[2PI]

Hello, I have read with interest the posts on the feathered mantles. I would like to get some insight and opinions from others on Powhatan’s Mantle. I have resecently aquired the book The Powhatan Indians of Virginia-Their Traditional Culture by Helen C. Rountree.

In this book it describes Powhatan’s Mantle as being most likely a ceremonial mantle. Which makes perfect sense to me considering the normal dress of the Powhatans and the fact that symbolism was the norm and stories were told in symbols.

Does any one know or have an opinion of what the COUGAR would represent and the DEER would represent.

I am theorizing that the centeral figure (man) is the Chief Powhatan-head of the Chiefdom or Empire and that each (34) circle/medalion of bead/shells or pearls represents one of the tribes that belonged to the Powhatan Chiefdom

I think that the estimate of the number of tribes that belonged to the Chiefdom varies but is somewhere in the 30’s.

I am trying to place a Tribal name to each circle medalion. Some tribes in the area where not of the Chiefdom and later became allied.

This theory would make sense to me as the Mantle would represent the Chiefdom as a whole of 34 tribes and used at ritals/cermonies.

I would appreciate any input here. Regards, 2PI (yes, I descend from Powhatan)

[Tom]

Hello 2PI, well this is my input keep in mind that I am not Powhatan, and this is only my opinion.

First feather mantles are a totally different genre than the hide items, because little exists of either and there are only educated guess’s out there as to how these items were really made we have to go with what history and research tells us.

Having said that, interpreting Powhatans mantle is really just the same a guess.

SO here’s mine, “the Panther and the deer”, (if that is what those 2 images are), remember the “red and White ” side of the southern tribal towns?, red a war like town in most cases and the white the Peace towns?

This maybe what is illustrated here, the centeral figure maybe Powhatan or maybe just the symbol of “people” or humanity. Native people often called themselves, Real Men, “true men” etc.

The circles could be anything my guess is that if they are not the towns then they are of a celestial nature, the big dipper etc.

I have seen several designs that don’t look like much only a grouping of dot’s and then after turn out to be the previous, stars.

If the circles do represent the towns then you are looking at an early map, those are not unusual as there has been several native maps come to light and most are really quite accurate.

The numeralogy used in native ceremonies are most times based on numeric forms (usually divisable by 4 or 7) but remember the masses do not attended that way, so there would have to be a “structure” ( set of rules) applied to an abstract (the crowd) in order to perform any given event if “ritualized” ie carried out in numeric form or sequence.

That numeric structure may not include all people or members of the nation, community or even its divisions. So numbers unless directly related to a given structured event might not apply to the number of towns. If Powhatan could have had 73 towns I am sure that he would have. (So my theory is, is that it may not be a map of towns).

What I do believe that mantle to be is much like a crown, something that may have been passed down from generation to generation or to successive “Kings”. There has been historical records (ie in Swanton’s compilations) that illustrated this quite well.

What has not been done to date as far as I can tell is how many shells make up each “rosette” and the direction each one spirals to, to the left or right and the species of shells used, other than marginela but are there any other species used in the mass of marginela.

Why I ask this is because of the use of left and right handed conch shells used in “Black Drink ceremonies”.

Lastly there was a home page for the California Museum of Natural History, or something to that effect that had a beaded bag from California that had almost the same patterns as Powhatans mantle and it dated from about 1890.!

There’s my 2 Lincolns!

[2PI]

Tom, I, thank you for your input and take on the Cougar/Panther and Deer. Your opinion is appreciated.

I am almost finish reading my book…The Powhatan Indians of Virginia by H.C. Rountree. I find it interesting, enlightening and very disappointing in the fact that so much information was not recorded by the English.

I did find the Chief Powhatan was to have supposely wiped out entire tribes (Chesapeake and maybe the Piankatank Indians) that he later claimed in his Chiefdom by placing Powhatans within the towns.

This book I will have to read a second and third time. So many tribes to consider and their territories.

Please explain your reference to the Black Drink or what ever…I can’t see the post from here!!!

Regards, 2PI

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