Charles Yeardly Turner (1850-1918)
Credit: Maryland State Archives
Native People of Maryland
Grades 3-4, Grades 6-8
Geography influenced the life and culture of the Yaocomico people, the Indigenous people of Maryland. They were the first inhabitants to live in the state before it was settled by European colonizers.
The Yaocomico (also spelled Yaocomaco) were a Native American tribe who lived along the north bank of the Potomac River where the river meets the Chesapeake Bay. This group was related to the Piscataway, which was the most dominant nation north of the Potomac River.
In this lesson, students will learn more about the way of life of the Yaocomico, and the impact Europeans had on the Indigenous people of Maryland.
Teacher's Guide and Related Standards
Students will be able to interpret and explain the historical significance of trade and commerce during the Colonial Era.
- How did the Indigenous people of Maryland use the resources around them to survive?
- How did the Europeans positively and negatively impact the Native people of Maryland?
The Dig Clip
- What natural resource was very important to the Yaocomico?
- What food was available in the rich coastal environment of the Yaocomico people?
- How did the environment impact the design of Yaocomico homes?
Vocabulary
Supplemental Enrichment Activities
The Disappearance of the Yaocomico
Why did the Yaocomico people start disappearing from historical records in the 1670s? Visit the website to read what happened to the indigenous people of Maryland. Identify the effects European colonizers had on the Yaocomico people.
European Life in a Yaocomico Village
What was life like for European colonists when they arrived in the New World? Read the chapter “The Village of Yaocomico” from the book, Calvert of Maryland written by James Otis. This second-hand account describes how Europeans settled in a Yaocomico village.
Answer the following questions in your notebook:
- How was the way of life of the Yaocomico different from the European settlers?
- How did the European settlers describe the Yaocomico people?
Original Copyright 1910 by James Otis
Distributed by Heritage History 2010
» Calvert of Maryland - James Otis: The Village of Yaocomico
Relationships and Survival
The Yaocomico and Piscataway tribes developed relationships with the European colonists. These Indigenous groups shared their vast knowledge of survival skills by teaching the colonists how to hunt, build homes, and farm. The Native people of Maryland also introduced the Europeans to primitive medicines and, together, established a flourishing trade industry. The Native people did not always prosper from these relationships. Visit the Native Americans of Maryland: Great Contributors Underappreciated website to identify the positive and negative effects of the relationship between Europeans and Native Americans.