Powhatans

Powhatans, North American Indians, a branch of the Algonquian family, formerly the dominant people in the present states of Virginia and Maryland. All appear to be now extinct, but the name will always be remembered in connection with the romantic episode of Captain John Smith, who was saved from a cruel death by Pocahontas (q.v.), daughter of a Powhatan chief. Descendants of their union are said still to survive in Virginia.