Manskin Cartographic Temporal Memory

Warrior Numbers tell the tale

In “Generall Historie of Virginia by John Smith” Smith gives a count of the Indian warriors as 30 Youghtanund, 30 Mattapament, and 300 Pamaunke. Smith then says there were 700 warriors with Opechancanough in the encounter where John Smith had to grab Opechancanough by the hair.

Zuniga’s map of villages shows Manskin next to the Youghtanund on the South side of the river. Most of the maps from 1650-1750 show the Manskin Tribe on or near “The island Field” and the Youghtanund are not mentioned on any maps that also show Manskin. When the dates of the maps are viewed chronologically it seems to indicate that the Youghtanunds were absorbed into the Manskins and crossed the river to settle at Manskin Lodge.

Martha McCartney indicates that the Pamunkey warriors were transported to Tangier island after they were captured in 1645 in retaliation for the 1644 Massacre. The census of 1669 were 20 Mattaponi, and only 50 Pamunkey. Langston shows Opechancanoughs headquarters as the Island which is labeled Manskin in most of the period maps.

Ergo: The Youghtanunds, Manskin and Pamunkey were sister tribes (villages?) with extremeley close affiliations. The Youghtanunds, were absorbed into the Manskin and then both the Manskin and Pamunkeys moved their warriors to the Island field under Opechancanough’s leadership. Smith may have been exaggerating at 700 warriors, but still the only way to achieve these numbers was if the warriors were the Pamunkey warriors. This warrior group was temporarily labled Manskin on the Maps because that was the closest tribe. When Menmend on the Island Field was attacked and captured in 1645 , the Youghtanund and Manskin identity is lost because there now was no physical location or remaining peoples to which to attach their name to.