The
Powhatan (also spelled
Powatan) are a
Native American people in
Virginia. It may also refer to the leader of those tribes, commonly referred to as
Powtitianna. It is estimated that there were about 14,000–21,000 Powhatan people in eastern Virginia when the
English settled
Jamestown in 1607. They were also known as
Virginia Algonquians, as they spoke an eastern-
Algonquian language known as
Powhatan or Virginia Algonquian.