The Piscataway Conoy Tribe, an integral part of Maryland’s indigenous heritage, boasts a rich and complex history deeply intertwined with the lands between the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. This distinguished Algonquian tribe, closely related to the Lenape/Delaware and Nanticoke peoples, derives its name, Piscataway, from a phrase meaning “the people where the river bends,” reflecting their ancestral homelands across what is now southern Maryland, including parts of Baltimore, Montgomery, Anne Arundel Counties, and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
As a sedentary hunter-farmer society, the Piscataway lived in well-established villages strategically located near navigable waterways. Their traditional way of life involved the cultivation of essential crops such as maize, beans, melons, pumpkins, squash, and ceremonial tobacco by women, who also gathered berries, nuts, and tubers. Concurrently, men honed their skills in hunting bears, elk, deer, wolves, and various smaller game using bows and arrows, alongside fishing and harvesting oysters and crabs from the abundant Chesapeake Bay. Their vibrant culture also saw women creating intricate pottery, woven baskets, and beaded jewelry, while men crafted durable dugout canoes, essential for their riparian existence.
The Structure of Piscataway Society and Early European Encounters
The Piscataway Conoy Tribe was not a singular entity but rather a confederacy of smaller bands, including the Chaptico, Moyaone, Nanjemoy, and Potapoco, who unified for mutual defense and trade. These allied bands operated under appointed leaders presiding over their respective villages and settlements. Characteristic of Algonquian peoples, Piscataway villages were fortified with defensive log palisades, enclosing several individual longhouses. These traditional dwellings, typically rectangular, measured about 10 feet high and 20 feet long, featuring barrel-shaped roofs meticulously covered with bark or woven mats and a central hearth with a smoke hole overhead.
The first documented encounters between Europeans and the Piscataway occurred in 1608 with Captain John Smith and William Claiborne. At this juncture, the Piscataway stood as the largest and most influential tribal nation spanning the territory between the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Their vast domain extended through present-day Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s Counties, reaching northward into Baltimore County and westward toward the Appalachian foothills. By 1634, European colonization intensified with the arrival of the ships Ark and Dove, carrying Leonard Calvert and Jesuit priest Andrew White. Initially, the tribe extended a friendly welcome to these early settlers, offering crucial assistance in their adjustment to the new lands. This period saw Father Andrew White translate the Catholic catechism into Piscataway in 1640, followed by other English missionaries who compiled additional Piscataway-language materials, marking an early, if short-lived, period of cross-cultural exchange.
The Onset of Conflict and Displacement
However, the amiable relations quickly deteriorated. By 1660, the relentless expansion of colonial settlements began to encroach upon indigenous lands, irrevocably altering the dynamic and giving rise to escalating conflicts. Lord Baltimore initiated a series of treaties in 1666 to acquire lands from the Piscataway, treaties that were regrettably and consistently broken. As the Piscataway were forcibly displaced from their ancestral territories, the Confederacy members bestowed upon them the title of Piscataway Conoy, a testament to their enduring unity amidst adversity. This displacement led to brief settlements in various areas, but ongoing intertribal skirmishes and aggressive European encroachment compelled some members to undertake arduous migrations as far as Canada.
The 1670s brought further tragedy with a devastating smallpox epidemic that decimated the tribe. The weakened remnants of the confederacy often merged with other tribes in the wake of intensifying white settlement, leading to the unfortunate extinction of some Piscataway branches due to a combination of internal conflicts and susceptibility to European diseases.
Compounding their woes, colonial authorities compelled the Piscataway to permit the Susquehannock, an Iroquoian-speaking people, to settle in their territory after their defeat by the Iroquois Confederacy in 1675. This uneasy cohabitation between traditional enemies eventually erupted into open conflict in present-day Maryland. Following a Piscataway attack, the Maryland Colony expelled the Susquehannock, who suffered a devastating defeat, further destabilizing the region.
The fortunes of the Piscataway continued to decline as the English Maryland colony prospered and expanded. In 1680, in an attempt to escape persistent English encroachment, the Piscataway sought refuge in Zekiah Swamp in Charles County, Maryland. There, they faced attacks from the Iroquois, though peace was eventually negotiated. Further relocations ensued: in 1697, they moved across the Potomac River to Fauquier County, Virginia, near The Plains. Alarmed Virginia settlers attempted to persuade them to return to Maryland, but the Piscataway refused. Ultimately, in 1699, they journeyed northward to what is now Heater’s Island in the Potomac River, near Point of Rocks, Maryland, remaining there until after 1722.
The American Revolution imposed severe hardships on many tribes, regardless of their alliances. The Piscataway Conoy Tribe was not spared; their villages were devastated, and their remaining numbers scattered. Some migrated northwest to Detroit, Michigan, and parts of Canada, where they were absorbed into local tribes. Despite colonial governments granting them reservations, referred to as manors, these rights were cruelly retracted by 1800.
Reclaiming Identity and Modern Recognition
The alliance of the Piscataway began to fracture, with various bands splintering and seeking new lands. A significant contingent, known as the Conoy, migrated to Pennsylvania, settling temporarily by the Susquehanna River alongside their former enemies, the Haudenosaunee, and seeking the protection of German Christians. Nevertheless, a determined few remained in Southern Maryland, living quietly among towns and villages, no longer a unified people, their distinct identity gradually fading into the local fabric.
The 1970s marked a pivotal turning point, as the Civil Rights Era and the burgeoning Pan-Indian movement ignited a nationwide effort among Native American groups to reclaim their rights, identities, and fight for recognition in a society that had marginalized them for centuries. Descendants of the Piscataway, often facing discrimination in their Southern Maryland communities, seized this opportunity to revive their traditional way of life. Several individuals and groups, initially working independently, embarked on the arduous journey towards tribal recognition by the state.
Given the significant loss of historical records over time, the Piscataway Conoy Tribe dedicated years to meticulously reassembling their culture from disparate written records and oral traditions. While governmental records often overlooked the Piscataway, the Catholic Church, to which many had adhered, maintained extensive family records and other crucial information. These invaluable archives played a vital role in identifying over 5,000 Marylanders as hereditary members of the tribe, providing undeniable proof of their lineage and continuous presence.
For decades, the Piscataway collaborated diligently with the state, specifically the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, to achieve official tribal recognition. The stakes were high, encompassing cultural acknowledgment, societal acceptance, and access to crucial federal funds for education, housing, public health, and other vital programs. Finally, in January 2012, at a historic ceremony in Annapolis, Maryland, representatives and leaders of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe received official recognition by executive order, affirming what they had always known: that they are a distinct people with a profound and enduring cultural history in Maryland, stretching back for centuries.
Conclusion: An Enduring Legacy
Today, the legacy of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe continues through their descendants, numbering approximately 200, who actively participate in organizations such as the Maryland Indian Heritage Society, the Piscataway Conoy Confederacy, and the Piscataway Indian Nation. Other descendants thrive within Ontario’s Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, while some who migrated southward merged with various tribes in North Carolina. The journey of the Piscataway Conoy is a powerful narrative of resilience, cultural endurance, and the tenacious spirit of a people determined to reclaim and celebrate their identity against formidable odds, ensuring their ancient heritage continues to resonate in the modern world.
