Captain John Smith.
The Acquintanacsnak people were a tribe or sub-tribe that English explorer Captain John Smith encountered living on the west bank of Patuxent River in present-day St Mary’s County, Maryland.
They lived near and were allied with the Patuxent and Mattapanient tribes and were described as having about 200 warriors within the three tribes. The principal village bore the tribal name and was situated at the mouth of a small creek. Captain Smith described them as “the most civil to give entertainment.” Although they had a chief, it is doubtful whether they formed a distinct tribe and may have been a band or division of the Patuxent. The name was later dropped from documentation without indication of the extinction of the people, very likely because subsequent and more correct information showed that they were a division of another well-known tribe.
Compiled by Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated March 2025.
Also See:
Native American Photo Galleries
Native Americans – First Owners of America
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