ists ▁could ▁have ▁assim il ated ▁into ▁nearby ▁Native ▁American ▁tribes ▁since ▁at ▁least ▁ 1 6 0 5 . ▁ ▁If ▁this ▁integration ▁was ▁successful , ▁the ▁assim il ated ▁colon ists ▁would ▁gradually ▁exhaust ▁their ▁European ▁supplies ▁( amm un ition , ▁cl othing ) ▁and ▁disc ard ▁European ▁culture ▁( language , ▁style ▁of ▁dress , ▁agricult ure ) ▁as ▁Alg on qu ian ▁l ifest yle ▁became ▁more ▁convenient . ▁ ▁Col onial ▁era ▁Europe ans ▁observed ▁that ▁people ▁removed ▁from ▁European ▁society ▁by ▁Native ▁Americans — even ▁if ▁captured ▁or ▁ens la ved — w ere ▁rel uct ant ▁to ▁return ; ▁the ▁reverse ▁was ▁s eld om ▁true . ▁Therefore , ▁it ▁is ▁reasonable ▁to ▁expect ▁that , ▁at ▁some ▁point , ▁the ▁assim il ated ▁colon ists ▁or ▁their ▁descend ants ▁would ▁resist ▁efforts ▁at ▁recovery . ▁ ▁Most ▁histor ians ▁today ▁believe ▁this ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁most ▁likely ▁scenario ▁for ▁the ▁colon ists ' ▁surv ival . ▁However , ▁this ▁leaves ▁open ▁the ▁question ▁of ▁which ▁tribe , ▁or ▁tribes , ▁the ▁colon ists ▁assim il ated ▁with . ▁ ▁It ▁is ▁widely ▁accepted ▁that ▁the ▁Cro atan ▁were ▁ancest ors ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 8 th - century ▁H atter as , ▁although ▁evidence ▁of ▁this ▁is ▁circumst ant ial . ▁The ▁present - day ▁Ro ano ke - H atter as ▁tribe ▁ident ifies ▁as ▁descend ants ▁of ▁both ▁the ▁Cro atan ▁and ▁the ▁Lost ▁Col on ists ▁by ▁way ▁of ▁the ▁H