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Meherrin
The Meherrin people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who spoke an Iroquian language. They lived between the Piedmont and coastal plains at the border of Virginia and North Carolina. Some Meherrin migrated north and joined the Iroquois in Canada on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve.
The Meherrin Indian Tribe is a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina.
The meaning of Meherrin is unknown. Their name was first written as Maharineck. It was also spelled Maherin, Maherring, Meherries, Meherron, and Menchaerink.
The Meherrin Indian Tribe says their autonym is Kauwets'a:ka, which translates to "People of the Water."
The Meherrin spoke the Meherrin language, which is most likely an Iroquian language. This designation is based on their close relationships to the Iroquoian-speaking Tuscarora and Nottoway. Linguistic evidence indicates that these three groups share a common ancestry and likely all spoke the same Iroquoian language or similar dialects. Tuscarora oral history also indicates common origins.
American anthropologist James Mooney estimated that the Mehirren population was 700 in 1600. They lived in dispersed villages, where they farmed, hunted, and gathered wild foods. British colonist Edward Bland encountered the Meherrin in 1650 and first wrote about them. Their village Cowinchahawkon was on an early British trade route. A 1669 Virginia Indian census said they had two villages and 50 fighting men, for an estimated total of 180 Meherrin. By 1675, they had absorbed Susquehanna refugees fleeing Pennsylvania. In 1681 they moved south to the banks of the Meherrin River.
In 1705 the Virginia Colony established a reservation for the Meherrin at Maherrin Neck (later renamed Manley's Neck), in an area claimed by both Virginia and Carolina. It was finally assigned to Carolina, and in 1706 Carolina ordered the Meherrin out of her territory, threatening violence to expel them. The Meherrin asked for more time, a year in order to harvest their crops, and asked for help from the Virginia colonists to make their case. Virginia took their side in the quarrel, but in August 1707 Carolinian official Thomas Pollock, leading a troop of 60 men, attacked Meherrin Town, destroying crops, homes, and all belongings; his forces seized 36 men, depriving them of water for two days. In September the Virginia militia met with the chiefs, promising Virginia's protection to prevent them from retaliating against Carolina. Col. Edmond Jennings, Virginia Council President, wrote a harsh reprimand to leaders of Carolina.[citation needed]
From 1711 to 1712, the Meherrin allied with the Tuscarora against British colonists in the Carolinas and their Indian allies during the Tuscarora War. In 1713, they delivered two of their paramount chief's sons as hostages to be kept by the colonists at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia to ensure that they would keep the peace. In 1720 they made a treaty of peace with the Susquehanna, another Iroquoian tribe.[citation needed]
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Meherrin
The Meherrin people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who spoke an Iroquian language. They lived between the Piedmont and coastal plains at the border of Virginia and North Carolina. Some Meherrin migrated north and joined the Iroquois in Canada on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve.
The Meherrin Indian Tribe is a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina.
The meaning of Meherrin is unknown. Their name was first written as Maharineck. It was also spelled Maherin, Maherring, Meherries, Meherron, and Menchaerink.
The Meherrin Indian Tribe says their autonym is Kauwets'a:ka, which translates to "People of the Water."
The Meherrin spoke the Meherrin language, which is most likely an Iroquian language. This designation is based on their close relationships to the Iroquoian-speaking Tuscarora and Nottoway. Linguistic evidence indicates that these three groups share a common ancestry and likely all spoke the same Iroquoian language or similar dialects. Tuscarora oral history also indicates common origins.
American anthropologist James Mooney estimated that the Mehirren population was 700 in 1600. They lived in dispersed villages, where they farmed, hunted, and gathered wild foods. British colonist Edward Bland encountered the Meherrin in 1650 and first wrote about them. Their village Cowinchahawkon was on an early British trade route. A 1669 Virginia Indian census said they had two villages and 50 fighting men, for an estimated total of 180 Meherrin. By 1675, they had absorbed Susquehanna refugees fleeing Pennsylvania. In 1681 they moved south to the banks of the Meherrin River.
In 1705 the Virginia Colony established a reservation for the Meherrin at Maherrin Neck (later renamed Manley's Neck), in an area claimed by both Virginia and Carolina. It was finally assigned to Carolina, and in 1706 Carolina ordered the Meherrin out of her territory, threatening violence to expel them. The Meherrin asked for more time, a year in order to harvest their crops, and asked for help from the Virginia colonists to make their case. Virginia took their side in the quarrel, but in August 1707 Carolinian official Thomas Pollock, leading a troop of 60 men, attacked Meherrin Town, destroying crops, homes, and all belongings; his forces seized 36 men, depriving them of water for two days. In September the Virginia militia met with the chiefs, promising Virginia's protection to prevent them from retaliating against Carolina. Col. Edmond Jennings, Virginia Council President, wrote a harsh reprimand to leaders of Carolina.[citation needed]
From 1711 to 1712, the Meherrin allied with the Tuscarora against British colonists in the Carolinas and their Indian allies during the Tuscarora War. In 1713, they delivered two of their paramount chief's sons as hostages to be kept by the colonists at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia to ensure that they would keep the peace. In 1720 they made a treaty of peace with the Susquehanna, another Iroquoian tribe.[citation needed]