mother is believed to have come from this tribe. I guess you learn something new every day.
Although it is sad that the Smithsonian will not give the bones of indian ancestors back to the present day patawomecks, they are doing it for a reason. The article states that the present day patawomecks have not been able to prove their continuous connection to land where the Accokeek Creek and Potomac Creek meet. This makes me wonder exactly how sure the indians of today know that they are indeed from the patawomeck tribe. The only evidence given in the article proving any sort of heritage are family stories passed down by relatives for generations. It seems as if the present day indians do not have enough convincing evidence to prove their ancestry and recieve the bones.
However, the article also states that the smithsonian does not recognize the tribe because they are not recognized by the government. The article does not go into detail about the requirements the government has for being recognized as a tribe, and I would be interested in seeing what requirements the patawomecks do not meet. After all the historical evidence is there. John Smith encountered the tribe and made notes of it in his journal.
As for me, i had no idea that the patawomeck tribe even existed reading this article. It's interesting that pochantas' mother is believed to have come from this tribe. I guess you learn something new every day.
posted by BrentM | 1:44 PM
3 Comments:
I think what they derive their heretical connections from are simply documents that offer coherence with a member of a tribe. I really don't know what I'm talking about here, but it seems pretty plausible.
I agree that little details sometimes do have a greater impact in some historical events such that John Smith walked on this land in Stafford. Although this information is not in books it still has its stand point for some people which had ancestral family relations to the tribal members.
I agree with you, the Smithsonian has good intentions of keeping the bones of the indian ancestors. However, since exhibits at musuems are temporary, where would the bones go then? Hopefully, Green would produce enough evidence to gain state recognition for the Patawomecks and be able to access the remains.
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