Indians Fishing

This watercolor by English artist, cartographer, and expeditionary John White gives a sense not only of the diversity of marine wildlife in coastal Virginia and the Carolinas at the time of the Europeans' arrival, but also of the sophisticated means that Native inhabitants used to cultivate this rich aquaculture. Among the species represented are several types of crabs, stingrays, various fish, and a hammerhead shark. The Indians utilized elaborate "fish weirs," fence-like structures for catching fish, as well as spears, traps, and nets.

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