Just north of where my toes are currently planted in the sand here in the town of Hatteras is the settlement of Buxton. The iconic Hatteras Lighthouse is near there, and not far from it an archeological dig site . If I weren't so content right where I am, and still nursing this stupid lame foot, I would probably go check it out, but you and I are just going to have take National Geographic's word for it cause I'm not moving! And since you aren't here you can't make me. Lol
What I have been reading says they have uncovered, "thousands of artifacts including coins, parts of guns and swords, and pieces of English clothing mingled with arrowheads, beads and rock tools of the natives. Most of the finds are American Indian in origin, but there are enough Elizabethan remnants, Dawson said, to show that the missing colonists assimilated with the natives on present-day Hatteras Island."
The native tribe they are referring to are the Croatoans. And if you aren't familiar with the "Lost Colony" , you clearly haven't seen the Roanoke musical at their outdoor theater because they tell you the whole story in song and dance.
And we all know musical theater is known for COMPLETELY accurate portrayals of real life events! Lol
The real story is much less pretty, as they usually are, and much less singable. Basically , this group of folks were told by their British government, "Go start a settlement" they said. "Don't worry, we'll take care of you." they said. And then they didn't. Oops! Sorry we left you stranded and fending for yourselves without the additional supplies we had promised for THREE years because you aren't at the top of our priority list anymore. Hope you make it. Love, the British government. Good thing we can always trust our government to take care of us today...🙄.
But, I digress, back to our abandoned European peeps. It was unknown for sure what had become of the 100 plus members of that settlement. Whether they had been murdered by the Secotan tribe, who thought the Europeans were a problem...smart...or, taken in by the Croatoan tribe who had befriended them and shared a common enemy in the Secotans. A carving in a tree at the settlement "Croatoan" suggests that their chief Manteo, who had even gone to England with some of the original ships carrying additional settlers and supplies had come to their rescue.
It was enough to reassure the mayor, whose daughter and granddaughter where members of the group,when he returned with those supplies at long last, and found them all gone.
Though it says he couldn't get to the island to check for himself due to "weather and dwindling supplies", so he never knew for sure when he returned to England.
Not sure I could have left not knowing if my kid was okay or not, but those were dangerous times and the known risk they had taken I guess. But still! In any case, this was all in the 1500s.
Later, in the 1700s another explorer, Lawson, landed on present day Hatteras Island, and wrote about some of the natives having "gray eyes and lighter skin" and wearing "English dress". Which seems to add to the evidence of these artifacts being those of the remaining settlement members, or at least those that went with Manteo because they don't believe they all did. Archeologists who question this theory point out that there were other English people who landed on Hatteras Island prior to the 1500s. Who knows? Interesting stuff nonetheless. Two take aways for me; we Europeans have always been bad about throwing our trash down! And, of course we would encourage them to wear our uncomfortable clothes! I bet what they wore was considerably more comfortable than the 1500s English clothing, I would have wanted to start dressing like them. Lol
The article also mentions that the Island is like a time capsule for artifacts. People routinely uncover or just find relics, some dating back 1000 years and uncovered periodically by storms. Sometimes in "just a few shovels full and the size of a kitchen table" fragments and often complete pieces can be unearthed from a timespan ranging from 1000 years ago thru the Civil War. So, this island is not only stunning visually, it is a history buff's paradise!
© Copyright 2019 The Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave. Norfolk, VA | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
No comments:
Post a Comment