Slot 

 MOONEY 



j^^ey] occaneechi early history. 65 



assistance of the OccaiieecLi against their late ungrateful friends. 

 The Occaueechi joined forces with the whites, and in the next encounter 

 killed the Susquehanna chief and toolv a number of prisoners. The 

 Virginians, however, had seen the rich stores of beaver skins in the 

 village, and with a treachery equal to tliat of any savages, after having 

 defeated the Snsquehanna they turned upon the friendly Occaneechi. 

 Over 50 of the Indians were killed, a terrible loss for an Indian tribe, 

 but the Virginians were unable to force the palisades and wei-e finally 

 obliged to retire with considerable loss after a desiderate battle, lasting 

 the whole day (Mass., 2). 



Although the Occaneechi had beaten off the Virginians, they felt 

 themselves no longer secure in the vicinity of su(;h treacherous neigh- 

 bors, while their heavy loss rendered them less able to meet the increas- 

 ing fury of the Iroquois attacks. It is probable also that they shared 

 the general Indian dislike to remain in a locatio'n where their friends 

 had died. They abandoned their beautiful island home and tied south- 

 ward into Carolina. Nearly sixty years later some of the peach trees 

 they had planted were still remaining in the old fields on the island 

 (Byrd, 14). 



Twenty-five years later (in 1701) Lawsou found them pleasantly situ- 

 ated in a village on Eno river, about the present Ilillsboro in Orange 

 county, North Carolina, on the line of the great trading ]>ath to the 

 Catawba already mentioned (the Occaneeche hills at this place still 

 preserve their name). They were well supplied with provision of game, 

 and received the traveler kindly, in s^nte of their former experience 

 of the English. They were on good terms with all the lUMghboring 

 tribes and had some little trade with the Tiiskarora living lower down 

 the Neuse, who were jealous of their dealings with the wliite traders. 

 At this time they were much wasted and were consolidating with the 

 other reduced tribes and moving in toward the settlements for greater 

 security. Later on they combined with the Saponi,Tutelo, and others, 

 the whole body numbering only about ToO souls (Lawson, 4). 



They are next known (in 1722) as living in connection with the tribes 

 just named at Fort Christanna, when Governor Spotswood made peace 

 in their behalf with the Iroquois (N. Y., 15). Another incidental men- 

 tion is made (Byrd, 15) of one of the tribe in the same neighborhood" 

 in 1729 (for 1728). This seems to be their last appearance in history. 

 Their separate identity was lost and the remnant probably moved north- 

 ward later on with the Saponi and Tutelo into Pennsylvania and after- 

 Avard into New York. The last clew to their ultimate fate is contained 

 in the statement made to Hale by the sole surviving Tutelo in 1870 that 

 when he was a boy, probably just before the Kevolution, the Saponi 

 and "Patshenins," or " Potshenins" were living with his people, who 

 were then located near the Cayuga tribe in New York. Although Hale 

 did not inquire as to the langnage of these Patshenin, he is inclined to 

 identify them with the Occaneechi (Hale, 8), and from all the circum- 

 stances this seems a probable supposition. If this be true, and they 



