Thread: a mystery is once carved in a tree

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke...Roanoke_Island

its a story about a carving in a tree in nc were it says "CROATAN" what do you think it meant and who was it ?

wasnt that an old settling attempt?

if I remember correctly, some guy took some ships to a place on the caost of north america, an island maybe named Roanoke? anyway there were croatoin indians nearby, which is important.

anyway, the guy decides he needs some more salt and pepper and whatever else they used those days, and went back to england to get it. While in England(or some other country, i honestly dont know which one), there were some complications and he could not return for 5 or so years. When he did return, he found their settlement completely abandoned. All that was left was the word CROATOAN(sp?) on a tree. Nobodys sure if it means that they were taken in by the indians, or the indians assaulted them, or whatever.

and thats the gist of it

Thats really interesting. I'd be willing to bet that the Croatoans didn't carve the word into the tree, due to the Native American respect for everything living, trees alike. (Native Americans beleive that everything in Nature is alive and has a pulse...a tree with a pulse! )

Falloutboysgirl....if you find out any other info...post it here

very interesting post 8)

I'm guessing that the Croatoans carved that on the tree after attacking the first settlers to send a "Don't come back" sort of idea, I'm guessing. I am sure that the europeans that settled there were not the nicest, and I'm sure often demanded goods from them when the settlement plunged into despair.

Just my .02.

it meant just as it was suppose to mean the roanoke colonist heading for virginia relocated to the island of Roanoke which was led by a friendly interpreter of the expiditon then the historical record tells us that powhatan (poccahantas's dad) killed of gthe great many of them living with natives not to long before the settlement in Jamestown 1609, so between croataon and 1607 they migrated further north into the chesapeake where they were suppose to.

the croatoans were FRIENDLY to the roanoke settlers and john white had planned for them to settle with the croatoan had things gone for the worse AND he also arranged for them to carve their new location into trees and door frames just as was done. Look at Whites own acccount it is not very long, the croatoans were allies and the white knew the meaning of the carving. there were many failed attempts to reach croatan, they knew the settlers were there at one time th question is what happened after gthat point and before Jamestown.

"I am sure that the europeans that settled there were not the nicest, and I'm sure often demanded goods from them when the settlement plunged into despair."

actually the settlers of roanoke were some of the most open colonist in the new world, the english settlements decades later would have a very different phillosphy toward natives

"Native American respect for everything living, trees alike. (Native Americans beleive that everything in Nature is alive and has a pulse...a tree with a pulse! ) "

this is true but native americans practiced slash and burn agriculture and actually are instrumental to what we think is the "natural" ecology of the NE united states...so no even though they did not car ve croatoan into a tree...because even mateo their leader could not read or write, they would have no problem doing so