Chowanoc
16th-century territories of the North Carolina Algonquian | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| extinct (1820) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| North Carolina | |
| Languages | |
| Algonquian | |
| Religion | |
| Tribal religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Coree, Machapunga, Weapemeoc |
The Chowanoc, also Chowanoke, are an Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe who historically lived near the Chowan River in North Carolina.
At the time of the first English contact in 1580s, they were a large and influential tribe and remained so through the mid-17th century.
In 1677, after the Chowanoc War, English colonists set aside a reservation for the tribe near Bennett Creek. The Chowanoc suffered high mortality due to infectious disease, including a smallpox epidemic in 1696.
Descendants of the Chowanoc merged with the Tuscarora in the early 18th century.