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I hope this isn’t too OT, but I’m curious. I’ve noticed a couple threads referencing the Cayuga and Seneca people. How significant was the Iroquoian contribution to Virginia’s native population? I know both the Nottoway (Cheroenhaka) and the Meherrin people were domiciled there and had extensive historical interaction with the Piedmont Siouan groups, but what about the Tuscarora, Mingo or any of the original Five Nations groups? Is there any documentation, oral traditions or even ancedotal treatment to any possible settlements or migrations?
The reason I’m asking is my dreams are very profound sometimes and in the past, I’ve received true revelations concerning my ancestors’ stories and lives. For some years now, I’ve had recurring dreams about the Tuscarora people. I even had one dream where an elder was cooking and showing me how to make corn soup (which I verified was a correct way to make) while telling me a story around a cooking fire about “our people migrations originally south until we moved back north to join our brothers up there and then back south again to settle in Virginia and the Carolinas.”
My family maintains the “fact” their people came from Ohio, eventhough census records report Virginia and South Carolina.
Please forgive me,
Blackbird
Chwe’n,
The Seneca would come down south to raid the Souian probably the most. They would aid the Tuscarora at times. The Meherrin and Nottoway were under the Tuscarora. The Meherrin aided the Tuscarora with guns and weapons during the Tuscarora War 1711-1713. The 3 languages basically the same. The Meherrin Reservation was about 30-40 miles from the Tuscarora Reservation. The Nottoway was a little further.
Oo-neh
Mike
Gah-neh-see-eh-weh
If you search here on the forum for the word Seneca, there have been a number of posts on the feud between the Seneca and the VA/NC Siouan.
Your dream could be accurate about a number of tribes. I’ve heard stories of Tuscarora people who moved up north, then slipped back down south. Or this could be true of any number of other tribes down here who joined with the Iroquois, either because they’d lost a war to them, or because they were already Iroquoian and wanted to merge when their own numbers had become too weak.
Thank you both MDSmoke Dancer and Linda,
I have virtually no known names to go off of since my family has been in Louisiana and Arkansas for over a century, so this is why I rely primarily on intuition and dreams. I know I’ve read where some Tuscarora did settle for some time in present-day Rockbridge and northern Amherst counties, if I’m not mistaken.
Blackbird
Chwe’n,
I too have heard of Tuscarora living among the Monacan of Amhersh and Rockbridge Counties Va. as they were migrating north to NY. I have an ancester Mary Francis Parker who married a Johns in Amherst County Va. She was the daughter of Stephen Parker a Meherrin/Tuscarora.
I believe that the stories that you have heard Linda, about Tuscarora going North, some did slip back down, including some Iroquoian Meherrin.
Oo-neh
Mike
Chwe’n Linda,
Although it could be possible that some Tuscarora did slip back down to NC after migrating North after the Tuscarora War, we have no proof, unless you know of some. The stories that you have heard Linda of this, where did you hear them from? I would like to search some of this out. I do feel that this is very possible, but no proof that I know of. I also feel that some of the Meherrin, Nottoway and Siouan could have very well slipped back. Maybe one day we will know.
Oo-neh
Mike
Oo-neh
MIke
This is very interesting since I to have some ancestors who appear to have left NC and moved up into this same area of Virginia and later returned to NC. The family I have in question here is my Harris line. However my gggggrandmother Frances Harris married in Edgecombe County NC and remained there instead of moving south when her family moved. My ancestors loved Edgecombe and Wilson County NC something about that place to them. I guess they got an acceptance there.
Linda “Quest”
I value your dreams and input very much. It helps me to make sense of things and helped me to trace my family’s path. It helped me to look in the right direction.
I think the Delaware tribe was their route to the northwest then back. The combination of the evidence and oral stories seems to indicate they went from the mountains to Va/NC/WV/DC area, to Blackfoot Town, then off northwest with the Delaware.
It might sound crazy, but perhaps it might be helpful if we had a section for spiritual input such as dreams, as that may be how many find their way back and discover their past. So thank you for having the courage to share your dreams here.
Your dream exactly matches what my family did. Their movements on the reservations was as thought they were looking for one another and planning their return. They intermarried with other native families of similar origin just prior to moving back to the PA then VA/DC areas. The Ohio River and Ohio are directly on that path the Delaware took, and my family lived in Shenango when they returned, an indian village on the Monongola River, which is one of the two rivers than meet in Pittsburgh and become
the Ohio. Other family claims to be from Cumberland Gap, a mountain pass from VA/MD/DC that was an old indian trail well worn and goes right into southern Ohio.
Can you share the recipe so I can make some? I would enjoy that.
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