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] |
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]
Their name translates to "Big Water" people. [1] In the 1670s, Abraham Wood wrote their name "Moneton" and as another variant, "Monyton."[ citation needed]
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]
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 in Wheeling, West Virginia to visit local tribes to expand the fur trade. [5] Arthur visited them and described their capital as "a great town," [1] which might be Saint Albans or Buffalo, West Virginia. [5] That is the last contemporary mention of them. [1]
They likely merged into other Siouan-speaking tribes in the Piedmont region of Virginia. [1]
Moneton | |
---|---|
Native to | United States |
Region | West Virginia |
Extinct | likely late 17th century |
Siouan
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 |
tta (as
Tutelo) |
Glottolog | None |
The Moneton language was a Siouan language and likely related to Manahoac, Monacan, and Ofo languages. [1]