Powhatan

American  

[pou-uh-tan, -hat-n] / ˈpaʊ əˌtæn, -ˌhæt n /

noun

plural

Powhatans,

plural

Powhatan

1. a member of any of the Indian tribes belonging to the Powhatan Confederacy.

2. the Eastern Algonquian language spoken by the Powhatan people.

3. c1550–1618, North American Indian chief in Virginia, father of Pocahontas and founder of the Powhatan Confederacy.

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Powhatan British  

/ paʊˈhætən, ˌpaʊhəˈtæn /

noun

1. American Indian name Wahunsonacock. died 1618, American Indian chief of a confederacy of tribes; father of Pocahontas

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Example Sentences

I got scared on stage when I was nine years old when I was Powhatan in Pocahontas and I didn't know the lines.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2023

Between 1609 and 1646, Virginia colonists fought a series of wars with the Powhatan Confederacy, an alliance of tribes that spoke languages of the Algonquin family.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

It happened around 7:40 p.m. on I-49 northbound near Powhatan, a village in the parish, the sheriff’s office said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2022

At the Powhatan GOP meeting in April, most of the delegates who were comfortable speaking said they had made up their minds to vote for Good.

From Washington Post • May 8, 2022

Their survival depended on ongoing diplomatic conversations between Wahunsonacock, the leader of the Powhatan Confederacy, and John Smith, leader of the Jamestown colony.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz