Okeus
Okeus (also known as Okee) was a wrathful god in the religion of the Powhatan and Monocan tribes of Virginia, the vengeful counterpart of the god Ahone, whom the Powhatan associated with war. Okeus was mistakenly labelled as the devil by European colonists and missionaries who misinterpreted Powhatan deities, spiritual practices, and depictions in art, among them John Smith.[1][2] Okeus was believed to be a wrathful god who required propitiation. Temples devoted to Okeus were known as Quioccosan.[3] Powhatan spirituality was polytheistic and Okeus was believed to be the most important deity in their pantheon, a guardian who could bring illness, crop failure, and other disasters to the Powhatan if not appeased. Powhatan priests attempted to intercede with Okeus and other deities to cure diseases and bring rain.[4] Image: Effigy, Okeus/Okie provided by amateur archeologist and Native American researcher J.W.Bopp.
Artifact discovered in Orange County, Virginia September 2022.
See also
References
- ^ "Cultural Expression: Religion". Charles City County Community website. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
- ^ "UMass professor discusses Native history and his own mixed ancestry". The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- ^ Hendren, Samuel Rivers (1895). "Religious Institutions". Government and religion of the Virginia Indians. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press. pp. 26–28. ISBN 0404611028.
- ^ "A Clash of Beliefs: Virginia". The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Retrieved 2021-04-28.