Maciilan Paih
The Maciilan Paih Project aims to place markers on Algonquian land, reclaiming space and challenging Virginia’s colonial legacy to commemorate and educate the public about tribal history.
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Maciilan Paih means "Remember Who Was Once There" in native Algonquian. This name was chosen after consulting Algonquian tribal leaders and language instructors. The phrase itself highlights the importance of remembering the centuries of tribal history embedded within Virginia, and ensuring that tribal legacies live on forever.
What We Do
Maciilan Paih prioritizes the voices of Virginia's Indigenous tribes, directly countering the colonial narratives found within documents like John Smith's historic map and highlighting the enduring Indigenous connection to the land.
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Each marker features the tribe's name, the Algonquian word for land, cepsiin, and a significant cultural symbol distinct to each tribe. The pilot marker for the Patawomeck tribe, for instance, showcases a running deer—a design found on 17th-century tobacco pipes discovered in the Potomac River valley.
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These elements combine to create a tangible monument to tribal history, prompting viewers to reflect, remember, and honor the past and present.
Past vs. Present
The map on the left, a section of Captain John Smith’s 1612 "Colonial Map of Virginia," shows tribal villages and the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers, representing a colonial perspective of the area. The map on the right, a modern-day image of the same area, is marked with the sites of Maciilan Paih's markers. Through this representation, the project focuses on rewriting Smith’s colonial legacy of Virginia and highlighting Indigenous history, instead.
Historic Map obtained from Virginia Library of Congress