Assateague Nation

The Assateague Tribe of the Chesapeake is an indigenous group of people who have lived in the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland and Virginia in the United States for thousands of years.

The Assateague people were part of the larger Powhatan Confederacy, which also included the Piscataway, Accohannock and Mattaponi tribes. They were skilled hunters, fishermen, and farmers, and lived in small villages along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

During the early colonial period, the Assateague had contact with English settlers, but relations between the two groups were generally peaceful. However, as the number of English settlers in the region increased, the Assateague people began to lose control of their lands and resources. Many Assateague people were forced to move west or assimilate into white society.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Assateague people faced a further loss of land and rights as the US government passed laws and implemented policies aimed at assimilating indigenous peoples. This included the forced removal of Native American children from their families and communities to attend boarding schools, where they were forced to adopt European-American customs and ways of life.

Despite the significant challenges and losses they have faced, the Assateague Tribe of the Chesapeake has not disappeared. The tribe is not yet officially recognized by the federal government, but they have been recognized by the state of Maryland and they have been working towards gaining federal recognition. The tribe continues to exist today and actively participate in various cultural and community events, to raise awareness and educate people about their history and heritage.