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From Contact to Present: Indigenous Chesapeake

Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, Chesapeake Bay, Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

A black and white photograph of a man next to a rowboat and fishing net.
Pamunkey Chief George Major Cook photographed by Frank G. Speck

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

The people of Tsenacomoco referred to the Europeans as tassantass, or strangers.

Almost as soon as the tassantass settled in the Chesapeake Bay, indigenous people were displaced. They soon faced laws that limited their rights and sought to erase their culture. But despite these hardships, indigenous people are still here today, working as tribal nations, preserving their cultures for future generations.

Frank Gouldsmith Speck Collection
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Frank Gouldsmith Speck Collect...

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Frank Gouldsmith Speck was a photographer, anthropologist, and professor at the University of Pennsylvania who conducted ethnographies of Native communities in the United States and Canada. Between 1909 - 1937, Speck spent time with dozens of Tribes, including many local to the Chesapeake Bay. Working on behalf of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Collection, his photographs are now housed by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian.

Last updated: November 20, 2024

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