SPRING RENEWAL ‘Cattapeuk’ Spawns Nature’s Bounty for Indigenous Communities

Spring is widely considered a time to celebrate and champion both growth and renewal, themes that are central to this time of year in Virginia’s Indigenous tribal communities.

Spring is a season traditionally known by eastern Algonquian tribes as cattapeuk, which starts an annual cycle of a reciprocal relationship between Native peoples and the environment that sustains them. The concept of taking and giving back is a central core value to Indigenous nations throughout the year, and this practice begins in springtime as nature begins to stir and fish begin to migrate upstream. As the weather warms in Tidewater Virginia, fish migrate upriver to spawn. Traditionally, Eastern Algonquian men would do large scale fishing during this time, a practice that has continued for hundreds of years.

Historically, this large-scale fishing would help sustain communities with the wide variety of seafood available in the region, as well as support trade with other nations living further inland away from waterways. Additionally, the bounty collected from the water was used as tribute to chiefs and other leaders in central towns.

“The spring fishing season has always been key to our subsistence, and it’s when shad, herring and rockfish return to the freshwater rivers from which they were born to spawn,” explained Sam McGowan, a member of the Mattaponi Tribe and cultural outreach specialist with the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation’s Indigenous Peoples Initiative.

“As stewards of the earth, we know the importance of balance in nature. Our hatcheries are one of the many ways we try to give back for future generations.”

Today, the tradition of commercial-level fishing in the spring continues in Indigenous communities in Virginia. Produce from the rivers, tributaries and the Chesapeake Bay helps to sustain community needs and is sold commercially. Given the reciprocal relationship tribes have with the environment, the practice of giving back endures in the form of putting fry (baby fish capable of feeding themselves) back into the river. Returning young fish to the water both ensures that fish are available each year and prevents strain on the local environment caused by overfishing. Both the Mattaponi and Pamunkey communities have hatcheries on their reservations for this purpose. At Jamestown Settlement, historical interpreters discuss the importance of fishing to Virginia Indian communities throughout the year and demonstrate 17th-century fishing techniques and tools, including dugout canoes, weirs, nets and trot lines, in the re-created Paspahegh Town and along the James River.

—Jamie Helmick, Director Indigenous Peoples Initiative