Language: Algonquian ("tomahawk," "skunk," "squash," "wampum" and "succotash" are Algonquian words used today)

Habitat: Coastal plains of Virginia

Society: Hunters and farmers. Jobs were divided according to gender.

Women built shelters, raised children and grew corn, beans, squash and sunflower seeds

Transportation: Dugout canoes with a capacity of 10-30 people

Confederation: The Powhatan Indians belonged to a loose confederation of 32 tribes (200 villages and 10,000 people) when Jamestown was established. It was led by 60-year-old Chief Wahunsenacawh (commonly known as Chief Powhatan, father of Pocahontas).

Interaction: From the beginning, relations between the settlers and Indians was uneasy. Interaction vacillated between minor skirmishes and amicable trading. The Indians, while having the ability to crush the English at any time, seemed to prefer the uneasy coexistence. Within 15 years, the settlers had become too numerous and well-established to expel. A coordinated attack by the Powhatans in 1622, headed by Opechancanough (Chief Powhatan's successor and brother), was ineffective in eliminating the English. Wahunsenacawh used the name Chief Powhatan because of a belief that an individual could gain control of your soul by speaking your name.

The height of the average Powhatan Indian was 6 feet.

John Smith is said to have taken one year to clear 40 acres of land. English settlers seized 2,000 to 3,000 acres of farm land from the Indians that same year.

The English considered the Powhatan men to be lazy because hunting (their primary chore) was considered a sporting pastime and the Powhatan women performed most of the other vital tasks.

James I wrote a tract against the evils of smoking, while Sir Walter Raleigh (the man who introduced tobacco to England) is said to have puffed a pipe before his execution to show his disdain for the king.

West Indian tobacco was smoother and sweeter than the native Virginia variety.

Sassafras tonic had a number of medicinal uses in the early 1600s, including a cure for syphilis.

During the 17th century, crossing the Atlantic Ocean was a four-month ordeal.

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SOURCES: Books — "Indians," "The Indian Wars," "Powers of the Crown," "The New World World/Before 1775," "Arms and Armor."

Web sites — Colonial Williamsburg Journal, www.history.org;

Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, www.apva.org;

The Bowyer's Den, Colonial National Historic Park (Jamestown), www.nps.gov; Matchlock, www.silcom.com; The Story of Pocahontas, www.stgeorgesgravesend.org.uk, Matchlock, www.silcom.com.