Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages

When the English first arrived at the Outer Banks in the summer of 1584, they were greeted by native Algonquian-speaking people who had long occupied present-day North Carolina. That historic contact initiated the often-turbulent period of early American history commonly known as the Roanoke Voyages. Unfortunately, contemporary accounts regularly mischaracterize or marginalize the Algonquins, and their significance in this period is poorly understood. This volume is a unique collection of narratives highlighting by name all of the Algonquians who played a role in the often-contentious attempts to establish the first permanent English colony in the New World. Starting with Manteo, the fascinating Croatoan Indian who traveled to England twice and learned to speak English, this book focuses on the identities and endeavors of each of these individual Algonquians and tells their stories.

Retired educator Brandon Fullam has been researching and writing for a decade about England’s first attempts to establish a permanent colony in present-day North Carolina. Much of his work has focused on the disappearance of what has become known as the 1587 Lost Colony. His work has appeared in Lost Colony Research Group and Sampson County Historical Society publications. He is a member of the Virginia Historical Society and the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia and lives in Midlothian, Virginia.

Brandon Fullam

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 228
Bibliographic Info: 59 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7801-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3824-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments    vi
Preface    1
Introduction    5
Manteo 9
Andacon 89
Cossine 90
Ensenore 92
Eracano 100
Granganimeo 102
Menatoan 112
Menatonon 113
Okisko 122
Osacan 129
Pemisapan 131
Piemacum 132
Pooneno 139
“Raleigh” 141
Skiko 142
Tarraquine 145
Tetepano 146
Towaye 148
Wanchese 149
Wingina 157
Appendix A: “Manteo and Jack Straw”    193
Appendix B: “The Legend of the Coharie”    199
Chapter Notes    203
Bibliography    211
Index    217

• “To create a more complete and accurate history of contact and Native experiences, Fullam’s study provides accounts of 19 Native Americans mentioned in English sources during the Roanoke voyages of 1584 to 1590. … As the Algonquians did not have a written language, Fullam relies on 16th-century English documents for information, yet still succeeds in foregrounding the Native experience and telling the story of Algonquian-English contact in a way that more fully informs readers of Colonial and Native histories. …recommended”—Choice

• “Fullam has produced a highly readable history that keeps the focus on the Indians. His take on what happened to the Lost Colony has a logic and believability to it… there is a lot of good history here.”—The North Carolina Historical Review

• “A unique collection of narratives…expertly written and organized…very highly recommended”—Midwest Book Review

• “Fullam is a tenacious researcher…another impressive work by a diligent and thoughtful scholar.”—Huckleberry Historian