Lora Chilton in Conversation with Ah’SaWei WaTaPa’AnTam (Golden Fawn)

Lora Chilton and Ah’SaWei WaTaPa’AnTam (Golden Fawn)

1666: A Novel

The survival story of the Patawomeck Tribe of Virginia has been remembered within the tribe for generations, but the massacre of Patawomeck men and the enslavement of women and children by land hungry colonists in 1666 has been mostly unknown outside of the tribe until now.  Author Lora Chilton, a member of the tribe through the lineage of her father, has created this powerful fictional retelling of the survival of the tribe through the lives of three women.

1666: A Novel is the imagined story of the Indigenous Patawomeck women who lived through the decimation of their tribe in the summer of 1666. Told in first person point of view, this work of historical fiction is the harrowing account of the Patawomeck women who were sold and transported to Barbados via slave ship. When the women are separated and bought by different sugar plantations, their experiences as slaves diverge as they encounter the decadence and clashing cultures of the Anglican, Quaker, Jewish and African populations living in sugar rich “Little England” in the 1660’s. The book explores the Patawomeck customs around food, family and rites of passage that defined daily life before the tribe was condemned to “utter destruction” by a vote of the Governor’s Council of Virginia. The desire to return to the land they call home fuels the women as they bravely plot their escape from Barbados.

With determination and guile, Ah’SaWei WaTaPa’AnTam (Golden Fawn) and NePa’WeXo (Shining Moon) are able to board separate ships and make their way back to Virginia to be reunited with the remnant of the tribe that remained. It is because of these women that the tribe is in existence to this day.

This work of historical fiction is based on oral tradition, written colonial records and extensive research by the author, including study of the language. The book uses Indigenous names for the characters and some of the Patawomeck language to honor the culture and heritage that was erased when European colonization of the Americans began in the 16th century. The book includes a glossary for readers unfamiliar with the language and names. 

The following is a conversation between the author Lora and  Ah’SaWei WaTaPa’AnTam

Lora: First, let me say that it was an honor to tell your story and that of our tribe, the Patawomeck of Virginia.

Ah’SaWei: I am glad the story is being remembered, for so many years, it was forgotten outside of the tribal oral tradition.

Lora: Let’s jump right in and I’ll ask you some questions I have heard from readers in since the book was published in 2024.  Contemporary women often marvel at the concept of the Mesk YiHaKan, the Blood House, where women would seclude themselves together during menstruation. Did you feel unclean during this time and ostracized?

AhSaWei: BiCi! No! I think I can speak for all Patawomeck women and other Native women in Virginia when I say, we cherished the time together in the Blood House. There was always laughing, gossiping, grooming our hair and of course, creating and applying tattoos, what the white explorers called “embroidery”. It was a time of rest and community. It was also a time to encourage one another through pregnancy, nursing and other health situations specific for women. Of course, we also talked about men and our partners, our children.

Lora: Wait! Who took care of the children while menstruating women were in the Blood House?

AhSaWei: The grandmothers who no longer had monthly bleeding and the aunties.  While our cycles tended to be synchronized within days of each other, not all the women were in the Blood House at the same time. We shared childrearing and caretaking. If the men were not away from the village on a long hunt, they also kept an eye on the children. Nursing infants and babies accompanied their mothers into the Blood House.

Lora: Readers have speculated about your motivation. How did you keep going after your husband and brother were killed on the same night? A night that also saw your village go up in flames and resulted in the women and children being taken captive, ultimately being sold into slavery and shipped to Barbados.

AhSaWei: My main motivation was to protect my daughter, MaNa. She was just three years old the night of the massacre. I was determined to keep her safe. I guess you could say I also had a primal desire to return to our homeland and our people. Every single day, I thought about returning home and was looking for a way to leave Barbados.

Lora: Let’s pivot to your husbands. Tell us about MaMan and Levi.

AhSaWei: I loved both of my husbands deeply. MaMan was the husband of my youth, my lover and partner, the father of my precious MaNa. When I witnessed his murder, I felt my heart shut down. Maybe because of the brutality of his death and the devastation of what came after, I was focused only on my daughter. I did not anticipate loving another man and certainly not a European. I didn’t actually love Levi at first, but he was kind and offered me a way out of Barbados by marriage. In many ways, I had no choice, I was property, bought and sold by whoever had gold for the transaction. I think he loved me first and then, over time, I came to love him deeply because of his kindness, his humor, his tenderness toward MaNa. He was a good man, as was his father.

Lora: Tell us about your friendship with  NePa’WeXo. How important was she to you?

AhSaWei: NePa’WeXo, Xo, for short, was really more of a sister to me than even a best friend. She was a few years older and our mothers were friends, so from  my birth, she was always present in my life. When we were sold to different plantations, I felt the same devastating heartbreak I felt with the loss of my husband and brother. The years of not knowing if she and her daughter were dead or alive took a toll on my spirit. It seemed like a miracle when I saw her harvesting sugar cane on another plantation. I believe the Great Hare had been watching and trying to connect us. I often pondered what would have happened if Isaac had taken the same road home that night. The what ifs….however, once I knew she was alive, I drew strength from her survival. I think from that point on, we both were determined to return to our homeland with our daughters. 

Lora: KeNa, thank you, AhSaWei for sharing your thoughts with me. I am so proud to be your ancestor. Indeed, I am an ancestor of the Patawomeck because of your bravery and resilience.

BUY HERE

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A member of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia, Lora Chilton tells the story of her people and their unlikely survival due to the courage of three Patawomeck women. As a part of the process, she interviewed tribal elders, researched colonial documents and studied the Patawomeck language. Chilton graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. She has worked as a Registered Nurse, a small business owner, an elected official, a non-profit executive and a writer. Memphis is her home. 1666: A Novel is her second work of historical fiction.

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Category: Interviews, On Writing