| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Extinct as a tribe | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| North Carolina | |
| Languages | |
| Carolina Algonquian language | |
| Religion | |
| Tribal religion (historical) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Secotan,Dasamongueponke |
TheAquascogoc is the name given to aNative American tribe ofSecotan people and also the name of a village encountered byEnglish colonists during their late 16th century attempts to settle and establish permanent colonies in what is nowNorth Carolina, known at the time asVirginia. Together with the rest of Secotan people they formed a part of the Native American group known as theCarolina Algonquian Indians, and spoke the now extinctCarolina Algonquian language. In 1585 the village of Aquascogoc was burned by Sir Richard Grenville, in retaliation for the alleged theft of a silver drinking vessel.
SirRichard Grenville was the leader of the 1585 expedition which first attempted to land English settlers onRoanoke island. Guided by ChiefManteo, Grenville arrived at the village but the inhabitants showed little inclination to meet with him, and the settlers soon returned to their boats.[1] However, a silver drinking cup was found to be missing, and was believed to have been stolen by the Aquascogoc, leading to a furious reaction from Grenville.[2] During the angry exchanges which followed, the village of Aquascogoc was torched on Grenville's orders.[3]
The Aquascogoc would however have their revenge. Grenville left Roanoke, leaving behind fifteen men, who were all battle-hardened. When GovernorJohn White returned in 1587 he searched for the fifteen, but found only bones.[4] White quickly made contact with friendly natives led by ChiefManteo, who explained to him that the lost fifteen had been killed by hostileSecotan, Aquascogoc andDasamongueponke warriors,[5] choosing a time and place of attack "of great advantage to the savages".[6]
Much of what is known about the lives of the Aquascogoc and otherAlgonquian tribes in 16th-centuryNorth Carolina survives because of thewatercolor paintings and the journal kept by GovernorJohn White who was commissioned in 1585 to "draw to life" the inhabitants of the New World and their surroundings.[7] During White's time at Roanoke Island, he completed numerous watercolor drawings of the surrounding landscape and native peoples. These works are significant as they are the most informative illustrations of aNative American society of theEastern seaboard, and predate the first body of "discovery voyage art" created in the late 18th century by the artists who sailed with CaptainJames Cook. They represent the sole surviving visual record of the native inhabitants of America, encountered by England's first settlers.[7]
White's enthusiasm for watercolor paint was unusual; most contemporary painters preferred to useoil-based paints.[8] White's watercolors would soon become a sensation in Europe, and it was not long before the paintings wereengraved by the Flemish master engraverTheodore de Bry.[9] Through the medium of print, the illustrations became widely known and distributed; they were published in 1590 under the title "America".[9]