Exploring the history of Native D.C.-area peoples

Montgomery County, Maryland exists on the ancestral lands of the Piscataway and Nacotchtank, or Anocostan, peoples. This Native American Heritage Month, it is important that we remember the history of these peoples.

For thousands of years before European settlement, these communities lived along the waterways and forests of the Chesapeake region. Today their stories continue to evolve as the Piscataway work to reclaim identities that their colonization nearly erased.

The Piscataway were once among the most influential Native nations in the Chesapeake Bay region. Their traditional territory included what are now Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties, stretching from Baltimore County and to the Appalachian foothills. By the late sixteenth century, the leader of the Piscataway, known as the Tayac, held authority over many chiefs along the north bank of the Potomac.

The Nacotchtank lived along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers and maintained close ties with the Piscataway. They built villages of wigwams and longhouses, along with other structures. Archaeological excavations in Washington, D.C. have unearthed pottery fragments, cultural artifacts and other remnants of Nacotchtank life, including sites beneath the White House grounds.

European arrival devastated both the Piscataway and the Nacotchtank. Disease, warfare and displacement led to steep population decline. As the Maryland colony grew, demands for land intensified. Tobacco plantations expanded, pushing the Nacotchtank from their territory. English explorer John Smith noted the prosperity of the Nacotchtank during his 1608 travels, which underscores how rapidly their fortunes changed once colonization accelerated.

The Nacotchtank were eventually dispersed, and surviving members were absorbed into other communities, most directly the Piscataway Conoy. Sadly, there are no known living descendants who identify as Nacotchtank today.

The Piscataway endured similar pressures. During and after the American Revolution, many tribal communities in the region suffered extensive losses. By the end of the eighteenth century, Piscataway numbers had dwindled, and many who survived relocated. By the early twentieth century, only a few families openly identified as Piscataway.

Despite these challenges, the tribal nation persisted. Today the Piscataway Indian Nation is experiencing renewed visibility and cultural revival. Members are among the more than 128,000 people in Maryland who identified as Native American or part Native American based on a 2020 census.

Counties and institutions in Maryland have begun to more actively acknowledge Indigenous history. Anne Arundel County's recognition of Native American Heritage Month has included performances by Piscataway singers and dancers and related educational initiatives. These events reflect broader efforts to acknowledge the state’s Native communities and promote a fuller public understanding of Maryland’s past.

While land acknowledgements cannot undo a history of displacement, disease, and discrimination, they can be a path forward toward greater acceptance and uplifting of Native peoples.