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 the 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 later dropped from documentation without indicating the people’s extinction, likely because later, more accurate information showed they were a division of another well-known tribe.
Compiled by Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated October 2026.
Also See:
Native American Photo Galleries
Native Americans – First Owners of America
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