The Tutelo peoples originally lived in the western and central regions of Virginia and down into North Carolina. They were first discovered by an adventurer known as Hale, who also noted their language to be of a Siouan dialect. The Tutelo are also said to have had a close connection with their neighboring tribe, the Saponi, considering their languages were almost the same. A similar situation could be said of the Tutelo with their neighbors, the Occaneechi and other allied tribes which connotated an ethnic relationship. They were constantly at war with the Powhatan as well as very wary of the strength of the Iroquois nation.
Due to constant attacks and failure to sustain through them, they moved around between the years of 1671 and 1701, coming nearer to their neighbors, the Occaneechi. There is a period of recording silence, so it is unclear how long they stayed in this area. However, they are said to have moved quite a bit, from the mountains of west North Carolina, to a village called Sapona (town) towards the east, and then to an area near Fort Christanna. After intervention from the colonists in 1722, the Iroquois nation of the north and the Virginia tribes retracted from the war path and made peace. This, in turn, allowed the Tutelo to move north and settle in Pennslyvania under Iroquois protection. By 1771, the Tutelo had settled into a town called Coreorgonal. This was relatively short lived, however, as the US Army, led by General Sullivan conducted a 'scorched earth' campaign against the Haudenosaunee of the Iroquois nation that led to it's distruction in 1779. Due to colonization and the unstable region, the Tutelo tribe thinned out and migrated north into Canada where they were adopted into larger tribes. Due to the lack of records during and after this migration, the tribe was thought to have been extinct. However, there are descendents of the original tribal members of the Tutelo who are currently working to revive the tribal ways of the Tutelo tribe, such as language. The last living full blooded Tutelo indian was known as Nikonha. He expired in 1871. |
[The video above is a video of a native american celebration (pow wow) of converging tribes at Tutelo Park in Ithaca, NY]
Here are few words in the native Tutelan language: English: Tutelo: Man Wahtanka Woman Mahei Moon Minosa Sun Mi Water Mani |