Indigenous Heritage
This section of the Potomac River is part of the traditional homeland and indigenous cultural landscape of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia, and the Piscataway Conoy Tribe and Piscataway Indian Nation of Maryland.
The Piscataway have identified Mallows Bay and Liverpool Point in Charles County, Maryland, as significant areas within their cultural landscape. It is highly probable that Nussamek, one of the villages visited by Captain John Smith in the summer of 1608, is located in this area. However, no archaeological sites have yet been discovered in a submerged context.
The Piscataway people have a deep connection to the land, waters, plants, and animals that inhabit the sanctuary. The Potomac River plays a vital role in Piscataway culture. For them, water is sacred as it represents the veins of Mother Earth. The water connects people as it flows across Turtle Island (North America). By collaborating with the Piscataway people and local communities, the sanctuary aims to bring groups together to celebrate the importance of preserving and protecting these waterways.
The sanctuary has partnered with the Piscataway to create products that celebrate Indigenous culture and language. The posters and trail signs featured here highlight some of the plants and animals found throughout the sanctuary and surrounding cultural landscape, providing their names in both the Piscataway dialect of Algonquian and English.
Trail Signs
Through a series of trail signs, discover how Mallows Bay – Potomac River National Marine and the area that surrounds it connects to the indigenous people that call it home.
Piscataway Welcome Poster
This poster created in collaboration with the Piscataway people welcomes the viewer to their ancestral homeland in the Piscataway dialect of Algonquian and English.
