Whatever happened to the Nansiatico

Never heard of them? Neither had I. I’ve been perusing the “Executive Journal of the Colonial Council in VA.” The first entry I read was in Volume III about this tribe I’d never heard of. I was going to skip it since I was thinking it’s couldn’t be too important.

Wrong! It’s the perfect first entry. It’s about 13 little children , ALL the remaining children of their tribe, under the age of 12, who are being indentured to the men sitting on the Virginia Colonial Council because everyone in their tribe older than they are, are about to be transported. Simon – 10, Little Jack – 6, Betty – 10, Little Betty – 9, Jack – 6, Charles – 5, Nanny – 10, Molly – 11, Little Nanny – 3, Kate -1, Ben – 18 mos., Lizzy – 12 mos.

I went back to Vol II for the backstory. There’s an entry about their tribe, the Nansiatico, getting caught in a plot a few years earlier that was felt detrimental to British interests. They were let off for that. Then a few years later two white landowners push them off their land. Nothing was done. Then there’s a complaint that some trader’s selling them too much liquor. Nothing’s done about that. Then a white man gets murdered by someone in the tribe. They all get carted down to Williamsburg. A letter is sent by the white people in their county, asking that they be transported. (Read: sold into slavery in the West Indies.)

Then there’s a request that they be given their clothes before they’re transported. It’s granted. Then there are entries about a huge convoy going to Britain and anybody going to the West Indies must leave before mid-July, 1705. No more mention of the Nansiotico.

BUT, this story looms large in all the dealings from there on out with the tribes. You can see the government influenced by it, cracking down on rum traders and encroachers, and the tribes very influenced, ever mindful that if they go too far, they too will literally be history.

It’s also very apparent that in the period between the Massacre of the Occaneechi, 1670s, and the 1720s, when peace is finally made with the Seneca, that the Eastern Siouan were very much being ripped to shreds by the Seneca. Not because of what’s said, but because of what’s NOT said. They were out in western Virginia, away from the English. There is scarcely any mention of them in Vol. II. 1699-1705. It’s not till Vol. III that they show up in Brunswick, in small numbers. They and the Iroquoian tribes are constantly tagging each other. Obviosly an UGLY feud. Four get killed here, three there. Finally the GOV steps in and says, okay, next tribe who takes another swipe is transported.

End of feud. Everybody remembered the Nansiotico. Without their example, it might have been our Ancestors who ended up in Barbados. Very important tribe. Remember them. Nansiotico.