Piscataway-Conoy Tribe: More Than Just a Riverbend Story
Okay, folks, let’s talk about the Piscataway-Conoy tribe. Ever heard of them? If not, no worries, you’re in for a fascinating peek into a group of people with deep roots in the land we now call Maryland and the D.C. area.
So, who are these Piscataway-Conoy folks? Well, they’re an Algonquian tribe, kind of like cousins to the Lenape/Delaware people. But, their closest buddies were the Nanticoke. It’s thought that way back in the day, these two tribes were practically one big family. Their language? Word has it, it was pretty similar to what the Powhatan tribe down in Virginia were speaking.
Now, "Piscataway" itself is a cool name, meaning "the people where the river bends." And that makes sense because their land stretched across southern Maryland, including places like Baltimore, Montgomery, Anne Arundel Counties, and even into Washington, D.C. They were right at home where the Potomac River meets the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.
Life by the Water
These weren’t your typical nomadic wanderers. The Piscataway-Conoy were settled hunter-farmers. They built permanent villages near the water, making it easy to hop in their canoes and get around. The women were the gardeners of the group, planting all sorts of goodies like corn, beans, melons, pumpkins, squash, and even tobacco for ceremonies. They also knew their way around the forest, gathering berries, nuts, and tubers to spice up their meals. And, being crafty, they made pottery, woven baskets, and some seriously cool beaded jewelry.
The men? They were the hunters and fishermen. With bows and arrows in hand, they’d go after bears, elk, deer, and the smaller creatures like beavers, squirrels, partridges, and wild turkeys. They were also master canoe builders, expert fishermen, and knew how to harvest oysters and crabs from the Chesapeake Bay like pros.
United We Stand
Like many other tribes, the Piscataway weren’t just one big blob. They had smaller bands, like the Chaptico, Moyaone, Nanjemoy, and Potapoco, who teamed up for defense and trading purposes. Each village and settlement had its own leaders, keeping things organized.
Their villages were pretty neat too. Think of a bunch of individual houses all snuggled together, protected by a tall fence made of logs – a palisade. The houses themselves were rectangular, about 10 feet tall and 20 feet long, kind of like longhouses with roofs that curved like barrels. These roofs were covered with bark or woven mats. Inside, a hearth in the center kept things cozy, with a hole in the roof to let the smoke out.
First Contact
Fast forward to 1608, when Europeans started showing up. Captain John Smith and William Claiborne were among the first to meet the Piscataway. Back then, the Piscataway were the big shots in the area, the most powerful tribe between the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Their land covered a lot of ground, from Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s Counties all the way up to Baltimore County and west towards the Appalachian foothills.
In 1634, more Europeans started settling down, with ships like the Ark and the Dove bringing Leonard Calvert and Jesuit priest Andrew White to Maryland. The Piscataway were super welcoming, helping the newcomers get used to the land.
Father Andrew White even translated the Catholic catechism into the Piscataway language in 1640, and other English missionaries put together learning materials in their language.
Trouble Brewing
But, as you can probably guess, things didn’t stay friendly forever. By 1660, the colonists started pushing into Native lands, and that’s when the good vibes started to fade.
In 1666, Lord Baltimore signed the first of many treaties to grab land from the Piscataway. The problem? These treaties were broken left and right. When the Piscataway were finally kicked off their land, the Confederacy members gave them the title of Piscataway Conoy. They tried to settle in different places, but with fighting between tribes and the Europeans moving in, some ended up heading all the way to Canada.
Then, in 1670, disaster struck. A smallpox epidemic hit the tribe hard. Many joined other tribes to survive the white settlement. Some branches of the Piscataway tribe might have even disappeared because of the fighting between tribes and the diseases brought over by the Europeans.
Forced Moves and Tough Times
The colonial government even forced the Piscataway to let the Susquehannock, an Iroquoian-speaking group, settle on their land after the Iroquois Confederacy beat them in 1675. Of course, the Piscataway and Susquehannock, who were already enemies, started fighting. The Maryland Colony kicked out the Susquehannock after the Piscataway attacked them, and the Susquehannock were badly defeated.
As the English colony grew, the Piscataway’s luck went downhill. In 1680, the English tried to force the tribes off their land, so the Piscataway ran to Zekiah Swamp in Charles County, Maryland. But, even there, they were attacked by the Iroquois. Luckily, they managed to negotiate peace.
In 1697, they crossed the Potomac River and camped near The Plains, Virginia, in Fauquier County. But, the Virginia settlers got nervous and tried to get them to go back to Maryland. The Piscataway refused. Finally, in 1699, they moved north to Heater’s Island in the Potomac River near Point of Rocks, Maryland. They stayed there until after 1722.
The American Revolution was tough on many tribes, as they picked sides in the conflict. By the end of the war, many villages were destroyed. The Piscataway-Conoy weren’t spared, and their numbers dwindled. Some went northwest to Detroit, Michigan, and parts of Canada, where they joined local tribes.
The colonial governments gave the Piscataway reservations, but by 1800, even those rights were taken away.
Scattered and Struggling
As things fell apart, the different Piscataway bands split up and looked for new places to live. The biggest group, called the Conoy, moved to Pennsylvania and settled by the Susquehanna River with their former enemies, the Haudenosaunee. They even asked for protection from German Christians.
Through all this, a small number of the tribe stayed in Southern Maryland, scattered among the towns and villages. They weren’t a unified people anymore. Over time, they blended into the local communities, living quiet, rural lives. By then, the Piscataway had lost more than just their tribe; they had lost their identity as a people.
A New Beginning
But, the story doesn’t end there. In the 1970s, inspired by the Civil Rights Era, Native American groups all over the country started fighting to reclaim their rights and identities.
Some Piscataway descendants, who had faced discrimination in their communities in Southern Maryland, saw a chance to bring back their traditional way of life. Individuals and groups started working to get the tribe recognized by the state.
Because so much of their history had been lost, the Piscataway Nation spent years piecing together their culture from written records and oral stories. Even though the government didn’t keep track of the Piscataway people, the Catholic Church, which many belonged to, had family records and other information that helped identify over 5,000 Marylanders as hereditary members of the tribe.
Recognition at Last
For years, the Piscataway worked with the state, especially the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, to get official recognition. They wanted cultural acknowledgment, acceptance, and access to federal funds for education, housing, public health, and other programs. Finally, in January 2012, at a ceremony in Annapolis, Maryland, representatives and leaders were officially recognized, confirming what they had always known: that they are a distinct people with a long history in Maryland.
Today, their descendants number around 200 and belong to groups like the Maryland Indian Heritage Society, Piscataway Conoy Confederacy, and the Piscataway Indian Nation. Others live with Ontario’s Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, while some who fled south joined various tribes in North Carolina.
So, the Piscataway-Conoy story is one of resilience, survival, and the fight to keep a culture alive. They’re a reminder that history is complex and that every group of people has a story worth knowing.