Moneton
Historical Native American tribe from West Virginia
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The Moneton were a historical Native American tribe from West Virginia. In the late 17th century, they lived in the Kanawha Valley near the Kanawha and New Rivers.[2]
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| extinct as a tribe | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| West Virginia | |
| Languages | |
| Moneton language | |
| Religion | |
| Indigenous religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| likely Manahoac and Monacan[1] |
Kanawha River, in West Virginia
Name
Their name translates to "Big Water" people.[1]
Territory
The Moneton lived in southern West Virginia, along the Kanawha River.[1] Their settlements were near the Manahoac, Moneton, and Tutelo, Siouan language–speaking tribes of Virginia.[3]
History
The Moneton may have been a Fort Ancient culture,[4] an Indigenous culture that thrived from 1000 to 1750 CE in the Ohio River Valley. They might have been related to the Shawnee, an Algonquian-speaking people.[4]
The first written mention of the Moneton was made by English settler Thomas Batts in 1671.[1]
In 1674, English colonist Abraham Wood sent his servant Gabriel Arthur from Fort Henry near Appomattox, Virginia to visit local tribes to expand the fur trade. Wood visited them and described their capital as "a great town,"[1] That is the last contemporary mention of them.[1]
They likely merged into other Siouan-speaking tribes in the Piedmont region of Virginia.[1]
Language
| Moneton | |
|---|---|
| Monyton | |
| Native to | United States |
| Region | West Virginia |
| Ethnicity | Moneton |
| Extinct | likely late 17th century |
Siouan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | None |
The Moneton language was a Siouan language and likely related to the Manahoac, Monacan, and Ofo languages.[1]